Fortunately for Soth and the people of Halton, it simply meant that the ogres' celebration would be short- lived.
'Did you get a chance to learn where the ogres are located?' asked Soth.
'Most of them, milord,' said Pike.
'I saw some too,' offered Hender.
'Excellent,' said Soth. Then in a slightly louder voice.
'We'll break for a short rest here. When we mount again, we'll be riding into battle.'
He dismounted and began studying the map the rider had drawn back at
Dargaard Keep. In comparing it to what was known about the ogres by
Hender and Pike, it became clear that, despite what the rider had said about them at Dargaard Keep, these ogres preferred to stick close together.
According to Hender, most of the ogres had gathered in the middle of the village around the open meeting place called Center Square. From there, four pathways led out in four basic directions: north, south, west and east. The pathway leading into the village from the north was the largest of the four and could easily be considered a road.
It was the village's main connection to Dargaard Keep to the north and the path most often traveled by villagers.
The path heading west was also fairly wide and well maintained. This was the path that hooked up with the trail that led to Vingaard Keep, another stronghold of the Knights of Solamnia. The path south was thin and seldom used, stopping at the edge of Halton Wood, a thick, dark forest that had, up until now, served as a buffer zone between the farmers and the ogres living in Throtyl to the south. The path leading east was also a short one, leading to a single farmhouse and a trail that led up the side of one of the Dargaard range's more majestic peaks.
It was this path that the knights decided on utilizing. It was likely that the ogres had posted guards on the main north-south road, so they would gain some measure of surprise by coming at them out of the mountains from the east. It was also a safer plan for the villagers given that most of them were being held up in the two large homes on the west side of the main road. If the knights were successful, they'd be able to overpower the ogres long before they had a chance to harm any of their prisoners.
So, armed with a rough battle plan, they set out around midday, riding halfway up the slopes of the Dargaard Mountains in the hopes of remaining unseen by any scouts or guards the ogres might have stationed around the perimeter of the village. As they got closer to Halton, however, it became more and more apparent that the ogres didn't perceive there to be much of a threat from outside forces. There were no guards, no sentries, nobody on the rooftops overlooking the countryside.
Nevertheless, Soth kept the knights hidden on the mountainside in order to assure they retained the element of surprise.
'Is this the path?' Soth said in a whisper, even though such precautions were proving to be less and less necessary.
'Yes, milord,' said Pike. 'It curves a little to the right before joining up with the others in the center of town.
There is a farm house on the right of it halfway between here and the center of town. On the left there's a small creek that feeds into a large pond which is where the farmers get most of their water during the dry summer seasons.'
'You will take your men across the field there,' said Soth, pointing to the open field below. The grain was nearing harvest and stood as tall as a man, if not taller. 'Leave your mounts behind and secure the trade post and mercantile before joining me in the center of town.'
Farold nodded and dismounted. The three knights under his command also dismounted, leaving their horses to the villagers. In a minute the knights were out of sight, heading toward the village.
'Caradoc!'
'Milord.' 'You will continued skirting the mountains and come at the village from the south. I don't expect you'll come up against much resistance, but you might run into several ogres on the run.'
Caradoc grinned at the thought. 'Yes, milord.' 'Take Knight Kern with you,' said Soth. 'Be careful through the mountains, but move quickly.'
Caradoc nodded.
Kern followed, nodding to Soth as he passed.
That left Soth and six other knights, including Sword knights Darin
Valcic and Zander Vingus, for what would basically be a full-frontal attack.
Soth took a deep breath. After all these years as a knight and the countless battles and adventures he'd been a part of, he still felt the same excitement beginning to build within him. It was a nervous sort of tension, an almost euphoric sensation that would continue to build until it all but disappeared upon the onset of battle. Then, his knightly instincts and years of training would take control and he would fight like a man possessed, not stopping until the last of his foes had been vanquished.
But that would all come later. For now, he savored the sweet feeling of anticipation, struggling with himself to keep it in check lest it overtake him too early. He still had a responsibility to his men to lead them safely into battle, for if one of them should die during the fight, a little piece of him would die along with that knight.
He drew his sword, held it at the ready and gave his mount a gentle squeeze with his legs. The horse began moving forward.
The rest of the knights followed.
Soon after they set out, the path curved to the right as it followed the bend of the river feeding into the pond.
There was a small farmhouse on the right of the road. Soth sent two knights to inspect it, but it proved to be empty of either villagers or ogres.
They continued on, Soth in front and three knights to either side of him in a loose V shape. As the path straightened out, they were able to see
Center Square. Apparently, Paladine was smiling favorably on their expedition because they'd arrived just as the ogres were packing up their booty and preparing for the trip back to Throtyl. As the knights watched, several of them were casually inspecting their loads unaware of their impending demise.
Soth gauged the distance between his men and the ogres. He was close enough that any thoughts in the ogres' minds about running for cover would be out of the question.
The knights would easily be upon them before they reached safety.
No, Soth's attack plan had left them only one option, stand and fight.
Soth raised his sword high above him and kicked at his mount. The horse surged forward and in seconds the air was full of the sounds of charging hoofs.
The first ogre to see Soth stared at the knight for a moment as if he were looking at death itself. He moved left, then right, then finally picked up his nearby club and took up an improvised battle stance, ready to fight.
Soth continued to charge, leaning right and swinging his sword, the length of which outdistanced the ogre's club by half. The leading edge of the blade cut through the ogre's midsection, spattering Soth and his horse with blood. The ogre stood upright a moment, then doubled over before dropping heavily to the ground.
Quickly, the rest of the ogres became aware of the oncoming knights.
Some decided to flee, heading north or south in search of cover. The last knights on either side broke off from the main assault to take care of these, cutting them down as they ran. After that, the knights swung around to rejoin the main group, leaving any further runners for the knights positioned to the north and south of the village.
Soth's charge had brought him through Center Square. He stopped his horse and dismounted, preferring to fight the rest of the battle on foot. The other knights had also dismounted and were now involved in close fighting, each knight battling one or more of the ogres who had remained to fight.
Soth approached the fray, eager to even the odds.
'It's not fair,' said Farold.
The Knight of the Sword had led his party through the fields unnoticed and now looked across the main road
