Not to be outdone, Uther and Jorry begin a tale once they’re through of how they single handedly slew some giant that had taken an entire village captive. After listening to the narrative for several minutes, James turns to Illan and asks, “Are there giants here?”

“Not that I’ve heard,” he says. Despite the improbability of their story, it is rather entertaining.

They continue following the road for the rest of the day. The scouts would return periodically to give a report then would switch to a fresh mount and ride off again. During one such time when a scout returns, the scout tells of a caravan approaching from the south. “Looks to be supplies for the army that was at Lythylla,” the scout says. “It is but an hour away.”

“How many soldiers accompany it?” Illan asks.

“Three score,” the scout replies.

“Keep an eye on it,” Illan says. The scout salutes before changing to a fresh horse and gallops back down the road.

“Ceadric!” he hollers.

“Yes, sir,” Ceadric replies as he brings his horse closer.

“We have an approaching caravan,” he tells him. “Three score guards. Take your riders and capture it.”

“Yes, sir!” he says.

Before he rides away, James says, “Don’t kill the drivers.”

“What about the soldiers?” he asks.

“Do what you have to,” he states.

Turning to his Raiders, he says, “We got a caravan to liberate!”

A cheer erupts as he and his men break into a gallop and race down the road.

“So it begins,” James says under his breath as he watches Ceadric and his Raiders disappear down the road.

“Indeed,” comments Illan from beside him.

It isn’t long before they arrive at the captured caravan. Off to one side, a pile of dead Empire soldiers riddled with arrows stands testament to the battle which raged here. Many of Hedry’s archers still have arrows to string as they keep the drivers from attempting to escape. Several wagons are without drivers and the bloodstains on the benches show they didn’t give up easily.

The wagons are filled with food, weapons and supplies needed by an army on the move. A string of horses were also captured, spare mounts for their cavalry.

Ceadric meets them as they arrive and says, “All secured. No losses.”

“Good,” states Illan. “Have some of the men escort the caravan back to Lythylla.”

“Yes, sir,” he says and then begins assigning those new to their force to escort the caravan. Some grumbling arises from those who believe they’ll miss out on the glory of accompanying Black Hawk, but do as they are told.

As the wagons begin rolling back to Lythylla, their force once again resumes their advance on the Empire.

Over the course of the next several days, that scene is repeated three more times as they capture caravans and send them back to Lythylla. After the first day, James was sufficiently recovered from his fight with the creatures that he could again use his mirror to locate enemy patrols. If they weren’t very large, Ceadric and his riders were dispatched to take them out.

During their third day from Lythylla, James locates a force of at least five thousand men heading north, most likely to reinforce the force that used to be at Lythylla.

“Should we take them on?” Jiron asks.

Shaking his head, James says, “That’s not the idea. We are to draw them after us and out of Lythylla, avoiding any direct confrontation with large forces for as long as possible.”

“Besides,” adds Illan, “the force remaining at Lythylla will be able to handle them.”

By the fourth day, any caravans they raid are no longer sent back. Instead, what they need is transferred to their pack animals and the rest is destroyed. Axes are used to chop the wagons apart, the supplies they aren’t taking are destroyed in one manner or another. Nothing is to be left that will be able to aid the Empire. Any civilians with the caravans who aren’t killed in the initial assault are allowed to go free. James simply can’t bring himself to slay innocents. Plus, they’ll begin to spread the word of what they’re doing which is precisely what he wants.

James is surprised at the lack of response from the Empire. He thought there should have been something by now. The only thing he can figure is that the word has yet to reach local officials. Those who they’ve left alive have been on the fringe of the Empire and communications in this world being as they are, it may take awhile before they get word to the powers that be.

On the fifth day as they approach where the old border used to be between Madoc and the Empire, patrols and troops become more frequent. Still they continue as they have, either taking out the enemy should the force prove small, evading it should it prove large. Anything they come across from this point on, if it can be used by the Empire in the war effort, gets destroyed.

During the midafternoon of the fifth day while using his mirror to find enemy patrols, James discovers a fortress to the southwest sitting along the main road running north and south.

“That has to be Al-Ziron,” Illan explains when he informs him what he found. “It’s been guarding the Empire’s border for centuries.”

“I take it that it will have a sizable garrison?” asks James.

“Perhaps,” he replies. “With this no longer being the border, they may not feel it requires many men.” After riding a few more moments in silence, he asks “Do you plan to take it?”

Shaking his head, James replies, “No. It would be too risky. Let Madoc’s soldiers take on the enemy, we’re primarily interested in the country’s infrastructure and its war industry.”

“Then I suggest we skirt more to the east to avoid any possible patrols which may be in the area,” offers Illan.

“Good idea,” he replies.

Later that day when he again checks his mirror for enemies in the surrounding countryside, he spies what looks to be a long supply caravan escorted by several hundred soldiers heading eastward. When he informs Illan, Illan says, “Most likely heading toward the army fighting with the Kirken Federation. How far away are they?”

“A couple miles,” James tells him.

“One last fight before nightfall?” Illan asks.

“We do have numbers and the element of surprise on our side,” replies James.

“I concur,” he agrees then hollers for Ceadric. After a couple minutes for James to show them the supply caravan in his mirror and to work out the battle plan, they alter their course and move to intercept.

Ceadric and most of the riders take off to the north in an attempt to get around them while Illan, James and his people move directly toward them.

“We’re finally going to get in on the fighting?” Jiron asks.

“Yes. There are too many for Ceadric and the Raiders to take by themselves.”

“About time,” Scar says from where he overheard his reply. “Hate just riding along while others get to have all the fun.”

From up ahead one of the scouts they sent to keep an eye on the caravan appears riding quickly toward them. “They’re not much further ahead,” the scout reports as he comes abreast of Illan.

“Does it look like they are aware of our approach?” he asks.

Shaking his head, the scout replies, “No. They’re strung out in a line over a mile long. Most of the accompanying soldiers are at the head of the column, the rest are bringing up the rear.”

“Excellent,” Illan states. To Delia he asks, “How are your slingers on horseback?”

“We’ve done some practice while mounted but they’re not very accurate unless on the ground,” she admits.

He nods his head and wishes he hadn’t sent all of Hedry’s archers with Ceadric, the only ones left are Errin and Aleya. “Who is fairly accurate?” he asks.

“Other than myself, probably Devin, Caleb and Nerrin,” she replies. “The others simply can’t do it.”

“Alright, here’s what we do…”

Jiron and his riders are riding guard on Delia and the other three slingers who are accurate on horseback as

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