“How fast are they moving during the day?” StarWind asked.
“They believe the youngsters are on foot now,” HawkShadow elaborated. “I created the impression so that I could leave my trail for them to follow. Consequently, they are moving at a fast walk. Why?”
“I have an addition to your plan,” StarWind smiled. “While Goral is toying with them, SkyDancer, StormSong and I will create some traps in the ambush area. We can rig some slanted spikes that will not be seen until they are erected. If we wait until the fog starts rolling to erect them, they will not be seen at all. This will eliminate the chance that they will go anywhere. They will have to stand and fight and, as your plan is solid, they will die.”
HawkShadow grinned and nodded his head in satisfaction. “I like it,” he stated. “Let’s get some sleep and an early start. I will take first watch and let you travelers get some rest.”
HawkShadow was not one for sentry duty and he spent his watch stealthily moving through the forest in an erratic pattern around the campsite. He saw SkyDancer awaken hours later and look for him. Knowing he was out in the forest somewhere, she chose to stand in the center of the camp and let him come to her. HawkShadow made one last circuit and headed into the camp.
“You ready for sentry duty?” he whispered. “I want to take a run down to the assassins’ camp and have a look.”
SkyDancer nodded silently and HawkShadow returned to the woods. He left the chokas behind and ran the league on foot, slowing to a stealthy walk as he approached their outer perimeter. He smiled when he saw that the assassins had decided on a cold camp again this night. That meant they were still rankled about the loss of their men.
HawkShadow was silent in the dark forest as he circled around at a distance, noting the position of each of the outer guards and the inner watchers. He wanted to do something to shake up the camp a little. It would help the plan if they started the day freshly nervous.
Just short of a complete circuit, HawkShadow stopped and grinned. Two of the inner watchers were talking to each other. Fools. That meant that no one was watching one of the guards and they wouldn’t hear anything either. The Sakovan assassin backtracked to a small gully and dropped into it. Slowly he slithered forward until he knew that if he went any farther he would be exposed to the guard. He listened intently for sounds from the campsite and could hear none. Frowning, he rose to the lip of the gully and peered out. The guard was still in place and the two watchers were still talking, but so quietly that HawkShadow could not hear them.
With practiced ease, HawkShadow snared a throwing knife from his belt and balanced it in his hand. He needed the guard facing him for this to work quietly and he reached for a small twig with his other hand. The twig was dry and large enough to make noise, but also small so the sound would be faint. His arm poised to throw, HawkShadow snapped the twig between his fingers and threw the knife a split second later. As he had expected, the guard turned towards the sound, and received the knife in the center of his throat. HawkShadow watched as the man opened his mouth and reached for his throat with both hands. The guard’s knees buckled slowly and the man sank gently to the ground, still trying to sound an alert that would never come out of his mouth.
HawkShadow glanced into the camp and saw the two watchers still talking. He dropped back into the gully and reversed course. Once he was outside the extent of the other guards’ vision, HawkShadow rose and ran back to his own campsite. He smiled at SkyDancer and mouthed the number fourteen as he slid onto his blanket and fell asleep.
StormSong woke everyone up just before dawn and the Sakovans had a small meal before cleaning up the campsite. There was no banter or small talk as one might expect. The Sakovans prepared quietly for the tasks they had been assigned. Goral was the first to leave the camp with HawkShadow catching up to him quickly. StarWind, StormSong and SkyDancer would take a circuitous route to avoid any possibility of running into the assassins while HawkShadow and Goral would be riding parallel to the enemy, but always out of sight until it was time for Goral to show himself.
HawkShadow left Goral briefly to spy on the assassin camp and see how nervous they were. HawkShadow knew the wilderness of the Sakova better than anyone did because he was always patrolling it between assignments. He rarely spent time in the stronghold, feeling the confinement of the enclosed valley too stifling. It was not difficult for him to spy on the enemy without being seen and HawkShadow was pleased that he had made the detour this morning. The campsite was in chaos with the leader yelling and threatening the men responsible for keeping watch on the guard who had died. The other assassins appeared to be breaking camp calmly, but HawkShadow saw many of them casting glances into the surrounding trees. They were concerned for their lives and that is what he wanted. Swiftly, he left his concealed spot and caught up to Goral.
“I heard you stirred up the nest last night,” Goral said when HawkShadow had caught up to him. “Are they buzzing around angrily?”
“Well,” HawkShadow chuckled, “they do seem to be looking outward for any sign of a bear in search of honey.”
“A job well done then,” Goral commented mirthlessly as they approached a small ridge. “This is the first spot I believe. Where will you be?”
“I will be across their track on the other side,” HawkShadow stated. “If they do decide to test you, I want a chance to reduce their numbers from the rear. I also want to observe their reaction and not from the same place you are. I will rejoin you after they pass.”
Goral did not answer and HawkShadow rode over the ridge and down the other side. He carefully led his choka over the tracks he had made yesterday, making certain not to disturb them. One nice thing about using the choka, he thought, was that the tracks were unfamiliar to the Omungans and they would not realize what they were. He found the spot he planned to hide in and waited for the enemy to approach.
Although the assassins were very quiet, especially for Omungans, HawkShadow heard them before he saw them. It is hard to keep so many men and horses absolutely quiet. HawkShadow watched them appear through the trees, still riding in the same formation as the day before. He glanced across their path and saw Goral appear, sitting proudly on his choka. The first few sets of men did not see Goral, their focus on the forest ahead of them, but soon HawkShadow heard a shout of alarm and the column faltered.
HawkShadow smiled as the second half of the column bunched together as men in the middle stopped and those behind them get riding while looking off to their right at Goral. Eventually the front of the column stopped, alerted by the shouts from the rear. Goral looked imposing upon the ridge, the combined height of the giant and the choka looking monstrously huge. Goral had even improvised and was holding the wicked looking maul that he favored in his right hand, a maul which most men would have trouble lifting with two hands. As arranged, Goral gave the assassins a moment to gape at him and then he disappeared over the ridgeline confidently, without looking back.
HawkShadow watched the enemy column as conversations broke out among the men. Nobody was inclined to ride up the ridge after Goral and the leader ended up shouting to get the men back into a column. These men, while well-trained assassins, were not used to working with others and it showed. Many resented the leader’s attempts at order and HawkShadow detected more than one of them snarling in the leader’s direction, when the leader wasn’t looking of course.
The column was soon moving again and HawkShadow waited until the last men were well out of sight before riding on to join Goral. HawkShadow watched with amusement as Goral threw on a black robe and donned a black knit cap. HawkShadow thought he looked like a giant version of Death ready to harvest someone.