Sa-sa’s voice came from ahead of them as he stood in the start of another curve in the path, the trees lining it obscured the rest of it. “I think I found it. Come up to here and stop at the point I marked safe.” Turning back, he rounded the curve out of sight.

“All right. Everyone moves up very slow. Okston. Wait at the spot in case Sa-sa needs help.” The big man nodded, and rode forward. He was soon out of sight around the curve.

The party moved onward as silently as they could, until they came to another wide spot in the path. This time there were no trees on each side, just an open grassy area and black swamp water to each side. Okston and the other fighter were blocking the path, weapons ready. Sa-sa was kneeling, examining something on or in the ground. The wagon tracks went straight over the middle and continued onward around another curve, blocking further sight.

After the party stopped, Sa-sa, stood, brushing the dirt from his knees. “It’s a pit. But the top looks like the wagon goes over it. There’s no illusion I can spot. I think there’s a mechanism inside, but except for something cold down there, I can’t tell what it is.” Looking back at the riders bunched up, watching him, he added, “I know the knight knows and won’t tell us.”

Tanadon’s face scowled in thought and worry. Dismounting, he used that time to think and decide what to do. “Sa-sa, if the pit doesn’t open under the wagon, what would open the pit? That looks like a trap. It’s too obvious. What sets it off?”

“The knight said he had something which gave him safe passage. Maybe that would do it?” He looked around at the ground and it’s three finger high grass, then over to the black swamp water, then back to the trap. Everyone waited until Sa-sa admitted, “I don’t know. Going around may trigger it but if it’s not a pit, then what sort of trap is it? If someone rides or walks over it and it opens, then we know.”

“What if someone goes over it and it doesn’t open?” Tanadon asked.

“Then they’re on the other side. Maybe nothing happens or maybe something happens afterwards? I can’t tell. The only way to find out is to do it. Otherwise we stop here and go no further which is what Raytheda wants.”

Tanadon turned back and asked, “Sir knight. Have people gone past this point before? Can you tell us that?”

Leaning forward in the saddle, he paused a moment before answering. “I think I can say some have gone beyond this point and some have not.

“Are those your wagon tracks?”

“They are. That’s not telling you something, which is not obvious.”

“Can our wagon go over that?”

“You will need to answer that for yourself. That question I may not answer.”

“Damn.” Spinning on one foot he reversed and strode over to the pit and Sa-sa. “If we take the wagon over first, could that be what disarms the trap?”

“Could be. I suppose many parties didn’t bring a wagon load of things with them. The weight could set a lock that a man or man and horse would not. We could spend a few hours digging into the pit and disarm it that way.”

“We only have one shovel. I don’t think that’ll work and get us to Raytheda before dark. Everyone is certain we won’t live through the night. There may be something to that.”

His fist rested against his thigh, tapping it, Tanadon stood silent for a few minutes. He stretched and turned back to the party. “We have to do something, and fast. We’ve faced pit traps before. So, we’ll try it this way. Gregor! There’s a coil of rope in the wagon. Bring it here. Sa-sa, we’ll do what we did in the Purple Hold. If it opens under you, Okston and I will jerk you back. If you make it to the other side, come back around the edge and see if that triggers something. If nothing happens, we’ll take the wagon across and see if that disarms it. If the wagon makes it, we’ll all cross or go around.”

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“And if I trigger something?” Sa-sa asked?

“Then everyone will be ready to fight before you start across.”

Gregor hurried to bring the rope and handed it to Tanadon. “Guard the wagon?” he asked.

“For now. Can you match those ruts if you take the wagon across?”

Gregor looked at the ruts carefully, then back at his wagon and team, mentally measuring the width of the wagon and tracks.

“Almost. Our wagon is wider and heavier, but I can have those ruts inside our wheels.”

“Good enough. Get ready.”

“Yes, sir.” Returned to the wagon, Gregor readied his weapons and armor and made ready to move. Soon, Sa-sa was ready and armed as he could be. Noticing the knight had his shield on his arm and the broadsword from his belt in hand, Gregor was certain they would set the trap off and it would be bad. He was right.

Sa-sa moved as softly across the pit as he could. With each step, he was poised to spring up and back if Okston yanked him back. Sweat formed on his brow the further across he went. It was only a few yards, and he almost collapsed when he was across and nothing happened. Standing and turning back, he waved and pointed to his right to indicate the direction he would take. Okston lifted the rope and readied himself to keep it taught as Sa-sa made his way back.

Just as Sa-sa took his first step the pit didn’t open downward. The ground on each side of the tracks rose up and the two halves crashed into the ground on either side away from the center path. A blast of cold came forth from the pit as chunks of something were flung out to both sides, most landing in the water but a few hit the ground, leading back towards the pit.

Everyone froze, waiting for the attack. Sa-sa looked at what was launched and called out, “It’s meat. Just raw bloody meat.”

Tanadon dropped the rope, readied his bow, and knocked an arrow, pointed towards the water. “Something in the water!”

“Both sides,” Okston called out as he pulled his mauls from his belt and stood back to back with Tanadon.

The things that came out of the water were long, low, mottled in pebbled, greenish hide. They were long, six-legged reptiles with a broad tail and a head that had sharp, teeth filled jaws. Jaws that snapped up the chunks of flesh and their many teeth ripping it into tiny shreds. More came after the first, looking for more meat. What they found were armed and armored men and women waiting for them.

These creatures aimed not for the men, but for their horses. They were looking for the biggest sources of food available and it wasn’t human.

Gregor jumped down from the wagon and cried out, “They’re after the horses!” as he stood between his team and the closest monster. He intercepted the first creature before it reached his team. His sword only cut a notch in the thing’s scaly head, before it turned and snapped at him. Twisting away from the bite and thrusting, his sword went through the creature’s eye and into whatever it had for a brain. Hearing chanting next to him, Gregor glanced over and saw the priest hit one with his beads and it blackened and crumbled just as the bat creatures had. At least there were two to protect the wagon and the string of riderless horses behind it.

Rolf was cursing somewhere behind him and Gregor heard the sound of Rolf’s crossbow. He hoped that any which made it past him, Rolf would kill. Glancing at the knight, he saw his war horse rear up and smash its steel shod hooves down on the head of one. It didn’t move after that. The knight said he would defend himself against natural creatures in the swamp. These must be what he meant. The only one who seemed to enjoy this fight was Okston. He was singing something in what might be his native language, as his mauls hit as hard as the warhorse’s hooves. They smashed the creatures just as dead.

Each person fought in their own style, and where possible worked with others to stop the swarm. When finally, there were none left, and silence settled over the carnage, Gregor counted at least thirty dead creatures and four of their horses. Areth was healing the damage people had taken. Five six legged corpses lay on the ground before the knight, who was standing by his horse. He had sliced two almost through and his horse had crushed the rest.

“Areth? How are we?” Tanadon called to his remaining healer.

“We live better than I expected. Most of my healing went to a few horses. I need recovery time before we have another fight. Those things are fast and tough.”

“I’ve seen something like them before. I see our knight killed a few. These must be the natural creatures he was talking about.” Tanadon replied. “The meat thrown into the water drew them in. Raytheda’s brilliant and he’s had a lot of years to create ways to kill people. People like us. The trap is still open so I think we can pass it without more danger. Mount up Hawks. We have a sorcerer to kill after what he’s done to us.”