Once they had left Lord Nasica's protection, an uneasy quiet overcame the group of disguised warriors and craftsmen led by Fadelio. Although they would be safe until they left the confines of the territory, everyone seemed worried of what was to come. They were already halfway to the southern border of Rumas when Fadelio's second-in-command finally expressed his worries.
“Young master Fadelio, I understand that our strength should be sufficient to break through the fake bandit camps King Pacha has set up around us. However, with all the baggage attached, our speed will be reduced too much. By the time we reach the Narrows, the enemy will be prepared. Then we have to face a reinforced position with additional troops and sturdier fortifications. If we have to carry all these commoners along, how will we ever make our way past the enemy encampment to reach Qarasi Castle?”
“You don't need to worry about our last section of road.” Fadelio showed a shallow smile. “Our runners have been busy all this time, so we are well prepared. If everything goes to plan, passing through the Narrows will be the easiest part of our journey. Once we make it past Pacha's bandits, the war will be over.”
He paused for a moment, before he looked at the commoners behind them, his voice turned serious. “Also, be careful with the way you address these craftsmen. While they might just be baggage to you, our king attaches great value to them. So much so that he asked us to personally escort them all the way from Arguna to Saniya. No matter what your personal thoughts on their worth are, you ought to respect them at least as much as your master does.”
“This warrior apologizes for his boldness,” the ghost nodded.
“It's good that you understand,” Fadelio said as his view returned to the picturesque hills before them. The path from Lord Nasica's territory of Rumas to the Narrows wasn't especially tricky to traverse. Since they had decided to move further east, away from the Sallqata mountains, they would only cross hills and plains like these, dotted with villages. Only from time to time would their path be interrupted by smaller woods. However, on the borders between estates, the land was wilder and the vegetation thicker.
At this moment, they were following one of the many roads which ran through Medala like arteries, often alongside the life-giving rivers and streams so ubiquitous on the Twin Isles. Though this road would lead them through a forested area today, it wasn't anything compared to the border areas. It was so small, all the wood had long disappeared had the commoners been allowed free reign over it. If they didn't dawdle too much, they could make their way through the woods and make it out the other end long before nightfall.
Still, somehow he had an uncomfortable feeling when he thought about the trees beyond these hills. They had been prepared for a struggle, but so far they hadn't been bothered by Pacha's fake bandits at all. Although their convoy had too many warriors to be threatened in a direct engagement, there was still too little resistance from the group that had given them so much trouble on their way to Rumas.
“Send out some additional scouts and increase the search radius. We should be careful. Something is strange here.”
Although they only had about a hundred soldiers with them, a large portion were the old emperor's ghost warriors, so there was no shortage of good scouts. All throughout their march, these warriors would form a perimeter around their convoy and come back with reports periodically. Now that Fadelio had become suspicious of their easy march, they swarmed out even further.
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“Young master, we have spotted an enemy detachment half a day west from here.”
As soon as he sat down and put the first spoonful of soup in his mouth, Fadelio's simple meal was interrupted. Although they had stocked up on some quality ingredients to match the sophisticated stomachs of their warriors, Fadelio had made a point out of eating the same meals as the commoners around him. He swallowed down the watery soup and looked up at the scout who came towards him.
“What, again?” Fadelio asked and looked over to his second-in-command. “How many times does that make? At least ten, right?”
“Twelve, young master. The bandits won't come close enough to be considered a threat, but they are still following us.”
Fadelio let out a groan and covered his eyes with his hands. Ever since they had first stopped to rest, they had received news of the bandits again, but their scouts had to move far away from the camp to actually see them. Yet despite the long distance, the bandits would always make sure that their presence was felt.
They would find leftovers of campfires along the way, sometimes even animal carcasses which had been skinned and taken apart, then left in the middle of the road. The bandits would always follow their tracks, never coming too close, but always near enough to make trouble should Fadelio's people slip up. They were like a pack of hyenas, ready to pounce should a weak calf ever get separated from the main herd.
“Just how did they come up with this honor-free method?” Annoyed, Fadelio looked at the commoners he had been put in charge of. All of them had been shaken up something fierce by now, none of them had retained the optimistic smiles from the start of their journey.
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Since they knew that they were safe with all the warriors around them, the constant presence of the bandits had been nothing but a joke to them at first. Soon however, an uneasy tension had spread among the camp, especially with the commoners who were not used to this kind of mental pressure. In order to stabilize the situation, they needed to make some progress fast, so Fadelio decided to break up the camp early and make their way towards the small, nameless forest they had decided to pass before nightfall.
However, when the trees came into sight, more trouble awaited. Although the forest should have been uninhabited, several spirals of smoke rose up from inside. When Fadelio used his spyglass to scout out the edge of the forest, he saw small groups of the bandits who had previously fought against them. They were just standing there, just inside of the trees' deep shadows. Without a word and without a sound, they observed Fadelio's group, before they slowly disappeared into the darkness.
