It was late into the night, and just moments ago, most of the camp had been asleep. Huntsman had sent Gareth ahead telling him that he had important information for Lord Carver. Word of the new arrivals spread through the huge camp like wildfire, and the path leading up to the large command tent was crowded with curious onlookers.

“Well, there’s a lesson learned,” Huntsman remarked sourly, feeling just as uncomfortable as the boys were with the scrutiny they found themselves under. “No more grandiose entrances.”

They kept their heads low as they rode their stolen horses through the camp. In the corner of his eye, Tim spotted huge contraptions sitting on wagons that were under heavy guard close to the camp’s perimeter.

“What are those?” he wondered.

“Siege engines,” Huntsman replied. “They’re broken down for transport, but you’ll see them in use soon enough.”

Soon, they reached the command tent where half a dozen guards stood guard. They made way as they approached and their leader announced, “Lord Carver and the prince are waiting for you.”

Huntsman led the boys through the tent flap and inside, they found Horatio, Erwyn, Arthur, and Emily sitting around a small table. Horatio levelled his smouldering eyes on the boys, and Tim broke out in a cold sweat.

“That’s our goose cooked,” Eric whispered to his friend.

“I hope you two have a good excuse for your absence,” Horatio growled.

“Oh the best,” Huntsman grinned as he strode forward. “We discovered roughly a thousand enemy cavalry stalking this army.”

Horatio’s demeanour changed abruptly, and Arthur leapt to his feet. “Are you sure?” the prince demanded.

Huntsman nodded. “It looks like they have finally massed for an attack, and I think we can expect one soon.”

Horatio frowned as he looked at the map that was laid out on the small table. “This far from Estos? If their attack fails…”

“They can disperse into the surrounding countryside and regroup,” Huntsman replied. “I’m sure they know that if they maul this army badly enough, we will have to turn back and will be unable to return. At least not for a few years.”

“But if they attack us closer to Estos, they can trap us against the walls and finish us off there,” Arthur pointed out.

Huntsman shrugged. “I’m no strategist. All I know is that they are planning for an attack soon.”

“The Hulvans have pulled their peasants away from their populated areas near the Divine Path and left their fields unharvested,” Erwyn remarked. “I don’t think they can keep that up for long. They may need to bring this war to a close quickly. Their most fertile and populated lands are on this side of the Eretas Mountains.”

“And if the cavalry attack fails too close to Estos, those soldiers won’t be able to participate in its defence,” Horatio added.

“I suppose you have a point.” Arthur allowed. He paused and gave his wife a sheepish smile. “It appears that I have a lot to learn.”

Emily rested her head against her husband’s shoulder. “With luck, this war will be over soon, and you won’t have to put any of this knowledge to use.”

Horatio cleared his throat and the pair turned red in the face as they separated themselves. “The Hulvans will strike when we are most vulnerable. We must make the appropriate preparations.”

“I agree,” Erwyn said. “Perhaps we are fortunate that they didn’t attack today.”

“We are about a week’s march from Estos,” Horatio pointed out and turned to Huntsman. “Are you absolutely sure that they’re poised to strike?”

Huntsman nodded. “They were travelling light and I’m sure you’ve not missed the fact that there isn’t an ounce of edible food in the settlements close to the Divine Path.”

Horatio nodded slowly. “Yes, we did find that strange.”

“Did you notice that they’d removed all the milling stones?” Huntsman ventured.

“We did,” Horatio replied. “The Hulvans aren’t taking half measures.”

“And neither should we,” Erwyn added.

“So I believe the attack will come in the next day or two,” Huntsman asserted. “Unless they have secret caches of food that I’m not aware of.”

“And don’t you think that’s likely?” Erwyn ventured.

“It is,” Huntsman conceded. “However, we can’t fret over every eventuality, can we?”

Horatio frowned as he studied the map. “I agree, we can only proceed with the information we have.”

He was about to continue when he stopped himself and turned to the boys, who abruptly snapped to attention.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“One day, I will hear the truth out of the two of you,” Horatio began. “However, for now, the two of you are excused. Nathan, take these boys and get them something to eat.”

“Oh, am I not to be privy to your little strategy meeting?” Huntsman ventured with a sly smile.

“You will watch your tongue in the presence of the Prince and the Lord General,” Erwyn said sharply.

“Nathan,” Horatio said patiently. “You’ve chosen a dangerous job for yourself. You don’t want to be caught with this knowledge.”

Huntsman shrugged. “Then all I have to do is not get caught.”

“Leave, all three of you,” Horatio ordered.

“Yes Lord Carver,” the boys sang in unison. They clicked their heels smartly before following Huntsman out of the tent.

Once they were outside, Tim felt weak at the knees from relief. They had escaped punishment. At least for now. He had found the conversation in the tent interesting but was glad to be allowed to leave.

“Come on boys, I smell something good cooking over this way,” Huntsman grinned as he led them away from the tent. “It’ll be good to get some warm food in my belly before I set out again.”

“Are you not staying with us?” Tim asked.

Huntsman shook his head. “Our scouts need to move out in numbers to avoid being ambushed, which makes it easy for the Hulvans to see them coming. What we need is more people like me who can move unseen.”

He looked down at Tim and smirked. “Fancy a job, boy?”

Tim shook his head without hesitation.

“I don’t blame you,” Huntsman chuckled. “It’s a thankless job.”

“Then why are you doing it?” Eric ventured. “I doubt it’s because you’re that devoted to the kingdom."

