The news Kaele had shared with us put me up against an enemy, more merciless than any other. You simply couldn't beat a deadline with a sword. You hardly ever could defeat it with clever maneuvering either. And the others were as aware of it as I was. In the end we decided against breaking camp and rushing southward right away though. The men and women following me needed a chance to properly recover after the march here. It wouldn't do me any good if we reached the battlefields at the gap if my warriors simply dropped dead once we got there. We couldn't exactly waste time either though.
The people of the supply caravan were the first to depart early next morning, loaded down with the loot from the village that was now only piles of rock and ashes. The sun hadn't cleared the horizon yet. Eld'tide accompanied them together with some of our wounded and a few of the guards she had brought. I would have really liked to take her along on our trek south but I needed someone I trusted to hold the pass, should the worst happen and should we have to retreat the way we had come. At least I had my sister at my side again when we broke camp. The smell of smoke still hung heavy in the air as we left our camp. Tortho's scouts were already well ahead of us again as the last of the infantry marched out.
Two days to reach the gap were an ambitious goal but my master of scouts had assured me that we could make it. One option would have been to use the enemy's roads. We could have made good time on them even if they were worse than the roads we were used to from back home. I decided against it though. These roads would take us closer to more human and elven settlements along the way. I had no doubt that we would have been able to defeat any force they could muster, now with their best already with their kings at the gap, but we couldn't afford to waste any more time on skirmishes like that.
Thus we kept away from the more densely populated parts of the lands governed by the council of kings. Instead we kept close to the foothills of the mountain range separating us from our homeland. Here we only had to deal with small, unfortified hamlets at worst. As a matter of fact we passed several that were abandoned, although not for long. Sometimes there was still smoke rising from chimneys as we passed. We didn't bother to investigate. We just kept moving south. The people were probably hiding in the nearby forests or caves. I honestly didn't care. As long as they didn't get in our way they could do whatever they wanted as far as I was concerned.
I split my small army into two for this forced march. That way we were less likely to get held up at any choke points we might encounter. I for my part moved with the infantry while Kaele accompanied Tora'pheer and the cavalry. I had split up my complement of giants and trolls among these two groups. They certainly could keep up with either. The two columns might even help confuse any enemy scouts that got close. I couldn't afford to screen my army like I had before after all. The scouts were more than a little busy securing the best marching routes after all. I couldn't have them run circles around us along the way on top of that.
We didn't stop for meals along the way. Everyone had received some bread before departure. And even the giant mountain ibex of my cavalry had feed bags prepared ahead of time. Even they could eat on the march like that. We didn't stop for the night either. I doubted that I would have gotten any sleep even if we did. The same was probably true for most of my warriors. They were well aware that we were heading for a big battle after all. What lay ahead of us wouldn't be a small and easily won skirmish this time. No one complained though. No one tried to desert us either. The fact filled me with pride. Sure, most of them, all except the few men and women from my own home that were along, were bound by contract but the trust they showed in my leadership still went a long way to soothe my mind. At the very least their officers would have spoken up if they thought I was about to do something stupid.
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Thus we marched through the night in the hope to cover enough ground that way to allow everyone at least a short rest before joining battle with the enemy at the gap. The scouts and harpies guided us closely during the darkest hours, either in person or by marking the way for us. In the morning fresh baked bread, and water skins filled not just with water but still warm tea awaited us at already extinguished again cooking fires. Once again that was the scouts work. They once again were proving invaluable to the rest of us. Everyone got to eat a quick meal like that. There was no reason to hold anything back right now. It wasn't luxurious but it certainly helped to make sure everyone was in high spirits despite the relentless pace we kept.
Around noon of that second day I was able to see the first signs of the enemy we were to face soon. The farmsteads and hamlets we passed now were abandoned for good and they had been at least for several days. Either the people living here had been summarily conscripted into the enemies army or they had run off, not wanting to be anywhere near the battle to take place in the wide pass that we called the gap. There was smoke and dust collecting above the gap as well. It was smoke from several camps as far as I could tell without seeing the pass itself. The amount of dust kicked up into the air on the other hand suggested moving armies. My heart skipped a beat at that realization. I could only hope that we were not already too late.
I perked up a little as I saw the darkelf captain of my scouts waiting for me ahead on the path we were taking. He raised an arm to wave me over. He was alone. The rest of his people were probably pretty busy. I stopped next to the rock he had been perched on and took the chance to catch my breath. “News?”
He nodded and got up so we could both keep going. “We are almost there.” He pointed ahead. “The two columns are meeting back up just beyond the forest line at the bottom of this hill. It will probably be only another hour, maybe a little more, before the army gets within line of sight of the enemy, once they maneuver around that last hill.” Instead of leading me down the path the troops were taking he lead me on a way that would lead up that very hill though. He must have noticed my look. “You will have a better look from up there. Actually I'm surprised the enemy hasn't picked that hill as a command post.” He shook his head. “They probably were to busy chasing the king and his war host.”
Along the way to the hilltop Kaele joined us, led by Quu'za, who greeted me with a wave and a happy chirp. I looked around. “The other officers?”
Tortho shook his head. “Better to keep them with the troops when the enemy is this close. I took the liberty to confer command to Arngard until further notice.” He pointed vaguely in the direction we had come from. “We spotted a large cavalry unit depart the gap and move north along the roads early this morning. They probably have been sent to go hunting for us. I doubt they noticed us passing them by here, well of the roads and mostly under cover but we still should keep them in mind.”
Finally we reached the hilltop and more importantly the position that the darkelf had picked for us. Another handful of scouts were waiting for us. A few more were probably scattered on the flank of the hill below us. The rest were most likely back with the main body of my army. He had been right. The spot was damn near perfect. I could see for miles into the gap. If I strained my eyes a little I probably could see almost all the way to the mountains on the other side. And I most certainly could see the armies below us. My heart skipped a beat as I took in the scale of the moving troops. This was beyond anything I had faced so far. I swallowed hard.