“We’ll need to turn their trap against them,” Fallon said. “With the difficult and unfamiliar terrain, it would be foolish to try to attack before first light.”
He was right. If he tried to have his men attack now, they were just as likely to fall off a cliff in the dark, or get thrown from a horse and break their neck, as carry out the attack successfully. Not knowing the land greatly hindered them. Lucky for them, their opponent wasn’t any more familiar with this territory.
Fallon studied the map for a long moment before finally saying, “We’ll need to spring the trap. I’ll lead my men into it. Caden will take a group and attack the archers waiting above on the cliff. If we take care of them, it will be easier to fight our way through the men in the valley.”
Easier, but not guaranteed. Fallon’s men would be fighting on two fronts. Nobody had mentioned the numbers they faced so Shea figured they didn’t have a good estimate. That number could be significantly greater than the small force Fallon had brought.
Trenton sighed. “Looks like the boys are in for a time of it.”
Fallon clapped him on the back. “Wouldn’t be the first time, nor I suspect, the last. We’ll leave before dawn. If we can get there before they’re expecting us, we can throw off their timing.”
To Shea, he said, “You’ll be going with the group heading up the cliffs. The pony shouldn’t slow you down as much there. She’s better with the hills and rocky terrain than our plains horses.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Shea said.
The rest of the night passed both too slowly and too fast. Sleep was impossible after the strategy session. Fallon spent the few hours before their departure with his men fine tuning their plans and talking with them.
He rotated from group to group, slapping backs and just being there for them. Chances were good that some might not come out of tomorrow alive, and he let them know they were appreciated, that they meant something.
They loved him for it. They loved him.
As they got into position the sun was beginning to rise above the twin mountain peaks in the east. Brilliant oranges, magentas and reds billowed across the horizon. It was the most brilliant sunrise Shea had ever seen. She fervently hoped it wasn’t her last.
“Lass, the Warlord gave orders for you to stay out of sight when we attack,” Caden said softly next to her.
Shea considered his words and found she had no problem with that. Unlike the rest of his men, she had little training when it came to weapons and what she did know was defense based. Mostly how to defend long enough to run away. Up until she had fallen in with the Trateri, she’d only drawn a blade against a beast.
Furthermore, she had no desire to use a weapon against another human being. She would if it was her life or theirs, but preferred it didn’t come to that.
“I understand,” she whispered back.
“That means you are not to leave this hiding spot,” he clarified.
“That’s fine.”
“No running out into the middle of battle, distracting my men.”
“Heard you the first time.”
“It would be dangerous.”
“Yup, I understand.”
“And no-“
“Caden! I understand. I’ll stay hidden. I won’t run out to get killed or distract others who could get killed.”
He watched her skeptically. “You’re awfully understanding. Completely different from your scout master’s description.”
She grinned. Ah, to be arguing with Eamon again. She missed driving him crazy with her latest stunt.
“Believe me. I have no intention of interfering in your mission. I know as little about swords as you do about beasts. I am quite aware and embrace my limitations.”
Their entire conversation took place nearly silently, as they kept their mouths close to each other’s ears.
A bird’s call came trilling through the forest. That was the first sign.
Caden’s body hardened next to hers as he used his hands to signal his men.
The archer’s must have come into view. Now all they had to do was wait until Fallon sprung the trap for the action to begin.
Shea settled down and rested her chin on the ground. It wouldn’t be too long now.
They waited.
And waited.
And waited an eternity more.
Or so it felt.
The second bird call came.
Rustling came from where the archers hid. Shea could see the barest hint of movement from her hiding place amid the underbrush.
Caden glanced to his left and with his right hand pointed forward twice before looking to his right and signaling those men. They crept silently from their hiding spots, moving swiftly and lethally to the hidden archers. Caden tapped Shea on the shoulder before following them.
A furor rose from below, the furious sound of men engaged in battle, some killing, some being killed. Fallon must have set off the trap and was even now engaging the enemy.
Caden’s men dispatched the archers with little to no fuss. He emerged into Shea’s vision and signaled ‘all clear’ then gave her the sign for ‘stay in place’.
Shea heaved a sigh of relief that one part was done. At least Fallon and the rest would have a fighting chance.
Caden disappeared back behind the trees, leaving her to her thoughts. And the growing boredom.
She raised her head as she heard a rhythmic pounding. Rising, she peeked out of her hiding place. A large, brown stallion thundered over the hill carrying someone. Hair flared behind the rider’s head, and the flash of a face was briefly highlighted before the rider was gone. Up and over the hill and racing at breakneck speed along the ridge.
Indra.
Shea didn’t have time to call for Caden. She was up and racing down the hill at an angle to Indra in an effort to intercept her. If the woman had any hope of escaping, she’d need to head over the hill and then pick her way back down to the valley floor. The ridge would grow too steep and ragged for travel by horseback.
Shea ignored the men’s shouts behind her. She raced over uneven ground, leaping down steep grades, trusting her legs to hold her. She sank deep into her mind, visiting a place she had made her home over the years. A place where the protests of her body, the aches and pains, disappeared and all that was left was the surge of her muscles, the air pumping in her lungs and the blood flowing through her veins. The serenity of this place and the single minded purpose of taking that next step made her feel like she was flying, like she would never stop. In that moment, it felt like she could run all the way to the Highlands without ever stopping.
Her feet found firm purchase without her even thinking about it and almost immediately she left Caden and his men behind, their voices fading as she widened the distance between them.
Shea caught glimpses of Indra and her mount racing through the trees. Their progress was much slower than hers as the horse struggled with the uneven surface.
Sea leapt through the air, using a fallen tree as a spring board to give her jump height and tackled Indra, their combined weight carrying them both to the ground for a bone jarring thud. They rolled down a sharp incline, tumbling end over end. Shea landed one punch and then a vicious kick to Indra’s stomach before the momentum carried them away from each other.
A tree caught Shea in the side, bringing her to an abrupt halt. Grimacing and touching her split lip gingerly, she found her feet and staggered towards the other woman.