Hal'dek led his part of the army around the ridge at a forced march. As exhausted as everyone was, the war leader pushed the males under his command to keep going well into the night. Unfortunately, they could only move so fast because they'd left most of their supplies behind, but another team would bring them later at a slower pace in the morning.

Lord B'aerthon said this might be their last chance to catch the rebelling army before they made it out of his grasp. At the time, Hal'dek had internally questioned the wisdom of splitting the army again after what had happened last time, but without prompting, his Lord answered his unasked question. "If we are fast enough, we will have the advantage of the high ground in this engagement. They already have reduced ammunition for their ranged weapons, and firing uphill will make them significantly less effective. Moreover, their thin line of guards will be unable to protect the workers, given the advantage in momentum the hill will provide us. Rather than press the attack, they will be forced to stay in the middle of the valley, away from the surrounding hills, giving us the initiative. They'll be forced to react rather than proactive."

Hal'dek knew from experience how dangerous trying to be reactive against Lord B'arthon was. When Lord B'arthon had attacked his village, rather than bunch up his warriors for one large assault, the young Lord had led his army in a series of much more minor skirmishes all along the wall over three days, forcing the guards to continually run back and forth in defense of the village. Only when the guard's response times began slowing due to exhaustion did the invading army start committing more warriors to each attack, and by then, it was already too late. Before Hal'dek realized what was happening, the wall was being breached on three sides, and he'd had no choice other than to surrender.

That was when the young Lord surprised Hal'dek yet again. It was typical for conquering Lords to save most of the workers and guards of a conquered village, but the best the leadership could often hope for was a life of humiliation and servitude. However, not only did Lord B'arthon leave most of the leadership intact so long as they were willing to swear oaths of loyalty to himself and his Lord, he gave Hal'dek a title of nobility for how successful his paltry defense had been. Apparently, it was rare for a village to survive more than one day against the Lord's strategies, and the once guard captain could see why.

Now the mind behind those strategies was the mind Hal'dek served, and the war leader would fulfill his role to perfection. Right now, his role was to get into place while remaining out of sight of those within the valley and then have his army line up on the hill, revealing their position, while B'arthon did the same on the opposite ridge. It was a surprisingly simple plan but a brutally effective one. The rebel army would be unable to commit to battling either army surrounding them without leaving themselves vulnerable to a devastating attack from behind. Outnumbered and out-positioned, they'd have no option but to surrender immediately. But that was where the plan had changed from what Hal'dek had expected. Rather than charging down immediately, he'd been ordered to hold the position for a prolonged period, hence the supplies being brought behind them, only engaging if the enemy attempted to fight or flee.

Hal'dek couldn't imagine what would cause his Lord to behave so cautiously, but then again, he also had been unable to imagine a battle between what had seemed to be even numbers ending so disastrously for Dek'thul's force. So if his Lord told him to be cautious of what appeared to be such a vulnerable enemy, then the war leader would do so, trusting his Lord had a plan.

Still, if Hal'dek had received a noble title for his defense of the village, he could hardly imagine what honors awaited such a fierce enemy as this. Based on their success, they'd likely be second only to the Lords B'arthon and A'gles themselves! The combined might of such a union of minds and abilities would surely bring about a new age for their people! If only the rebels knew what they were likely to be offered, they'd probably surrender immediately. But, then again, perhaps that was his Lord's plan...

-

S'haar did not like moving through the valley like this, but they hadn't had much choice. Turning to fight right after the battle while everyone was exhausted would have been suicide, and this was the only available move that didn't run them directly into B'arthon's army or put them in a situation where their only option was to head straight back to where they'd come from. Still, If B'arthon was quick enough, he could trap them in the valley, putting them both in a stalemate for the time being. She wondered if Jack had another plan to get them out of the trap they might soon find themselves in or if it was time to negotiate a surrender. Either way, this wasn't exactly a position of strength for them, and that knowledge galled her. While Jack rode beside her, his gaze was fixed on the far ridge. Obviously, his thoughts were of a similar nature.

S'haar cleared her throat in preparation to speak. The sound seemed to startle Jack as he looked back at her with the eyes of someone who'd been deep in thought moments ago. S'haar smiled grimly and nodded to the ridge. "You think B'arthon sent some of his men ahead to block our escape?"

Jack sighed and nodded. "I think he'd be a fool not to. I'd be very surprised if someone wasn't up on that hill waiting for us once we got there."

The warrior woman looked back to the center of the valley. "Should we just set up camp then? Force them to come to us and take away the advantage of the hill? It would also let our people rest while he'd have pushed his to exhaustion getting there."

Jack shook his head. "What we need right now is information. So let's proceed forward, but be ready to pull back at a moment's notice. We should send out all of our hunters. If they push themselves hard enough to reach the ridge before us, they won't have any time to send out scouts of their own, so ours will be able to move with impunity."

S'haar nodded and activated her headset. "All group leaders, we're proceeding forward, but be ready to direct those under your command to reverse at a moment's notice. Angela will take the lead if that happens, and I'll take up the rearguard role."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

A series of assents indicated understanding, and S'haar nodded, satisfied that she'd done all she could for now.

-

Dar'shal moved silently through the underbrush, keeping his eyes and ears open while tasting the air for any presence other than his fellow hunters; however, despite his attentiveness, a portion of his mind wandered. It seemed like every other day, he had to reexamine everything he knew about this odd tribe.