“What are they doing?” his second in command asked. “They know they can't beat our troops in battle, so what is the point of this nonsense? Do they think they can scare us?”
“They can't beat us in a battle, but they can still screw us over if they want to.” Unlike his underling, Fadelio had sported an ever-deepening frown since the bandits had started to harass the convoy. “In complex terrain like this forest, they can lay as many traps and ambushes as they want. That might not be enough to deal with our entire army, but their goal is not to wipe us out outright. They've understood that the craftsmen are our weakest link. They want to whip the commoners into a panicked frenzy to scatter us. Then they can deal with the small, isolated groups one by one. Once again, whoever their commander is, he is much smarter than Pacha deserves.”
“Then what do we do?”
Fadelio had been thinking about alternatives all this time, but so far he had come up empty. There really was no surefire way to deal with these sorts of tactics. Still, they would have to do their best. Laqhis relied on it.
“We don't really have many options,” he said in the end, his stern eyes focused on the dangerous forest. “We will take a small detour around the woods and as much as possible avoid areas with low visibility on our way south. How much longer would that take us?”
“If Lord Nasica's maps are to be believed, these woods do not seem too extensive, but we would still lose several hours if we turn around this close to it. If we want to circumvent every bit of rough terrain between here and the Narrows, our path would end up at least twice as long. That is several more days until we reach the south.”
Again, Fadelio sighed. He didn't like it, but he couldn't risk complete failure just to speed things up. As far as he knew, they weren't in a hurry anyways. “Let's just hope master can handle an extra day or two of delays. For now, we will plot out the safest route and go around any potential ambushes. Our goal isn't combat, we're here to escort the commoners. Let's make sure nothing bad happens to them.”
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Fadelio's plan had been going rather well. For the next few days after they had switched to a safer route, they hadn't been attacked once. Today however, the arrival of a runner brought further complications with him.
“Corco forced a battle with a third of Pacha's army?” Fadelio asked. “What was the result?”
To belie Fadelio's dire face, the runner beamed.
“Overwhelming success. The enemy army has been scattered and destroyed. Since the king's troops have proven themselves in combat and the size of the enemy army has been reduced by a third, King Corco has decided to stand and fight. Rather than lead King Pachacutec further west and allow him to destroy more of the Yaku countryside, he will turn east and find a defensible position to hold. He will remain there until young master Fadelio has escorted the craftsmen past the Narrows. King Corco asks Official reach the south as soon as possible, but also asks Official to be wary of his own safety in the process.”
Faced with Corco's endless optimism, Fadelio could feel a headache coming on. No matter how hard he thought, his master's demands seemed impossible. If they wanted to guarantee their safety, they could go around the forests and take the slow route, like they had been doing. This way though, they would have to march at least another two days towards the west and then tail all the way back along the coast, until they reached the Narrows.
If they wanted to be fast, they could go through the forests. However, the craftsmen were uneasy enough already and the bandits had never gone far. He really didn't want to force the commoners through a scary forest filled with ambushes and traps. He would risk a mass panic, exactly what the bandits had been aiming for all this time.
After Fadelio had remained quiet for a while, the runner asked in a careful tone.
“...should I inform the king that Official needs more time?”
“No,” Fadelio shot back, “we can handle the orders.”
Even though their situation was a bit precarious, he didn't want Corco to risk his life - and the lives of most of their soldiers - just to save a few commoners. Yes, the first batch of craftsmen were important to Saniya, but Fadelio wasn't as attached to them as Corco might have been. Even If they had failed the migration once, they could always try again. There were plenty of these people left in Arguna and all over the Medalan towns and cities, so he would never prioritize their safety over that of Corco's warriors.
“We will change our course and take a more direct route south. Until now, I have been too conservative because I overestimated the amount of time I had. Once you return, tell the king he shouldn't worry, his orders will be executed. Once we have made our way through the Narrows, we will send a flare signal, so he should keep his sights eastwards and prepare his retreat.”
“Understood.”
As soon as the runner had left with his message for Corco, Fadelio's firm appearance wavered. Right away, he began to write a short letter and then called for one of the ghosts in his own team.
“You will bring this message to Commander Dedrick stationed in the Narrows.” He handed over the piece of paper. It contained his precise plans for the next few days, together with the route they were about to take and an urgent demand to meet them halfway. The path through the forest would be harsh, but this way, they wouldn't have to go the entire distance. Once they were united with Dedrick's army, no amount of harassment could shake them anymore.
As soon as his orders had been given, the entire convoy to changed course once again. With trepidation, he looked upon the dark primeval woods they had skirted by only a short distance all this time. With stories of divines, actual bandits and wild beasts abound, Medalan forests always felt like an ancient evil slumbered somewhere within. This time, Fadelio was sure that it was more than mere superstition.