“I am glad you were cautious enough to check before you punctured us with arrows,” responded Lord Marak. “We should be coming back tomorrow or the next day. Is there some signal we can use to avoid a mistake?”
“Have you ever heard a marsh owl?” asked the bandit.
Lord Marak nodded and imitated the call. “Excellent,” remarked the bandit. “Give that call on your way back. Start it about a half hour east of here. We do not stay in the same place for obvious reasons. We will hear it and have your refreshed mounts ready.”
“We will need four mounts upon our return,” instructed Lord Marak optimistically.
The bandit nodded as the three warriors transferred their gear to the new mounts and resumed their journey eastward. Gunta kept up a hectic pace, but the sky began to pale before they reached Lituk Valley. Lord Marak called a halt and dismounted.
“We will not have enough time to accomplish our goal tonight,” declared Lord Marak. “Let’s rest the animals and decide on a plan of attack.”
“If we could leave the horses here,” speculated Halman, “we would have fresher mounts tomorrow night when we are being chased. Do you think we could steal horses out of their stable? We could abandon them here and take these mounts back.”
“That is not a bad idea,” commented Lord Marak, “but it increases our exposure. Getting Rybak out will be tricky enough without trying to steal horses.”
“Plus,” added Gunta, “if we fail to get horses, it will be a long walk back to here. They will probably be pursuing us when we escape.”
“If they know where to look for us,” smiled Lord Marak.
“If they know it was us,” figured Halman, “they will head straight this way. They will probably get here before us if we don’t have horses.”
“But if they don’t know it was us,” commented Gunta, “they will search in every direction for Rybak.”
“I am going to make sure that Lord Marshal Grefon knows who freed Cortain Rybak,” laughed Lord Marak. “We are heading north towards River’s Bend. We can travel slowly as long as we keep off the roads. We are going to need rest before dark, but we will not have a full day’s journey ahead of us.”
Gunta and Halman exchanged puzzled looks, but they shrugged and followed Lord Marak. It took the entire morning to find the exact spot Lord Marak was searching for, but once they saw it, Gunta and Halman smiled.
They were at a cave alongside the river less than an hour's ride north of Lituk Valley. Marak had brought his Squad here to rest during one of their survival training outings. They were coming back from a trip to the swamps downstream and the evening turned into a small festival of sorts with a campfire at the mouth of the cave and several of the soldiers playing flutes while the others sang. Lord Marak’s thoughts drifted back to those carefree days with a warmness reserved for memories.
The three warriors brought their horses into the cave and prepared for sleep. The cave was not near the road and there was little chance of anyone stumbling along and finding them here. As soon as nightfall arrived, the three warriors left the cave and started walking towards Lituk Valley. They kept to the woods and proceeded quietly through the forest as they turned their silver headbands, wristbands and waistband inside out to hide the silver.
As they neared the estate, Lord Marak halted frequently and listened for signs of patrols. Lord Marshal Grefon was not big on nighttime patrols during times of peace and Lord Marak noted that he hadn’t changed his procedures. They spotted only one patrol although Lord Marak realized there would be another on the other side of the estate. The patrol was easy to get around and soon the three warriors were in the heart of the orchards. Here the risky part of their mission would begin.
The layout of Lord Ridak’s estate placed the barracks towards the front of the property. That necessitated an entry from the rear of the mansion. Unfortunately, that path would mean crossing the barren fields which were not yet producing lituks. Lord Marak did not look forward to the long exposure necessary to cross the open terrain and he certainly would not attempt it until later in the night. Too many soldiers and servants would have a clear view of the open fields and the warriors would have to wait until they turned in for the night.
The three warriors stretched out prone under the lituk trees, each facing a different direction, and waited for the estate to go to sleep. They saw the patrol go by several times, but the Situ soldiers never entered the orchards.
Finally, when the estate was quiet, Lord Marak tapped his two team members and pointed towards the mansion. Gunta rose and ran quietly to the side of the mansion and threw himself into the darkness alongside it. Halman rose next and duplicated the short run. By the time Lord Marak made it to the building, Gunta had already crawled to the corner of the mansion and was peering around the corner. Lord Marak followed Halman to the corner of the building.
Attacking Lituk Valley had one distinctive benefit. Lord Marak knew the grounds and he knew where the kitchen was. He also knew the kitchen should be empty. He eased up alongside Gunta and saw why the warrior had not pressed on further. The second patrol was slacking off. Unfortunately, they were exercising their laxness behind the mansion, right where Lord Marak did not want them. Lord Marak tried to remember what little he knew about the layout of the interior of the mansion and came up with disturbing answers. The only window on this side of the mansion that he could be sure of was Lord Marshal Grefon’s suite.
With time running out and no sign of the second patrol suddenly gaining any initiative to do their duty properly, Lord Marak decided to enter the mansion through Lord Marshal Grefon’s sitting room. After relaying his decision to Gunta and Halman, Lord Marak headed back along the side of the building to the proper window. Lord Marak reached up and tested the shutters and found them unlocked. He eased them open and pulled himself up and into the Lord Marshal’s sitting room. Silently he padded his way across the room to the door to the sleeping chamber and waited.
Halman pulled himself in next and immediately moved to the door to the hallway. Gunta entered and stood looking at the other two for any signs of a problem. The door to Grefon’s study stood open and the room was obviously unoccupied. Halman eased open the door to the hallway and peered out. He nodded vigorously and slipped out the door. Gunta followed close behind and Lord Marak waited until both of them had left the room before he abandoned his post by Grefon’s sleeping chamber.
The door to downstairs was under the grand staircase leading upstairs and Lord Marak found his two compatriots waiting for him when he arrived.
“One of you should remain here,” whispered Lord Marak. “Keep an eye out for anyone who might get in the way when we are leaving. Do not kill unless you have to.”
Gunta eased open the door to the lower level and slipped through it to the stairs leading down. Lord Marak followed him and Halman stepped inside, but kept the door cracked so he could see out. Gunta stepped slowly and cautiously as he moved down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom and peeked around the corner and held up two fingers. Lord Marak thought quickly and tapped Gunta on the shoulder. Gunta moved back and let Lord Marak assume his position.
Cortain Koors and the jailer sat at a table drinking ale and talking up a storm. The jailer was normally positioned so that he could see the captives as well as the stairway, but Koors’ massive form was blocking his view. Lord Marak touched Gunta’s pouch where he kept his Omunga Stars and then stepped down the last step to the floor of the dungeon. Quietly, and in a crouch, Lord Marak stole across the room towards the back of Cortain Koors.
The jailer must have sensed something because he suddenly leaped to his feet, but Lord Marak had already gotten close enough to accomplish his goal. He stepped up behind Koors and held a knife across his throat while he extended his sword to the jailer’s chest.