“Tell me why you have a black robe with you, Goral,” HawkShadow chuckled.
“StarWind often requires me to disguise myself when I accompany her into Omunga,” Goral explained. “I brought my disguises in case our chase ended up in the enemy’s territory. It does not take up much room.”
HawkShadow shook his head and smiled, trying to imagine disguising Goral as anybody but the giant himself. HawkShadow was sure that Goral was the largest human to ever walk the surface of the world.
An hour later, they arrived at the second spot and HawkShadow left Goral to take up position across the track. Goral improvised again and was holding a large two-handed sword in his left hand. Even the front of the column saw Goral and the leader tried to maintain calm this time, but the assassins were clearly unnerved. Arguments ensued at the back of the column after Goral left and HawkShadow feared that some of the enemy might desert. That was something he had not planned for and he started thinking about it as the column finally moved off again.
HawkShadow wondered what the leader of the assassins was thinking while he rode back to join Goral. Would the leader anticipate defections? How would he handle them? Would HawkShadow have to track the individual deserters? Would he have time to?
HawkShadow got some of the answers to his questions after Goral’s third showing. One of the assassins at the rear spoke too loudly about leaving the group. The leader rode to the rear and swiftly decapitated the man, leaving his body where it fell. HawkShadow noticed that the other assassins cowered upon eye contact with the leader, and he guessed that he had just seen the last of the desertions.
Goral made six appearances in all and the enemy was clearly frazzled. The column was tighter than before and nobody watched the left flank at all. With any sound from the forest, all of them glanced right, looking for one of the Gorals. HawkShadow was pleased. The three Sakovan women greeted HawkShadow and Goral as they arrived at the ambush area.
“They are down to thirteen,” HawkShadow announced as StarWind led them on a tour of the trap areas. “They are as spooked as they are going to get. Expect them to flee rather than fight except for the leader and maybe the three close to him. Those four may go for Goral. The other will try to scatter.”
“They won’t get far,” StarWind assured him. “Six Sakovan Stars each, ready for rapid delivery should handle it.”
“Well we should get ready then,” HawkShadow stated. “Goral are you comfortable with this plan?”
Goral merely nodded and headed for his position and the rest of the Sakovans disappeared into the forest in every direction. Within an hour the assassins appeared through the trees. HawkShadow noticed that the majority of them still glanced to their right frequently as they rode. As soon as the end of the column was visible, Goral appeared on the hill in front of them. Goral looked to the left and signaled some unseen forces and the looked right and signaled. The leader came to an abrupt halt, but those behind him were still glancing right and had not seen the new Goral in front of them. As HawkShadow had predicted, the column proceeded to look like a drip of milk ending in a puddle as the rear end continued moving forward until they could move no farther.
The assassin leader started shouting orders and the Sakovans charged inward on their chokas, Sakovan Stars in hand. The first Stars were already in the air when one of the assassins shouted an alarm. The leader quickly understood what was happening and, calling for his men to follow, charged towards Goral, the only Sakovan who had not moved towards the assassins. Only two men followed their leader, the rest were trying to control their now frenzied horses. The leader's eyes burned with hatred as he charged Goral, but the giant sat calmly on his choka. When the leader got close enough, Goral tossed a Sakovan Star, which implanted itself in the man’s forehead. Goral swiftly tossed Stars at the other two riders and three empty frightened horses ran past him.
In a matter of seconds, it was all over. The traps had not been used and the assassins had never been able to respond to the threat before they died. The Sakovans dismounted and checked the bodies for anything useful.
“I have a note here,” called SkyDancer, “and it doesn’t look good. There are more of these guys. It appears that there are five groups looking for the youngsters, but the note doesn’t give any numbers as to how large the groups are. Two of them were assigned to follow the youngsters whichever way they went, including the Sakova. Two more are assigned to start in Alamar and work inland from that end. It does not say what the fifth group is supposed to do. I assume that the fifth group is probably under the leadership of the writer, a man who signs his name as Klaarg.”
“If it was two groups who came into the Sakova from the west, then I would estimate about twenty men per group,” stated HawkShadow. “That means that there will be another forty assassins infiltrating from Alamar and twenty that we don’t know the mission for. Who are these youngsters and why are they so important? I am beginning to get a little curious myself.”
“Somebody wants them an awful lot to send a hundred professional assassins after them,” mused StarWind. “I should have had some inkling of something this big from one of my sources. The Omungans have not sent a hundred men into the Sakova at one time in centuries. I think it is very important that we find these youngsters and get them to tell us what is going on.”
“We will have to ride on then,” HawkShadow declared. “MistyTrail should be several hours ahead of us. We should send that note back to the stronghold as well.”
The group mounted and headed east. HawkShadow looked for the signs left by MistyTrail and collected them as he went. The signs were small and unrecognizable by anyone but a Sakovan, but they were personalized and HawkShadow could not only tell whose marker it was, but when it was left. A scout could even leave a message on one if necessary. To the casual observer, the marker looked like moss, but Sakovans knew their forest mosses well and the markers stuck out easily.
“This marker is fresh,” HawkShadow announced. “We should meet up with her soon.”
“Fresh?” asked StarWind. “Why would the youngsters be moving at night?”
“I don’t know,” admitted HawkShadow. “I was wondering the same thing. They should be bedded down long ago.”
Further questions on the matter were unnecessary as the group found MistyTrail moments later.
“Why are you tracking at night?” HawkShadow asked immediately.
“Tayo to you too,” sighed MistyTrail. “I fear that I spooked them. They took off at a gallop yesterday afternoon. I was not able to keep up on foot. I figured that they would slow down eventually, but it appears that they are determined to run their horses into the grave. I am sorry, HawkShadow. I know that I have failed you.”
HawkShadow looked at MistyTrail and shook his head. He knew her well enough to know that she had not slept since the youngsters took off. She must have tracked right through last night and into this one. “We make camp here for the night,” he announced. “Let’s get some food in you MistyTrail and you can tell us what happened.”
MistyTrail told the entire story to the other Sakovans over dinner. She was miserable with herself. She had delayed killing the youngsters with assurances to HawkShadow that she would not let them escape and he had trusted her. She not only failed to keep them in the Sakova, she spooked them into running.
“You intuition may have saved me from making a terrible mistake,” soothed HawkShadow. “RavenWing wants them alive. He wants us to bring them back to the stronghold. Were it not for you, I would have already killed them. Get some sleep now. I did promise you until the fourth morning and that has not come yet,” he smiled.
MistyTrail hugged him and fell asleep in his arms. HawkShadow carried her to a blanket, wondering whether there was time enough to catch them tomorrow before the youngsters left the Sakova.