(Untitled)
The road to Fief Mandash skirted the cliffs and crossed rough terrain. With that in mind, Alanna kept a careful but steady pace until the extra light from the full moon no longer offset the danger of pressing forward. She called for a halt, and they made camp until dawn
( Read more... )
The more she thinks about what the ogre said the more she thinks someone knew exactly how to lure her away from the others. The queen, their families: Alanna's gut tells her they are in danger.
Face grim, she slows Darkmoon to a walk after an hour's worth of speed and negotiates a tricky turn in the track. The early morning fog isn't helping.
Reply
Ninja.
Alanna nods.
They continue through the thinning woods, X stealthy and Alanna as quiet as she can be, as quiet as Coram taught her when she was young and on her first hunt. When the dirt beneath their feet begins to slope up, she drops down, staying low.
Not far now. A mile or so. Over the next significant rise and down in the slight valley that forms before the road passes the village, branches and starts the climb to the Swoop, an army stands between them and their friends.
Reply
After several long minutes of silence, accompanied by the slightest frown, X creeps forward another foot or so.
She is careful, however, to keep an eye on Alanna. Just in case there is magic.
X does not particularly want to die while engaging in reconnaissance. It would not be efficient.
And all the while she is keeping careful count. This, too, is a skill.
Reply
She hasn't crawled to the very top of the hill yet. She hasn't seen the army.
That soon changes.
Mithros, she swears silently. Biting her lip, she throws out a hand to keep X from going any further and indicates a line from the original group of trees to just in front of them and all the way left toward the road. As William said, the spell covers a lot of ground.
Reply
Eventually she stops moving, shifting position ever-so-slightly, eyes narrowing as she scans the assembled army.
And when she sags back down, sliding backward a few feet --
"I do not know if an accurate count is possible."
It's said very quietly. Just to be safe.
Reply
The emberstone goes back around her neck so she can concentrate on their other, larger problem.
The warriors are camped in the woods, by the road, near the village. No colors are displayed, no banners flown. Their forces are spread unequally between those facing the castle (the greater concentration) and those facing south, presumably keeping watch for Tortallan reinforcements. For her. There are signs that they've recently moved, closed ranks a bit -- probably after Bax triggered the spell. But the ones turned their way don't look nervous or even on guard to give battle, as if they are confident in their numbers and position, confident that the bulk of Tortall's own forces are unlikely to reach them before they have what they want.
"And I called the ogre unwise," growls Alanna, working up to a good (if quiet) mad.
Reply
"I do not know if we can kill them all."
Beat.
"Evasion will also be difficult."
Hmm.
Reply
Very strange, indeed.
Alanna shakes her head, chalking some of it up to fancy and wishful thinking. Still, she says to X: "They don't look ready to attack, at least. That buys us some time."
Several yards away, a fox crosses the magical barrier unharmed, sniffs the air and scampers away from them.
Reply
"If they are not attacking -- "
She falls silent for a moment, thinking.
Then --
" -- it does not make sense. For them to be here."
Beat.
"They are not Sinthya's men?"
Reply
Sinthya could never lead on this scale. She'd call him a sniveling weasel if it wasn't such an insult to weasels.
"They aren't advertising their allegiances," Alanna says, indicating the absence of banners. "An official invasion would proudly display the Carthaki colors."
Flags or not, she doesn't doubt Carthak is to blame for this mess.
"And we don't know what the Swoop has faced whilst we've been gone," she finishes, taking one last look.
Reply
Miss Frost could, if she were here. Or the Cuckoos.
But then that is not magic.
X follows Alanna in slipping back from the boundary, expression flat and almost distant. She's thinking.
"I do not know if it is practical to attempt a small-group insertion through the line."
Aside from X -- none of them are quiet enough to even have half a chance at sneaking past all those soldiers.
It is problematic.
Reply
Before she pulls completely away from their position, Alanna follows a whim and grasps the emberstone once more. Concentrating, she angles her head and looks beyond the perimeter spell and beyond the warriors amassed before the Swoop's walls. The only indication that she sees anything different is the widening of her eyes.
There's magic in the air over Pirate's Swoop; some Numair's, some not.
She turns to watch X for a moment, thinking.
"No. I might have an idea." Beat. "Do you have your security badge?"
Reply
X's response is prompt, hand dropping down to rest against her belt.
There's a flicker of expression on her face -- X is a quick study.
"There is a permanent door in Pirate's Swoop?"
It's one possibility that would make all this a great deal easier. There are others.
Reply
Whatever is happening is hardly being conducted honorably. It's no holds barred, now.
"Good," is all she says, at first.
She's still thinking.
"The one we used, yes. The doors to and from have always been especially cooperative for me," she admits, choosing to ignore for the moment the seven years they were locked out. A quick grin: "Perhaps because the powers that be know my security shifts wouldn't be covered if I couldn't come and go easily."
She gestures back toward the others and starts to move.
Reply
Pragmatism is her particular strength, not honor. Honor has no place when people need to be protected. And cheating can be useful.
She gives Alanna a quick, sideways look when the other woman grins, then follows her back toward the rest of their troops.
"There is someone capable of being a decoy? Of you."
When cheating, it is best to be thorough.
Reply
Alanna lets out an amused snort.
"Good plan. I'm sure we can find someone of a similar size," she says approvingly. "Now-"
They aren't far from where they left William and Bax. She stops, eyes flicking from the road to a nearby hunting trail, nearly overgrown.
"Could you update the others? I need to contact Jon. He might have more information."
Reply
Leave a comment