'The question is, what are the enemy thinking?' said Darrick.
'Is it?' asked Denser. But The Unknown was already nodding, giving Darrick the confidence to carry on.
'We're making dangerous assumptions at the moment. Which is fine if the enemy either aren't here or not expecting anyone. But not helpful at all if there are either more of them than we think, or they've been contacted and are already dug in and prepared.
'Now we're able to see the terrain we have to deal with we can ask the questions that need asking. What we know is that the enemy have, or had, mage support. Should we assume they have contacted the reserve and, if so, at what point? And then, what information could they have passed on and what is the likely response of the reserve?'
'Right, assume this, then,' said The Unknown. 'They know the number of runners. They know how near they are and how fast they are. They also know the hunters are close behind and that they have to establish a safe perimeter beyond the open ground of the estuary itself. Any suggestions?'
'Narrowest defensible point,' said Hirad. 'But where open space for the runners to cross is limited or at least covered by archer and mage fire.'
'Correct,' said Darrick. 'See where the outflow begins between the cliff edges?' He pointed to an area perhaps three hundred yards across. 'It's the most secure but it's broken by the outflow and the larger channels. It can't be completely spanned and any force would have to fragment to hold it.'
'So why would they set their line there?' asked Erienne.
'Because if they come any further forward, the forest takes over and they can be outflanked far more easily. They need the cliff edges to secure their flanks. And because there can't possibly be enough of them to hold a longer line. And to defend further seawards is pointless. The defenders will have their view of the swamp and forest edge disabled because there'll be no flank view. And the flanks are where our runners are most likely to break cover.
'There's something else.' Darrick smiled. 'They might know a few TaiGethen are coming but there's no way they can be aware that fifty swords and a few mages have come downstream. No way.'
'So what?' said Denser, looking around at the huge arc of forest that ten times fifty couldn't hope to cover effectively.
'So it gives me an idea.'
It was not long before the Al-Arynaar reported back that enemy forces were in place bordering the swamp area, so dispelling the vague anxiety that the runners had already been and gone. Without confirmation from TaiGethen or ClawBound about the position of any of the hunted, The Raven had to assume they could appear at any time.
After a great deal of debate, Darrick's plan was put in place, though the former general had advised Rebraal to present it to the elves as his own. The Al-Arynaar scouts had been within thirty feet of the forward enemy positions and reported seventy swordsmen spread across the outlet to the estuary, backed by fifteen archers and what were assumed to be six mages. The elves were also confident that more strangers were positioned in deeper cover, less than Darrick had assumed but a threat nevertheless. The strangers were positioned much as expected, with good immediate fields of fire or open spaces to strike into, but Darrick had no intention of facing them on their own terms.
With the arrival of the TaiGethen imminent, Darrick had advised that to be sure of seeing and then stopping any of the runners, they should not spread their line too thin in an attempt to cover the impossible. So the Al-Arynaar and Raven were gathered in four groups – their boat groups – in an arc around the open area of the swamp looking both in and out.
The Raven and Rebraal were out on the left flank, as close as they dared to the enemy but in a position where none could circle them unseen. Al-Arynaar elves took up a similar position opposite them on the east bank with the other two groups closer to the Shorth, one on either bank. Darrick considered that the two flanking groups would be able to cut off runners from anywhere, while the central groups could take down any that came too close but, more importantly, would engage the reserve in the event of them being drawn out.
Tucked into position with nothing to do but wait, Hirad crouched at the end of The Raven line slightly apart from the rest to give him a view of the edge of the cliffs where they soared into the darkening sky and the ground between their position and the enemy line. Looking right, he could just about see Darrick, eyes everywhere, assessing whether he'd set everyone right and searching his mind for anything he'd missed. He was relying on the speed of response and the skill of the TaiGethen, and his lack of knowledge of them clearly worried him.
Behind Hirad, Thraun was looking back into the forest, his keen eyes as good as any elf's, his ears tuned to the sounds around him, listening for any approach. The barbarian smiled. With his sword in his hand and The Raven poised around him, Hirad felt good.
He felt a prick in the side of his neck, sharp and deliberate. He moved his head, his eyes straining round. The blade of a dagger entered his vision. He raised a hand and began to turn his body slowly. His eyes moved up the hilt of the dagger, along the dark-garbed arm and up into a face painted in deep greens and browns. The elf behind the paint stared back with undisguised hatred, his whispered words conveying his intent though Hirad understood none of them.
He should have been scared, he knew, but instead he was impressed at the stealth that had brought the elf so close without any of them knowing. To cry out would probably be to die. He and half The Raven. The TaiGethen, and he assumed this was one, worked in threes, so Rebraal had said.
But they were not invincible. Hirad smiled.
'I don't know what you're saying, my friend, but one thing you should know is that no Raven is ever alone.'
Thraun's sword rested against the elf's neck in turn. He stiffened and hissed, his eyes narrowing but never moving from Hirad. Sudden commotion from two sides and harsh whispered words stopped the situation developing any further. Two more elves came in from Hirad's right as he sat, Rebraal and The Unknown from the left. Hirad pushed the blade of the dagger away.
'Sheath it unless you intend to use it.'
The elf didn't understand him either but he and Rebraal spoke quickly and urgently, the elf still with his gaze locked on Hirad.
'These your famous TaiGethen, are they?' asked Hirad.
'Not now,' warned The Unknown.
Ilkar had joined them and got Thraun to move his blade. At last the painted elf looked away and up at Rebraal. He snorted contemptuously and bent back towards Hirad, whispering something meaningful before moving silently away, taking his two colleagues with him.
'Clever,' said Thraun.
'You're lucky you're not dead,' said Ilkar.
'So's he,' said Hirad. 'Who is he?'
'That's Auum, leader of the TaiGethen. You don't want to know what he was saying to you.'
Hirad shrugged. 'No, I don't. What I do want to know is, where are the runners?'
Ilkar put the question to Rebraal.
'They've caught and killed another two groups of warriors further into the forest. That's eleven men down altogether. There are others apparently on both banks but they haven't a bead on any of them. This side, Auum says the strangers are travelling under magical obscurement of some kind. On the other, there's someone he apparently respects for his forest skill but wants to skin for killing a ClawBound pair. Their guess is that both sets of men are close. More TaiGethen are crossing the river now. We shouldn't have to wait too long.'