Among the freed slaves, jubilation reigns. When before all they had to look forward to was a life of misery and servitude, now they are free with the hopes of remaining that way. Surely if anyone can bring them forth out of the Empire alive and well, Black Hawk can.
The rest accompanying him have a more realistic appreciation of the situation. They know there are still forces that yet lie between them and Madoc. None believe they’ll simply be allowed to walk to safety. It’s simply a matter of time before sufficient forces gather to strike.
Scouts are out in every direction and so far haven’t reported sighting any other sizeable force. When a patrol or caravan comes within striking distance, Ceadric takes several hundred Raiders and takes them out. Whenever the enemy is destroyed, they strip the dead of their armor and weapons. They then take them back and arm what freed slaves that are still without.
During their trek northward, the towns they encounter are quickly taken. Soldiers are killed, slaves are freed and given the opportunity to join them, and the shops are raided for much needed supplies. A force this large goes through food quickly. Illan gave the order that civilians are not to be accosted under any circumstances. Any who give them problems were to be brought to him for judgment.
So far the process has worked fairly well. The first town they raided after Korazan, a couple of the new, younger raiders took advantage of a young woman. When brought before Illan, the young men pleaded their innocence but too many had witnessed them taking her into the building. Illan pronounced them guilty and left their bodies hanging from the eaves of the building where the woman was attacked as an example to the rest. Since them, there have been no reports of any molestation of civilians by any of his men.
Another item the scouts were on a lookout for were bridges. The sack of crystals containing the explosive ones James had left him is now all but empty. Only two crystals remain. Whenever a bridge was sighted, he sent Ceadric with the sack of crystals to take out the bridge. He and his men would ride up to the bridge where he would toss a crystal onto the center span. Ten seconds later the crystal would explode leaving a large hole in the center. A few were made more sturdily and required two of the crystals to destroy it.
Earlier this morning while they were on the move, scouts reported the fortress of Al-Ziron was but two days ahead of them. A force of over a thousand men was estimated to be garrisoned there. Unwilling to tackle a fortified fortress, he makes the decision to leave the road and head cross country to the northeast. With any luck he and his men will be too large for them to attack, and those soldiers will remain where they are, allowing them to pass by.
The wagons rolling along behind him are filled to brimming with water and food for the horses and people. It’s unlikely they will be able to forage for anything else from here on out. No more towns lie between where they are and Madoc. Any that used to be here were destroyed when the Empire came through last year.
Riding behind his banner are still over five hundred Raiders, those are all that’s left from the many battles fought since they first entered the Empire. The slaves number close to a thousand; three hundred crossbowmen, five hundred bearing weapons of one type or another, and the rest is made up of the women, children and elderly. The elderly are suffering the trip the most. So far he’s had to leave close to a dozen on the side of the road in a shallow grave after they died from the exertion of the trip.
His mind wanders while he rides, wondering where James is and if he’s even still alive. Did this crazy plan work? Are Madoc’s forces even now pushing the Empire out? But what’s most on his mind is the threat of attack. They’ve been extremely lucky so far. How long is that going to last though? The closer they come to the border, the more likely that they will be hit and hit hard!
“Sir!” a scout cries as he rides up from the south.
“Report,” Illan says as the man draws near.
“A score of riders comes from the south,” reports the scout. “They don’t look like soldiers, rather civilians.”
From where Miko rides next to Illan he asks, “What were they wearing?”
“Most had on robes of one kind or another,” he replies.
Illan glances to Miko, he understands the significance of that. “How far away are they?”
“A day, maybe more. They are moving only slightly faster than we are,” he explains.
“Very well,” replies Illan. “Return and keep an eye on them. If they should begin moving faster, return to let us know immediately.”
Giving a smart salute, the scout says, “Yes, sir.” Then he turns his horse and gallops back to the south.
“Mages you think?” Miko asks though he already knows the answer.
“Would think so,” Illan states. “Moving slow though, that bothers me.”
“Why?” questions Miko.
Illan glances to him and says, “It most likely means they’re pacing us until other forces arrive then all will attack together.” After a moment he adds, “Tell Ceadric and Delia I want to talk to them. Oh, and have Brother Willim come too.”
Miko gives him a nod and then goes to find them.
Ceadric is the first to make his appearance. “What’s up?” he asks.
“Tell you when the others join us,” replies Illan.
They wait for several more minutes before first Delia joins them then Miko returns with Brother Willim in tow.
Continuing to ride, Illan has them move ahead of the column so he won’t be overheard. “Scouts have reported a score of mages approaching from the rear,” he tells them.
“A score?” asks Ceadric in surprise. “They’ve never committed that many at one time.”
“You must be causing them difficulties for them to commit so many,” suggests Brother Willim.
“Indeed,” replies Illan.
“Are they close?” Delia asks.
“Right now they’re about a day behind and are pacing us,” he replies.
“We think they may be waiting for reinforcements before attacking,” pipes up Miko.
Illan nods. “That’s right.” To Ceadric he says, “Send scouts further out. We need to know what’s on the way. The scouts currently behind us are keeping an eye on them and will let us know if they make a move to quicken their pace.”
“That would mean whatever they are planning is about to happen,” comments Ceadric.
Illan nods to Ceadric who moves to get the scouts underway then turns to Miko and Brother Willim. “Can you handle them in the event of an attack?”
“Twenty?” considers Brother Willim. “I don’t think so. It would depend on how strong they are.”
“I’m not sure what I can do against magic,” admits Miko. “The Star works well against otherworldly creatures, but flesh and blood?” He pauses a second before continuing, “I just don’t know.”
“Whether or not we can readily defeat them is immaterial,” states Brother Willim. “If we wait for other reinforcements to arrive the situation will only get worse. I say we turn back and deal with them now while our chances are the highest.”
“I agree,” says Delia. “The longer we wait the worse it will become.”
Glancing to the sky, Illan says, “It’s still an hour before noon. Let’s wait a couple hours to see if Ceadric’s scouts find anything. If not, we’ll turn around and attack.”
“And if they do?” asks Miko.
“Then we’ll adjust our plans accordingly,” he replies. “Return to your people and be ready.”
They break up and return to the column. Illan resumes his place at the head while the others rejoin their groups to inform them of what’s going on.
With a possible attack imminent, Illan has the column tighten up and posts Raiders on either end. They stop at noon for a brief rest and lunch break, can’t afford to have everyone tired and hungry if the battle should begin soon.