abilities.
“My lord, you do know we will be watched. I am sure the jotnar and the dokkalfr also
have scouts watching the Gap,” said Habrok who was seated at the back of the wagon.
“As my friends, Mac and Tosh would say, indubitably, Mr. Habrok. But this is but one
wagon. They will come and investigate. But not in force. By that time, I expect your
traps to be lethally effective. Won’t they?”
“Oh. Don’t worry about the traps, my lord.”
“But we may have to walk back when everything is over. If we get to walk back,”
advised Tyler. With that statement, nobody talked anymore. Their watchful eyes
checking and assessing their progress and surroundings.
Finally, they got to an old trail which entered the forested area on the left side of the
Gap. Habrok got off the wagon and took the lead. Jorund continued as the driver while
Tyler moved to the back of the wagon. Their speed noticeably slowed down. Brambles
and small branches blocked the barely noticeable track. Birds were still around,
observed Tyler, which means the surrounding area was clear for now. They continued
along the path for the better part of two hours by his reckoning. The trees have gotten
denser and the slope of the path had sharply gone higher. Finally, it ended at a low
cliffside.
“Time for us to go up, my lord."
Habrok was already up on the top of the cliffside and had left ropes dangling down.
They spent about an hour bringing their food and gear up. After that, the two followed,
but they first moved the wagon some distance away and freed the two horses. While
Tyler and Jorund moved their things from the top of the cliff to the beginnings of
another path which wound further up the mountain, Habrok went ahead to scout the
campsite. After some time, the man came back.
“Clear,” Habrok reported, “The site ends at a sheer cliff. The trail winds up. Very
defensible if we can build what is needed. Nice view of the Gap but it’s also a dead end.
Sorry, wrong choice of words.”
“Come on,” said Jorund, “These things won’t move themselves. And we have a few
hours of daylight remaining.”
As they reached the camp with their things, Jorund asked Tyler to remain while he and
Habrok do the moving. Tyler was thankful, his cardio had not improved to the level of
the two warriors. Instead, he asked Habrok to start laying down some traps as soon as
they have finished transferring their food and gear.
Tyler crouched and went to survey the Gap. He was about a half a mile up a sheer cliff.
The bottom was full of rocks and shrubs. The spot was at the foot of a mountainside
and surrounded by inaccessible stone, except for the part which led down the trail. The
trail itself was mostly rocks at its sides, enough for a man to pass through. Tyler
estimated it to be around eighty to a hundred feet starting from the bottom of the trail.
It twisted its way up to the campsite. It was obvious though that part of the stone had
been removed manually to open up the trail to the site. The spot itself had the
remnants of the old camp, thankfully bare of human remains. A run-down and wrecked hunter’s lodge with skinning and curing shelters were all that’s left.
In the distance, he could see the town. He could also see where the barricades and
field traps ended and the unblocked open terrain began. Some trees in the campsite
afforded a degree of cover but he believed protection could be improved. “What I
would give for some razor wire,” thought Tyler, “and a fifty cal with unlimited
ammunition.”
He went to the ruined lodge. Half of the roof was gone, a wall and the door were
missing but those can be fixed. It was empty except for the garbage of a looted
dwelling. Their belongings were being stacked outside where the door used to be. He
then went around the clearing, trying to spot possible weak points. The only ones he
could see were the trail opening and the viewing ledge.
Have to prepare against ice drakes and flying creatures. More food and water.
Especially water. There are enough trees at the bottom of the trail to cut for defenses.
If we have enough food and water, we can stay here for some time. We can block the
trail at certain points, laying down traps. Jorund and Habrok can watch my back while I
attend to the jotnar and dokkalfr. But I really have to improve the cover on the ledge.
He went back to viewing the Gap, trying to imagine how the jotnar and the dokkalfr will
attempt to approach the town. He assumed they’re going to bring up catapults,
battering rams, and other heavy siege artillery as well as siege towers. The problem
was the estimate about their numbers. “A great many” and “numerous” are not exact
terms. He decided to start with an estimate of ten thousand. From what he had
observed during the ambush before, the foe tends to rely on overwhelming
numbers. Ten thousand, that’s a tall order. But he didn't have to wipe them all out. He
just needed to inflict enough casualties to make the assault against Scarburg fail.
The sunlight was fading when the two finally finished bringing up the gear. Tyler went
to them as Jorund was preparing their meal behind the lodge. Habrok was watching the
trail but he beckoned him over. As he prepared to illuminate the lamp, Habrok signaled
for him to wait. The ranger scrambled to the roof and laid out a tarp, same as what
they used back at the jotnar encampment. He extended the tarp over the cooking area
and attached it to the cliff wall. He picked up the planks from the destroyed wall and
laid it on the side of the tarp facing the Gap.
He does know his job, reflected Tyler. Preliminaries over, Habrok joined them.
“I can have another tarp cover the hole in the roof, my lord. Though we have to cover
the windows, at least those which will give out light towards the Gap. The door faced
the rock wall so it will not be a problem for now. But tomorrow, we should have a
temporary door to cover