Huntsman smirked. “No, I’ve never been one to for glory and the like.”

“Then what are you after?” Eric asked.

Huntsman made a circle with his thumb and index finger as they approached the camp’s kitchens which served only the higher ranking lords. The lesser lords either had to have their men do their cooking or handle it themselves. The mouth-watering smells were growing stronger, and Tim found it hard to concentrate on the lanky man’s words. “Money, boy. This job pays fantastically.”

Eric blinked. “It does?”

“Well, it will,” Huntsman corrected himself. “All I need to do is prove how valuable proper espionage can be. This war is the perfect platform for me.”

“But everyone’s saying the war will end soon,” Tim pointed out.

Huntsman smirked. “Even if this war ends soon, the next one won’t be far behind. The Central Kingdoms won’t let us take Estos. Once Estos is ours, the rest of Hulva will be vulnerable. If we swallow Hulva up, we’ll be right on their western border.”

“The Central Kingdoms are our allies,” Eric protested.

“Listen, bumpkin,” Huntsman snorted. “You may not know this, but that lot have always treated Carthus with suspicion because of how close we are to the heathen lands.”

“Isn’t that why the Three put their most trusted champion in charge of the peninsula?” Eric pointed out. “We are meant to be the bastion of the faithful against the heathens.”

“That happened hundreds of years ago, boy,” Huntsman grunted. “A lot can change in that time…”

Huntsman’s voice trailed off and he frowned. “I haven’t been this loose lipped in a while. I wonder what it is about you two…”

“We’re probably just the first friendly faces you’ve seen in a while,” Tim pointed out.

“Maybe,” Huntsman allowed. He smirked as Tim’s stomach growled. “You know what, I’m hungry too.”

A dozen armed guards who were assigned to protect the lord’s kitchen from hungry men were sitting around a platter of roast meat nearby. One of them looked up at them and scowled. “Run along, there’s nothing for the likes of you here.”

“Shut your mouths and follow my lead if you want to eat tonight,” Huntsman ordered as he strode forward confidently.

Tim looked hungrily at a chubby man wearing a filthy apron standing over a haunch of cold roasted meat with a carving knife in his hand. Piles of freshly baked bread, bowls of fruit and platters of bowls of roasted vegetables were stacked neatly on a shelf in case the lords wanted a late night snack. Tim’s stomach growled again, and he licked his lips hungrily. It was then that he realized that he and Eric hadn’t eaten since the previous day.

“Don’t you recognize these two?” Huntsman asked with a broad smile. “They’re Lord Carver’s lads.”

One of the guards got to his feet and ambled over. He scrutinized the boys in turn and a crooked smile crossed his lips. “They’re the ones that went missing, aren’t they?”

“They are,” Huntsman drawled easily. “And Lord Carver sent them to fetch his supper.”

“What’s going on over there?” the chubby man demanded.

“These are Lord Carver’s boys,” the guard replied. “They say the Lord General wants some supper.”

The chubby man brightened up. “That’s wonderful news, he hasn’t eaten anything since we crossed the Narrows.”

“You don’t believe them, do you?” the guard asked incredulously.

“They did come from the command tent,” one of the other guards remarked.

The chubby man looked at the boys in turn and smiled warmly. “I’ll throw some extra in for the two of you, just make sure our lord general eats, won’t you?”

Tim opened his mouth to speak, but Huntsman cut him off. “We will, don’t worry.”

Huntsman shot the boys a look that told them to keep their mouths shut before turning to the chubby man and flashing him a brilliant smile. “The prince is with the Lord General. He might be hungry too.”

The man gave Huntsman a suspicious look but piled food onto two plates and prepared two smaller bowls for the boys. He set his eyes on Tim. “Make sure the Lord General eats and I’ll make sure you’re well fed until the war’s over.”

Tim nodded hesitantly. “Thank you.”

As the boys carried the food carefully back towards the command tent, Tim was the first to speak. “Why lie, Old Horatio did send us for food, after all.”

“Do you think that lot would have believed us?” Huntsman asked with a broad grin.

“No,” Eric conceded. “But couldn’t Old Horatio have given us written instructions?”

“Why waste the time?” Huntsman chuckled. “He knew I’d use my wiles to get food, and you two should learn to do the same.”

“So what do we do now?” Tim ventured.

“Once we’re out of sight of the kitchens, we’ll find somewhere to eat,” Huntsman replied as he looked at the food hungrily.

Soon, they found a quiet place close to the horses and sat down on the ground. Just as they were about to tuck in, a pair of guards walked up to them.

“We’ve been looking all over for you,” one of them snapped irritably.

“Lord Carver said we could eat this, I swear!” Eric blurted almost at once, and Huntsman shook his head.

The guards gave Eric a puzzled look. “The prince wants to see you two at once.”

Eric turned pale and pointed at Huntsman. “What about him, he put us up to it!”

“I don’t think the prince wants to see us about the food, Eric,” Tim whispered.

“Oh,” Eric blinked and looked up at the guards hopefully. “Do you think you can wait until after we’ve finished supper?”

“Now,” the guard ordered balefully.

“What does the prince want?” Eric asked as he and Tim reluctantly got to their feet.

“He has a special task for the two of you and wants to explain it to you,” the guard sneered. “Mernes knows what the two of you have done to deserve his favour.”

“Could we bring our food along with us?” Eric ventured.

The guards scowled. “Do you think you’ll be allowed to stuff your faces while the prince is talking to you?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your food while you’re gone,” Huntsman said with a cheerful grin.