How quickly and efficiently they took out the wolgen when he'd first met them made several of their people seem to exist between heroes of legend and actual deities, but the rest of their camp had seemed almost weaker than average, so when they'd joined battle, he'd assumed many of the workers would die. However, apparently those odd weapons they kept on their back made them more than a match for even seasoned warriors. So when he'd found out they were being chased by yet another army, he'd assumed they'd simply turn and fight, but instead, they seemed determined to avoid direct combat by any means necessary.

Then there was the way the members of this tribe treated Dar'shal himself. Several of them seemed nervous around the hunter, none more so than the close friend of the wolgen trainer he was working with. Whenever the hunter spoke around her, it seemed like she flinched and shied away from him. At first, Dar'shal assumed it was something he'd said or done, but the hunt master, Lon'thul, explained that she'd been taken captive by raiders from the hills not once but twice, and it seemed clear that the hunter's speech mannerisms reminded her of those unpleasant experiences.

Naturally, Dar'shal assumed she'd avoid him at every opportunity. Not that she blamed him for what happened to her, but it seemed clear that his presence caused her a great deal of stress. However, once she'd gotten over her initial shock and hesitation, she seemed to go out of her way to speak to him briefly during most meals. While the hunter didn't understand what drove the young female to do such a thing, he had respect for anyone willing to push themselves in an attempt to overcome their weaknesses.

Then other members of the camp treated him as though he was an established and trusted member of the tribe. Most noteworthy was the hunt master, Lon'thul. It seemed like he constantly pushed Dar'shal to add to the campfire storytelling. At first, the hunter thought the hunt master had been trying to pry information from him, but it quickly became apparent that Lon'thul was hardly concerned with numbers or logistics. Instead, he seemed most interested in the more fantastical tales the newest hunter in his charge had to offer.

Then there was Jack, S'haar, and Angela. His initial opinion of them was the only thing that seemed to hold true. All three defied any traditional measurement or understanding of what any mortal should be capable of. S'haar, the warrior who went toe to toe with a wolgen and came out unscathed. Jack, the sickly-looking male who could call forth dragons fire from his hands, seemed to possess knowledge that even the gods might be jealous of. Finally, there was Angela, a literal living being of metal.

But perhaps the strangest of all was young Sare'en. One moment she seemed timid to the point of cowardice, but the next, she'd admonish the camp's full full-grown wolgen, tell off the tribe's leadership if she felt they weren't caring for themselves enough, or even stand up to the single most frightening argu'n Dar'shal had ever seen.

Not that she seemed to remember that part. To hear Sare'en tell it, she'd done nothing but cower in the large male's presence. But Dar'shal remembered differently. He'd been the one totally frozen with fear, unable to so much as speak or reach for his knife in the presence of the malevolent living shadow. But the timid little herding female had pulled back the two wolgen pups, placing herself between them and the threat without thought or hesitation. No wonder the pups looked up to her as their mother; she seemed to believe it herself!

That was when Dar'shal felt it, a change in the flavor of the wind. That was the musk of a large amount of argu'n, far more than the handful of hunters in the area. Sneaking forward, he saw a large number of exhausted yet determined warriors pushing through the night. They'd slipped ahead, just as S'haar had apparently feared they might.

Slipping back through the undergrowth as silently as he could muster, the hunter eventually caught site of several others doing the same. Once they crept far enough back to be unheard and unseen, the hunters all broke into a jog. They had to get word back to the tribe. They were surrounded, trapped in the valley.

Ordinarily, Dar'shal would have assumed the only thing to do now was surrender, but he wondered what new traps this tribe might incorporate into their hunt.

-

Vox'thon listened to B'arthon giving orders. "Set up the tents, and dig the waste pits far enough from camp that it won't stink up the place after a few days. We'll likely be here for several days, if not weeks, while we wait out their supplies. Also, I want regular runners going back and forth around the outside of the valley, bringing updates, even if it's just 'nothing new to report!' Four a day, minimum, more if something happens! Also, set up some basic towers with vision over the whole valley. I don't want them pulling another trick with dummies and firepits! At least half the warriors are to be armed and ready at all times, and the rest never more than ten paces from their weapons!"

Dek'thul stood nearby, listening as B'arthon issued orders to one underling after another, sending them to and fro like some kind of hive of insects. He laughed. "Don't you think you're overdoing it, young Lord? Do you really think there's any reason to draw things out this long? Why not simply move in, and end the hunt?"

B'arthon's voice held an edge of impatience as though he was annoyed by the casual nature of the hunt master's speech. "We've finally got them trapped, and I'm going to take the time to ensure we do this right! There's no need to charge in and waste as many resources as your failed 'hunt!' If we let them slip past our guard, we may never get another chance like this, so I'm going to do it right, even if it takes all summer!"

The hunt master's voice sounded dismissive. "Oh, I doubt it'll take that long. Even if they ration and hunt every last animal in the valley to extinction, there's barely a couple weeks' worth of food in an area that big. If they are smart, they'll send someone to start negotiating their surrender immediately."

B'arthon didn't sound mollified. If anything, he sounded more apprehensive than before. "You're assuming they'll use logic like you or I, but knowing this lot, they'll come up with some asinine plan that'll only fail if we refuse to react to their bait! So we'll wait them out until they have absolutely no choice but to fight or surrender!"

Dek'thul started to respond, but Vox'thon's attention was suddenly taken up by an immense presence that drowned out everything else. She felt like she was drowning in the immensity of it as she was totally enveloped by the presence, but then it receded a little, and a familiar glow took its place. Then a familiar mischievous voice came out of the glow, a voice the young AI hadn't heard since her last meeting with the owner back in early spring. "Sorry, I got a stronger signal than I thought I would. I didn't mean to overwhelm you like that. So anyway, long time no chat. How's it going, kid?"