“Good enough,” said Jon and dashed up the mountain trail.
“Follow him,” said Proteus as he busied himself with the saddle bags attached to the horses, “I’ll gather some supplies in case we end up gone overnight. Go on, Sorus, I’ll catch up.”
Sorus started to run after Jon but felt a sudden onset of nausea and slowed his pace for a moment, “Jon, slow down and wait for us!” he called out.
It took Proteus several minutes to get water, food, and other supplies from the horses and then he paused for a moment and stared at the beasts. “I’ll leave you free, head down the mountain if we’re not back in a day or so,” he said to the horses and shook his head. “I’m an old fool still talking to horses after all these years,” and with that went after Sorus and Jon. It only took him about five minutes to catch up with the two as they stood near a rocky overhang in animated discussion. They saw him coming and motioned him up with a wave of their hands.
“Goblins or orcs,” said Jon and pointed with his finger around the corner. “I sniffed out an ambush.”
“Well done, Jon,” said Proteus, “how did you spot them?”
Jon pointed to a crossbow bolt on the dirt trail just to their right, “I cleverly drew their fire,” replied the young warrior.
“It’s a good thing they didn’t wait until you were completely in the open,” said Proteus as he glanced at the wicked barb for a moment, “were you hit at all?”
Jon shook his head, “One shot went between my legs, and I think I heard the other whistle by my ear but no hits. Pretty poor shooting considering the size of the target.”
“So,” said Proteus with a look up towards the rock that sheltered them from the ambushers and then squinted at the afternoon sun in the opposite direction, “two of them and they’ve picked the wrong time of day for this location.”
“I only saw the two bolts,” said Sorus also who followed Proteus’s gaze at the position of the sun. “I don’t see any way they can work around to a firing position on us,” he continued and pointed to the large overhang above them. “They’ll just wait up there until we make our move unless they’ve got wizards to collapse the rocks on us.”
“I’d guess they are close to wherever the skeleton and snake thing went to ground,” said Proteus with a shrug. “It’s a terrible spot for ambush this time of day and the mountain has so many hidden spots it’s ridiculous that they chose this one.”
“They could just be stupid,” suggested Jon. “I don’t know about the goblins and orcs in this area but some of them around Tanelorn are fairly dim.”
“No,” said Proteus, “they might not be the most intelligent but in military matters they know their business. The only reason they set up the ambush right there is because they had to do it. I think our friends are just up beyond the rise. Sadly, that doesn’t get us past the ambushers. The sun at our backs is probably what saved you, Jon,” he continued and looked back towards the slowly setting orb of light. “We can’t count on that for much longer.”
“You’re right, Proteus,” said Jon and nodded his head with a look back at the sun. “We need to find a way past them and right now,” the young knight of gray looked around and shrugged his shoulders. “If I had my heavy shield I could just charge them and hope for the best but I don’t like my odds in this chain. Those heavy bolts will just punch straight through.”
“There’s no sense talking about things we don’t have,” said Proteus his hand on his chin as he looked at the overhang. “How high up is the lip on that rock?” he said and took a step back which almost exposed him to the crossbow fire.
“Careful, Proteus,” said Sorus, putting his hand on the older man, and pulling him gently back into cover. “No sense in getting killed before we make a move.”
Proteus looked back and smiled, “I’ve been watering crops for too long Sorus, thank you. I figured that someone tall enough might give someone spry enough a boost, and they might get over that lip and come up on the ambushers from behind.”
Jon looked up and nodded his head, “I can get you most of the way there, Sorus but you’ll have to do some scrambling,” he paused, leaned backwards, and looked over the rocky outcropping. “Maybe right there by that little indentation that looks like a duck feather, you could grab ahold and haul yourself up?”
Sorus leaned back but shook his head, “I can’t see it Jon, but I trust you. Hoist me up and let’s get going!” he continued as he sheathed his sword and rubbed his hands together quickly.
Jon kneeled down, “Sit up on my shoulders, when I stand get on your feet, and we’ll see how close that gets you,” he said.
“Be careful not to move too far to the right, Sorus,” said Proteus, “you might expose yourself to fire from up the hill.”
Sorus climbed onto Jon’s shoulders like a young boy on his father and then Jon stood up pushing the newly made knight of Elkargul high into the air. Sorus then put his hand on the rock face and balanced as he climbed to his feet on Jon’s shoulders. “I’m about six inches short of a good handhold,” said Sorus and looked down over his left shoulder to Jon.
The big gray knight put his hands up by his shoulders, palms up, “Stand on my hands,” he said and tapped Sorus on the ankle. “I’ll boost you up further. I think we can manage that last little bit.”
Sorus did as instructed and Jon pushed up with his hands and lifted the one hundred sixty pound boy as if he were no more than a small child; Proteus watched with a shake of his head. Jon extended his arms straight up, which lifted Sorus the extra inches, the boy found a purchase, and scrambled up the rock face like a spider. Jon felt the weight leave his hands and turned to Proteus, “is he up?”
Proteus nodded his head, “Maybe we should have given him a rope to haul us up. He’s going to have to take those ambushers by himself.”
“Do you have a rope?” said Jon and turned to the older knight.
“I brought one from the horses when you and Sorus dashed off a second ago,” he said and pointed to the saddle bag that lay in the shade of the rocky outcropping. “We might be days underground looking for the staff.”
Jon shook his head and laughed, “You’re right,” he said with a wry smile. “Sorus and I just went through that without any supplies at all. I can’t believe I forgot again.”
“You do seem a bit headstrong, Jon,” said Proteus, “if you don’t mind me saying. You’re a powerful man and probably pretty used to having things go your way, right?”
Jon nodded, “I know what you’re going to say,” he said. “My father always tells me to stop and think before I leap. It’s not as easy to stop when something needs to get done. My father always says its men of action that get things done in the world, not philosophers.”
“That’s all true,” said Proteus as the two continued their conversation, although both of them thought about Sorus who even now worked his way to position behind the ambushers. “Maybe we should be men of action and give those fellows up the hill a target just to distract them?”
Jon nodded, “I was thinking the same thing Proteus. We could dash across the trail to that spot over there, the cover is not as good, but it might look like we’re trying to work our way up to their position.”
Proteus nodded, “That should work, but keep your head down once we get there, don’t even try and take a look. I’ve seen men hit in the eye looking around a corner.”
Jon nodded and moved to the edge of the little outcropping, “Ready?”
Proteus nodded.
“One, two, three!” said Jon sprinting across the trail in a dash with Proteus right behind. A pair of crossbow bolts flew behind them after they took cover and then another one splattered the rock behind which they hid. The crack of the bolt against the rock caused both men to duck as they lay on the ground with their heads down. Jon’s foot stuck out just enough and another bolt hit the earth near it which caused him to curl up in a position like a little baby.