“More like here,” one of the archers said. He indicated a place farther south. “We don’t come this far to hunt, not often, but seems to me I’ve been here, time we came down the road last year. If I’m right, the river’ll be right close to the road when we do come into the open, and there’s the swamps just on the other side.”
Blorys came around to look over his brother’s shoulder. “You know,” he said, “I’ve been thinking about the other side of the river—not where it’s swampy, but back west. Here, where the water divides, those are islands, right? This time of year, will the river be low enough to cross?”
The archer nodded. “This time of year, water’s almost warm, and it’s low enough to ford, plenty of places. We haven’t looked that far east of the Keep, partly for the distance, partly because they’d see us coming down from the Keep road and have all the time they’d ever want to set an ambush.”
“Yes,” Blorys replied, “but this time, they don’t know we’re out here.”
“Unless they’ve heard all the fighting,” Eddis said dryly.
“True. Even if they did, there’s no reason they’d suspect who we are or why we’re here. It just seems that this area is fairly close to the Keep, near enough to make it easy for men to see what’s on the road and go after it, but still far enough away that men could bring their horses down to the river to water them and not be seen. Especially if they come down at dusk.” He ran a thoughtful finger along the river. “Since they know the Keep isn’t sending men to look for them, then I’d wager they aren’t changing their camp very often. If at all.”
Eddis nodded. “Makes enough sense to test your idea, Blorys. You think we should—what? Pick a couple good trackers and hunters, send them across the river to check the banks for prints, and see which way they go?”
“Exactly. Even if the tracks fade out on hard ground or stone, we’ll know where to start. If I’m right, there should be plenty of signs of their passage.”
“Besides, it’s about the best choice left,” Eddis said. “We haven’t found anything to show they’re north of the road. The other side of the river seems the next best chance for finding them, I’d say.”
She looked around the fire. Everyone seemed ready to move on, and their provisioner was ready to douse the fire.
“Like you said, Jers, probably those orcs are still running, but I’d feel pretty stupid if we were still sitting here when they came back. I say we move out now and move as fast as we can. Once we reach the south edge of the woods, we can look over the land, make certain exactly where we are, and decide what to do.”
Jerdren nodded and rolled up his map. “Good idea. Let’s get going.”
Eddis backed away from the fire pit as the cook emptied his pot over the fire.
“At least one of you hunters out front with me,” Jerdren said. “And Willow? You’ve got good ears, I’d like you at the rear. Eddis?”
“Rear with Willow, or flank,” she said.
He grinned cheerfully. “I was just thinking, way you carved up those two orcs just now, maybe we want you in back, in case they try sneaking up behind us.”
“Funny man,” she retorted and scooped up her pack.
The ground remained fairly level, the woods open. Eddis could see well into the trees on both sides, but steady wind high in the branches made too much noise for her to hear anything else. By the time Jerdren called a halt, she could clearly make out the road, and across it, a bright green line of brush that marked either the river or swampy ground.
Jerdren beckoned her over as two of the Keep men went a little farther on. They were back within moments.
“I was right,” the archer said. “Fens and bogs are ahead, just across the river. That big mound is about dead ahead of us, and the river bends back south again.” Jerdren had his map out, and the man pointed. “Just here.”
“So the islands are back west along the road,” Jerdren mused. “We’ll stay in the trees, take a short rest there, then find a place to look out where they are. We can decide what to do at that point.”
They went on, paralleling the road but still in tree shadow. Afternoon shade soon hid most of the land to the south, deep shadows cast by the hills rising steeply out beyond the river. Jerdren chose a small clearing a little farther back in the woods, and dropped his pack.
“Cold camp tonight,” he said. “If the men we want are up on that hillside somewhere, a fire might be seen.”
Eddis settled on her heels, back against a tree. “So—where from here? And who’s going?”
“Best plan, I’d say, is you and I, M’Baddah, and a couple of the Keep hunters go down to the road, see what we can make out. Go from there.”
She shoved to her feet for answer.
Willow came with them. “There is nothing coming along the road, in either direction,” the elf said quietly. He couldn’t have been heard at any distance beyond his companions. Wind blew dry brush and dust westward along the road. “I can see no movement south, toward the river, either, but there is plenty of tall brush out there, between us and water.”
Jerdren peered and finally shook his head. “I can’t even see that. No sign of movement up on the hillside, either, but it’s kind of dark over there.”
He took a step toward the open, but Willow held him back.
“There is still light on the road. If anyone was watching over there, you could be seen.”
“Maybe,” Jerdren replied with a shrug. “Still—I don’t see anything high enough out there where someone could be spying on the Keep.”
“We’re too far east of the Keep for that,” one of the hunters said, “but look a little farther west. The slope goes up sharply, and it drops off to the west. If I was setting a watch, it would be on the west edge there.” He pointed.
“Then we need to go farther west?” Jerdren asked, but M’Baddah shook his head.
“Even if the watch is up there, I think no one would set a camp up there. Too much trouble to get in and out. Likely the camp itself is in thick woods, fairly close to the water. Soon there will be ice and snow on the heights, and if we are searching for signs of men and horses along the water,” M’Baddah added, “then it makes sense to me that we start here and work our way back west, toward the Keep.”
“I agree,” Eddis said. “If there’s nothing else we can see out here, I say head back to camp, and decide who goes…”
She fell silent as Willow held up a hand. He was gazing back the way they’d come.
“Enemy. Men there,” he whispered sharply, and drew his sword.
Jerdren shook his head dubiously but drew his sword as a bowstring twanged loudly, and a man yelled in pain. Someone else swore.
M’Baddah and Willow were already running quietly and swiftly through the trees, Eddis and the others right behind them. The elf held up a hand as they neared the camp and gestured with his chin. A man lay dead a few paces ahead, between them and the camp. Three others were shooting arrows into the small clearing, and as they watched, one of the men fell. More yelling from the far side of the camp. Jerdren touched Eddis’ shoulder to get her attention.
“We’ll send M’Baddah and Willow around the north side. Keep those for ourselves.” He grinned tightly as the elf vanished quietly into the trees. “I’d say—” he was counting under his breath—“about now.”
There was more yelling north of them, all at once, and then M’Baddah’s voice: “Eddis, go!”
She threw herself at the nearest of the archers with a hawklike scream. The man yelped in surprise as he came around, the bow falling from his hands, but as she closed with him, he drew a dagger from his sleeve and brought it up in a slashing backhand, inside her down-swing. Pain flared hot and sharp across her cheek. Her earlobe stung, and blood ran down her neck. She fell back a pace, and the man came after her.