Jack wasted no time walking back to S'haar after Lon'thul's announcement, her voice already responding over the headsets. "How many and how close?"

Lon'thul's reply was uncharacteristically lacking in certainty. "Hard to say for sure. I can just barely make out the smoke in the distance. If you focus on the stars to our south, you can just barely see the occasional whisps of something blurring the outlines where there's no cloud in the sky. I can't even tell you if it's one campfire, or a dozen, though if it is more than one, that means they're further away. Rough guess? If it's one fire, they're about a day behind us. If it's more than one, they're more like two or three."

Jack looked up but couldn't see what the hunter was talking about, which was hardly surprising. While Jack might have better night vision than an argu'n, they still had a far superior vision at further distances and could pick out much finer changes over a delicate light like a star's than a human could.

Angela added in her own two cents. "Even I can barely make out what you're talking about, though based on the spacing of the smoke and the wind conditions tonight, I'd wager it's more than one. Probably somewhere between six and a dozen, about forty to fifty miles away, though that's still a rough estimation at best."

Jack finally rounded a corner to see S'haar standing beside a half-set-up tent, frowning as she scanned the horizon. Then, seeing Jack out of the corner of her eye, she nodded his way in acknowledgment, as Jack also spoke up over the headset to keep everyone in the loop. "What are the odds it's just some Hill People out in the middle of a hunt rather than B'arthon on our tails?"

S'haar's frown deepened. "I don't think we have the luxury of optimism in this situation. We have to assume it's B'arthon, and he's got our trail. If they're forty miles out and not pulling sleds, any idea how long it'll take them to overtake us?"

Angela sounded thoughtful. "If they're really pushing themselves, they could probably catch us in as little as four days, but they'd be so exhausted they wouldn't be able to put up any kind of fight. So I'm guessing five to six days.

S'haar nodded in agreement. "That's about what I thought. Lon'thul, get Rak'shal and have him meet us in front of my tent in about ten minutes. I also want the rest of the caravan's leadership to meet me here. We've got to decide how we'll deal with this."

-

Everyone was sitting around on a few logs dragged over by some of the workers as S'haar began. "Alright, I'm sure most of you heard what was going on over your headsets, but to review, there's someone behind us on our trail, and we have to assume it's B'arthon with his army chasing us."

Fea'en looked thoughtful. "Is it really possible for them to have caught up with us this quickly?"

Angela tilted her head to the side in thought. "If they started moving early, relying on heating stones to keep on the move for longer hours during the early spring, it's possible, though I wouldn't have said it was likely before now. B'arthon must really be driven to address the 'threat' you represent to his plans."

S'haar was thoughtful as she spoke. "This B'arthon is completely different than the one spoiled brat I always knew growing up..."

As he walked up with Rak'shal in tow, Lon'thul couldn't help but grin. "Well, you're not exactly the same S'haar he knew either!"

S'haar looked as if she might say something but thought better of it and addressed Rak'shal instead. "How familiar are you with the area ahead?"

Rak'shal looked around as if uncertain, then shrugged. "Well, I've traveled through this area a couple times, though we're far enough out from my usual hunting grounds I wouldn't call myself an expert. However, I remember some of the major terrain features, though I make no promises about how accurate my memory is."

S'haar shook her head. "That's fine. Anything you do remember will help. Just give us your best approximations, and we'll go from there."

The hunter crouched down on his haunches and started scribbling in the dirt with a claw. "Well, as you can see, we're currently in the middle of a mountain pass." He drew a few lines representing the mountain ranges on either side, drawing a circle to illustrate their current location. "This goes on for about four or five more days of traveling at our current pace. Then, near the end of the pass, there is a rather large lake off to the east, and hilly terrain off to the west, still keeping you funneled for the better part of another day or two."

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Ger'ron looked at the rough drawing with mild disapproval. "That's about six or seven days before we break free of the corridor we're currently in, and that's too long. So we'll have to stand and fight. Our best bet is to look for favorable ground in the next few days and set up to meet their advance head-on. If they have numbers on their side, it'll be a rough fight, but between our armor and our belly bows, I think we can win."

