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Tero's domain had to be quite prosperous, judging by the banner he had gathered. Not only were the men and women following him quite numerous, there were more trained mages of various schools as well than was usual. It looked like they had gotten through the battle mostly unscathed. Sure, most looked like they could do with a few days of rest and I was able to spot plenty of injuries as well but they were in high spirits for the better part. It simply didn't look like too many of them were in mourning.
I didn't mind though. My people certainly could do with some proper reinforcements. We made pretty good time as well, on our return trip to the camp of my little army, although we weren't exactly in a hurry. Just as well. I was better after being in the care of my sister and her daughters and having a real good night's sleep but I still didn't feel like another forced march. As a matter of fact I could happily do without ever doing that again. I didn't dare get my hopes up though. Judging by recent events it probably wouldn't be long before we were back in the thick of it.
It didn't take us too long to reach the camp. It had changed in the short time I had been away. It was still no match for the camp of the king's war host but now there was a proper palisade atop earthen ramparts and trench to match it. There still were only very few tents but more lean-tos had been constructed, providing my people with shelter. They hadn't been idle otherwise either. There were more fires, which had been visible from some distance, as well as proper pyres for our dead.
The enemy's dead hadn't simply been left to rot either, at least not anywhere close to the camp. The plains directly around the camp had been cleared of the dead and I could see where more, already filled in, ditches had been dug for them. As we got closer and the mercenaries on guard called out we were close enough to see the piles of gear that had been taken from the battlefield as well. There was iron and steel aplenty. Maybe it was even more than we could carry away from here.
That was a problem for another day though and I suspected that my captains already had plans in motion how to deal with the surplus loot. Right now my heart skipped a beat as my men ans women welcomed me back with a hearty cheer. It brought a smile to my face how they cheered for me despite all the hardships and pain I had burdened them with in the last days.
I wasn't the only one who noticed either. Tero flashed me a grin as well as he patted me on the back. “It sounds like they like you.” His grin got even wider. “And it looks like they are willing to stick around with you although you probably made many of them rich enough to retire if those piles of iron and steel are anything to go by.”
I laughed out loud. “Don't count those coins just yet. The treasury will want its cut of the spoils of war first. That is, after we manage to have all of that hauled back to the capital.”
He nodded sheepishly but kept grinning anyway. He wasn't wrong after all. Sure, the treasury would take its share. More would be claimed by the mercenary companies I had hired. Despite that everyone from the warriors who had stood in the line to the captains and me would still receive a handsome share.
Given the orders I had received I suspected that I would invest most of mine into more mercenaries, especially the kind capable of besieging a dwarven fortress city. Well, in theory I could multiply that investment greatly if we managed to take Gothol'gathrak. Only the maidens knew how much good steel could be found in their forges. It would not be easy though. Those too were worries for another day though.
Right now I was glad to be back among the people who had fought at my side. I was glad to be back with my sister as well. She might not be my sister by blood but she was the one I had grown up with. Thus I swept her up in a heartfelt hug as she came to greet me together with my captains. After holding he close for a moment I let her go again. “I take it everything is as well as it can be?”
She nodded, as did my captains. I didn't miss the way they looked at Tero'thaa and his entourage though, thus I decided to introduce everyone. I gestured towards Tero. “My brother Tero'thaa. He and his banner will join us for now.” then I gestured towards Kaele and my officers. “My sister Kaele. She is the one who brought forth that storm.”
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I saw Tero's eyes light up at the mention but continued introducing the others anyway. He could talk magic with Kaele later. “Tortho, the captain of my scouts. Yath'zur, my captain of the siege train. Tora'pheer, my captain of cavalry. Arngard, my captain of infantry.” They all bowed in turn as I introduced them.
I decided to keep going, turning towards my officers and my sister. “Can we get going? Or do we need more time to recover?” I paused briefly. “Our orders are to retreat towards Caer'rath for rest and recovery and to be honest, I would like to get out of the Gap before any remaining king's of the Council of kings that might still be at large can marshal what remains of their forces. I don't want to get caught out here on our own.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Finally Kaele spoke up. “I managed to grow some bitterleaf and glowberries from the enchanted seeds. Especially the latter sped up our recovery. There still are some wounded that might need to be carried but in general we should be able to move.”
Tortho took over for her. “I have had some of my scouts secure a path westward out of the gap. We have it marked out like on our forced march here. I would like to keep close to the foothills, just in case that cavalry detachment they sent out to search for us were to return.”
Tora'pheer stepped forward next. “I had my ladies cut some wood, for stretchers and baskets so we can move both our wounded and the loot, to give our mounts some more time to recover. We built a makeshift pyre around that dead giant wyvern as well. I think we should light it up to keep it from fouling up this place any worse than it already has.”
That earned another round of nods before Yath'zur spoke up. “My people came out of the battle mostly unharmed. I suggest we move the stretchers with the wounded while the others take care of the loot.” He turned towards Tero. “It probably would be best if the honorable Lord Tero'thaa and his banner protect our flanks and our rear to dissuade any pursuers, should we be pursued.”
Finally Arngard spoke up last. “We just need to divide up the loot into the baskets for everyone then we can get going. We have a pit prepared for anything we can't take along. Just in case.”
I took a moment to take in the camp and think about everything. Finally I cleared my throat. “Prepare everything but take your time. We will light the pyre for the wyvern in the evening and move out afterwards. We will move during the night and only stop tomorrow around noon. That should take us well out of the Gap and back into friendly territory. Please bear with it.”
No one protested thus I continued. “Tortho's scouts will guide us during the night. Neither humans nor horses are any good during the night. Thus we should be safe enough. We will have time to properly rest and recover at Caer'rath in a proper camp with proper food.” That earned me some enthusiastic smiles but I had yet another bomb to drop. “We will do some more recruiting while we are there as well, as our next target will not be an easy one. Our great king has tasked us with taking the fight to the enemy once more.”
Silence fell around us before I could carry on. “We will need to prepare well because our next target will be Gothol'gathrak.” Now that left everyone speechless, at least for a moment.
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