Sir Paljin was running over to wake my, but there was no need. I was awoken by the rumble in the ground. From the tremors and the sound coming from beneath my head, it was the entire war band. I sprung to my feet and began rolling up my bed roll. Everything else was on my horse, so I only need to cinch that down.
"Riders are coming. They aren't moving fast, but they are riding by torchlight. They are still a few miles off."
"I could feel them. Which fork leads to the Crystal Palace?"
"The one they are coming down."
"Which fork is the direction that Sir Jacob wanted to take to go around them?"
"I believe it is the fork to the right. That is the western trail."
"Good, you go and warn the caravan, I will stay here, and try to lure them down a different fork. Send a scout ahead of the caravan to see if I was successful."
"If you do that, you will be on your own, and won't make it back to us."
"I will find a way to get around them, once I think they are far enough off the trail of the caravan. Now hurry and ride to Sir Jacob. I will clean the trail of tracks as best I can, and then wait for them to spot me and lead them to the east."
"This is suicide Sir Pitre. You can't possibly get away from an entire warband. You fight like no one I have ever seen, but some things are beyond even your skill.:
"I promise you, I will get away from them. I don't intend to fight them. I just want to lead them in the wrong direction. I will hide from them once I'm several miles up the trail, and I will wait for them to pass. I will be alright. Go, if they see you, all will be lost. They will slaughter everyone in the caravan if they cross them. This is the best chance we have to avoid them now."
"Stay ahead of them Pitre, sorry, Sir Pitre. I only hope that this isn't the last tale we tell of you. Your heroic sacrifice to save a caravan of wounded and sick."
"I hope that it isn't as well. Ride with speed Sir Paljin."
"As you should do the same."
Sir Paljin mounted his horse and galloped off in a spirit back to the small village where the caravan was staying. He would most likely meet them on the trail. He would be the true savior that day. I was only a diversion.
I cleared the tracks on the trail leading to the caravan for a hundred yards, then I waited at the crossing for the war band to get sight of me. There torches were in sight when they were a mile off. I could see there weapons gleaming in the torchlight from half that distance. I could make out individual riders when they were a few hundred yards. That was the closest I wanted them to get. I rode my horse in circles to stir up dust on the trail to catch their eye. When I saw riders break from the column, I knew I had their attention. I rode down the eastern trail in hopes that they would all follow. I gained some distance and stopped to see what they would do. It worked, the riders that had broken form the main stopped at the crossing, and signaled for the war band to follow me.
I was away with as much speed as my horse could muster. we rode for miles before my horse began to tire. I found another fork in the trail, and took the one to the left, leading the war band slightly to the north and as far from the caravan as I could get them. I rode my horse for another mile in a trot, and then veered off the dirt of the trail and into the grass. Once I was sure that the tracks could not be found easily. I turned around and rode back towards the oncoming war band. A few hundred yards back, I rode off into the forest. I rode until I found a small stream. I dismounted and began watering my horse. There was a tree near the stream, so I tied him off, and made my way back near the trail to see if my ruse had worked. When I was within a hundred yards of the trail, I entered the Swordsman's Euphoria, and reached out to the stone for the aether. I lightened my footsteps, to a point that I could not be heard by normal ears. I could hear the rumble of the horses as they were passing. I climbed a tree a ten yards from the trail and watched as horses carrying Raiders, carts full of supplies, and larger siege engines to batter walls of even the Kingdom. They were enormous. No wall would be able to withstand them for very long.
The war band was much larger than anyone thought. There were probably 2000 men in tow. That included the support personal as well as soldiers. It wouldn't have even taken a quarter of them to slaughter Sir Jacob and the caravan.
It took them nearly an hour to pass where I was. I stayed in that tree for another hour to make sure that they were well on their way in the wrong direction. I quietly walked out to the trail to see if there were any scouts or stragglers roaming about. The trail was clear. I ran to the small fork in the trail to see if any guars had been left to watch their rear, but that was clear as well. I sprinted back to my horse as fast as I could. It was well rested by now. I untethered it from the tree, and we gently made our way back to the trail. I still was satisfied that I was out of the fire yet. I dismounted my horse before getting to the trail, so that I could once again scout for scouts. Once again there were none. I walked my horse back to the trail before mounting again. Once on the trial we took off in a sprint again. The fork was still clear and I made little haste in riding back to the crossing. I could see two scouts at the crossing. I dismounted my horse and tied him to a tree off the trial and out of sight. I snuck my way back to the crossing through the forest. From the tree line, I could see that it was to Raider scouts. Sir Paljin had succeeded in stopping the caravan, but I could see no sign of a scout that he might have sent. They could have been in hiding avoiding the two Raiders.
The scouts looked less than enthused to be standing at the crossing looking for the enemy. I drew my sword from my waist and entered the Swordsman's Euphoria. There was a large distance of open ground between me and them, so I had to clear the area fast. I waited until they both turned away from where I was hidden, and sprinted at them without making a sound. One turned just in time to see my sword coming down in an arc towards his neck. He tried to raise an arm to block the blow, but his had fell away at the wrist as my sword made its way into the meat of his neck. I drew the sword back letting the man fall to the ground without a scream. The thud of his body was enough to make the other Raider aware of my presence. They were separated by a few yards, and that distance gave him the time to draw his sword. I quickly advanced on him. He swung his sword at me in an arc that was intended to slice from shoulder to hip. I dropped down and slid underneath the slice. I rose up behind him, and gave him the time to turn to face his end. He spun around quickly but awkwardly. His balance was lost and he tumbled to the ground. I lunged forward and stomped on his sword with enough force to free it from his grip. I then slid it with my foot behind me. I pointed my sword at his nose.
"I'm going to give you a choice. You can answer some question and live, or you can choose to die right now. What do you choose?"
"I will answer anything you want. Please don't kill me."
It appears that it was true what my father and Sir Wallace had always said. In the depths of their hearts, true cowardice lies with the Raiders.
"The war band you are with, where are they going?"
"We were ordered to roam the countryside and destroy any villages and forts that we came across. We had heard of a large number of villagers that had survived previous raids and we were waiting for them to stumble upon us. When they didn't come in due time, we formed up and rode out to find them."
"Did you see anyone other than me at this crossing?"
"No, you are the first person that has come to the crossing since we were left behind."
"If you don't find these villagers, where will you war band go?"
"I do not know. I'm only a scout. I'm given orders as they are needed, and then I follow them. I know nothing of any of the planning."
"What were your orders for this post then?"
"We were told to remain here until nightfall. If anyone came one of us was to ride to the vanguard, and report what we saw. The other was to stay and remain out of sight, then follow to report a location were the enemy would stop and camp."
"If you don't report back, will they send anyone to look for you?"
"I doubt it, There are more than two dozen men that are able to scout. If I don't return, they will keep going unless they see no reason to do otherwise."
"Your men would just leave you to die?"
"Yes, that is our job."
"Would you turn if given the chance?"
"If it gave me a chance to live, then yes."
"Then you will ride with me. I will have to bind your hands and legs first though. I believe you, but I don't trust you."
"Throw me rope and I will bind my own legs for you."
"You won't be able to ride a horse if your legs are bound before you get on."
With that, I got the man to stand and I bound his hands behind his back. I then helped him onto his horse, and bound his legs underneath so that he couldn't free himself. I then led his horse as well as the dead scout's horse back to my own, and we made our way back down the trial to the caravan.
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