However, Jack looked further down the map with a thoughtful expression as if considering a different option. S'haar looked at him expectantly, but when the human showed no signs of breaking from his reverie, she addressed him directly. "What is it that's got you so contemplative?"

Jack looked up with a start, then looked back at the map as if trying to think of how to express his thoughts. "Well, a lot of things depend on how accurate this map is, which we've already established is in question, but if there really is a hill beside a lake like this, I might have an idea. But a lot of it depends on us getting there fast enough. If they catch up with us too quickly, we might be the ones who get caught out of position..."

S'haar looked thoughtful. "Tell us more about this idea of yours, and then we'll decide if it's riskier than a pitched battle or not."

-

B'arthon was sitting in his tent, second and third guessing his plans. His men were outside, basically celebrating their inevitable victory. They outnumbered the survivors of the Dragon's Outpost four to one, and everyone expected the inevitable combat to be a one-sided slaughter, everyone except B'arthon.

As the noble sighed, one of the spots on Vox'thon's new case lit up, indicating she was about to speak. Most of the other soldiers thought she was just some useless decoration he held onto for luck or superstition. Not that B'arthon minded. They could think whatever they wanted, so long as they left it alone.

Vox'thon spoke with concern, evident in her tone. "Still worried about your upcoming battle?"

B'arthon grunted in indignation while rubbing his forehead. "Yes. Despite our numerical advantage, I suspect we'll be lucky to 'win' while only losing half our number. We need to take full advantage of our numbers and surround them completely. To do that, we'll need to slow them down a little..."

The AI's voice turned forlorn. "And by 'win,' you mean they all die..."

The noble sighed again. "Well, ideally not. In fact, I'd like as few casualties as possible. That force represents some of the highest-skilled laborers from our village. So while there will have to be some sanctions on the survivors, I'd like to get as many of them back to work as possible."

B'arthon stood up and started pacing around the room. "The problem is I don't know how possible that'll be. Many argu'n following Jack and S'haar are nearly fanatical in their loyalty. They'll fight far longer and more fiercely than a village full of argu'n simply trying to survive. They may even choose to fight to the death rather than swear a blood oath..."

There was some noise in front of the tent; then, the flaps were opened through which came Dek'thul. He looked around a moment before bowing respectfully. "Lord B'arthon. They've definitely spotted us, though rather than turn and fight, they've picked up their pace. If I didn't know better, I'd think they will try and outrun us. Though to do that..."

B'arthon finished the hunter's thought. "To do that, they'd have to be stupid. But, while we can call them many things, stupid isn't one. So what are they trying to do? Are they running to something or someone? Do they already have allies in the area?"

Dek'thul simply stood still, not offering any thoughts, though the implication was clear. He didn't know any more than B'arthon. Eventually, the noble shook his head. "It doesn't matter. This is our one good chance to catch them in a place where they can't split up or try to lose us somehow. We must run them down, but we have to be smart about it."

Turning to Dek'thul, B'arthon made up his mind and issued his orders. "I want you to take a third of our army and chase them down. Don't fully engage them, though! Just chase them until they turn to fight, then pull back far enough that they can't commit. If they pursue, retreat until they stop; otherwise, keep chasing and harassing. Your main objective is to slow them down and allow me to get the rest of our army in position to flank them. Any questions?"

Dek'thul frowned. "What about my son?"

B'arthon thought a moment. "I will order our men to take him alive at any reasonable cost, but you know nothing is certain in war. I can make no promises other than that."

The hunter bowed. "That is acceptable, so long as you understand that once the battle is joined, finding and taking back my son is my sole objective. All other concerns are secondary, even your own safety."

The noble nodded. "I can work with that. So long as you remain loyal to the cause, I'll do whatever is in my power to assure his safety, now and after he's back in your custody."

B'arthon's offer and warning both clearly understood; Dek'thul bowed again and left the tent to start organizing his part of the plan, leaving the noble alone with his thoughts and Vox'thon again.

The AI sounded mournful. "I still don't understand why all this is necessary..."