“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.
They no sooner come to a stop and begin handing out rations than a rider comes galloping from the northwest. At the sight of the fast approaching rider, Illan and the other leaders move to greet him.
“Milord!” the rider cries out as he comes to a stop before Illan. “There’s a force of foot and cavalry on the other side of the river to the west. They were about to cross over a bridge when it suddenly exploded and collapsed!”
“James!” cries Miko in jubilation. “It has to be.”
“Did you see three riders racing away from the bridge on this side?” Illan asks.
Shaking his head the scout replies, “No. The whole area was so packed with refugees fleeing your approach that I didn’t notice, we weren’t that close. I left Gouric to keep an eye on the army across the river. When they could no longer use the bridge, they began moving north.”
“This changes things,” observes Miko.
Nodding, Illan says to the scout, “Return and let us know when and where that army makes it to this side of the river.”
Giving Illan a salute, the scout turns and races back the way he came.
“Ceadric, send out scouts to see if they can find James and let him know where we are,” he says.
“Yes, sir,” replies Ceadric who immediately moves to comply.
“Could that have been the force those mages are waiting for?” asks Miko.
“Possibly,” states Illan. “But I’m not willing to bet on it. However, I think before we begin any attack on the mages we should wait until James rejoins us.”
“That would be a good idea,” states Miko.
As a dozen men race off to the north to hunt for James, Illan keeps the column moving ever closer to Madoc.
Ever since they crossed the river, James and Jiron have holed up in an abandoned farmhouse. Their horses were all but collapsing after the grueling race they ran to the river. Outside, the moon has risen and its light casts shadows across night’s landscape.
Before darkness set in he used his mirror and found Illan and the others already setting up camp for the night. Still several hours to the south, he and Jiron had decided to rest through the night to give their horses a chance to recover their strength before rejoining the others.
The force they left on the far side of the river had reached a bridge two hours before dusk and crossed over. They then moved south a couple more miles before stopping. When they crossed the river, a rider was dispatched to the fort. Shortly after his arrival forces from the fortress began moving to join the others. Now together, the two forces number close to ten thousand men.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, another force was sighted moving toward Illan from the east. Composed of cavalry, they numbered in excess of two thousand. The good news is that there didn’t look like a mage was traveling with either force. It would be bad enough with just that many men, but throw a mage into the mix and James isn’t sure how well it would go.
His supply of crystals is now gone. Whatever is left with Delia and Illan is all that remains from the supply he brought from The Ranch. He fervently hopes they didn’t use all of it, they’ll need it when they encounter the forces moving to intercept them.
The farmhouse they are using has been long abandoned. The roof has collapsed on one side and the walls look like they will collapse at any time. The door that once stood in the doorway has long since disappeared. Jiron stands at one of the two windows and gazes out into the night. James lies back on his blanket and stares at the stars shining through one of the many gaps in the ceiling.
“They’re going to attack tomorrow,” Jiron says. Worry for his sister and friends gnaws at him.
“Our horses should be sufficiently rested by morning,” James tells him. “We’ll rejoin them before the battle.”
“I hope so,” he stresses.
“If we get through this battle, we’re home free,” says James encouragingly.
“I just wish Tersa had remained with Roland,” Jiron sighs as he turns from the window to glance at James. “What was she thinking?”
Turning his head to look at his friend, James grins. “Who knows what girls think?” he wonders. “She’s a strong woman, in lots of way like her brother.”
“Headstrong and stubborn?” grins Jiron back.
“Something like that,” he replies with a chuckle.
From outside, the sound of a lone horse is heard approaching the farmhouse. James immediately cancels his orb as he gets to his feet.
“Stay here,” Jiron whispers as he pulls a knife and moves to the open doorway. Gazing out, he sees a horseman silhouetted by the moonlight. The man has come to a stop and is staring at the house, probably trying to
