The Arin prince nodded and rose to his feet. While Monte found a place to stretch out, Prince Antion walked towards the trail and stood next to a tree. Time dragged onward as the prince gazed up at the stars and wondered where his boyhood friend was. He knew that Umal was a skilled warrior and could take care of himself, but he could not help worrying.
An hour later Prince Antion heard a rider moving swiftly through the forest. He grabbed his bow and automatically nocked an arrow as the sound came closer. While he hoped it was Prince Umal approaching, he knew that the Odessian knew better than to ride fast at night. Prince Antion was not about to take any chances. Less than a minute later, the rider raced past, and Prince Antion grinned broadly. He whistled loudly and the horse halted. Prince Umal turned his horse around and slowly retraced his path.
"Come and rest," Prince Antion said softly when Prince Umal came close.
The Odessian prince dismounted and they walked back to the campsite. The rest of the warriors were awake with weapons ready. They had heard the whistle.
"Never do that again," the Arin prince admonished his friend.
"I cannot stand not knowing what is behind me," shrugged Prince Umal. "Had I asked permission, you would have denied me the opportunity to find out."
"True," conceded Prince Antion. "Are they tracking us?"
"Definitely," declared Prince Umal. "They passed the turn to the west and had to back up. They were moving too quickly to track properly. If we could cover our tracks a bit, we could slow them down a great deal."
"Why are Vinelanders following us?" frowned Prince Antion.
"They are not Vinelanders," announced the Odessian prince. "They are Borundans. They are led by a man named Captain Xero."
"Captain Xero?" echoed the Salacian prince.
"You know him?" asked Prince Antion.
"I know of him," explained Prince Derri. "He is an excellent tracker as was his father. When my father went to the coronation of King Garrick, he heard that Captain Xero had been appointed to lead an elite group of some kind. He brought it up it because he thought that someone had slipped up by mentioning it. My father is always interested in such slip ups."
"Well his elite group is tracking us," remarked Prince Umal.
"Are you sure of that?" asked Talot. "They could be tracking deserters, and they have merely latched onto our trail in error."
"That is not the case," Prince Umal shook his head. "They are searching for Prince Antion and Jared. Their words have revealed that much."
"You were close enough to hear them talking?" asked Prince Derri. "Did they not have sentries?"
"They are confident," Prince Umal shook his head, "perhaps overconfident. They showed no concern for anyone attacking them during the night. Their fire burns large, and their voices speak loudly."
"Don't even think about it," Prince Antion warned the Salacian prince, knowing that his friend would like nothing better than to attack the Borundans while they were sleeping. "Thirty well-trained men are more than we can handle. Besides, I am not willing to give up a single one of the lives of the people traveling with me, and we would most assuredly suffer casualties."
"Crossing the border to Hyrem is a better option," declared Jared. "Let us leave as soon as it gets light."
* * *
Prince Derri halted at the summit of the hill. He gazed down at the headwaters of the Vine River and scanned the banks for border patrols.
"How does it look?" asked Prince Antion as he moved alongside the tracker.
"No patrols in sight," answered the Salacian prince. "It will be close to dusk by the time we get there. I think we will be lucky this time."
"Perhaps not so lucky," offered Prince Umal. "Captain Xero and his men are less than an hour behind us. They will put on great speed to stop us from escaping Vineland."
"You saw them?" Prince Antion asked with concern.
"Just before we stopped," replied the Odessian prince. "I cannot see them any longer. The trail is no longer in view."
"Did they see us?" asked Prince Derri.
"I would suspect so," replied Prince Umal.
"Proceed with haste, Derri," ordered Prince Antion. "The odds of a border patrol just happening along at the very time we reach the river are small. I was more concerned that a patrol would be waiting for us, but that is not the case. Let's get out of this country."
The Salacian prince nodded and started down the hill at a faster pace. The sun had not set by the time they reached the river, and Derri halted the group at the riverbank.
"There are shallows upstream," pointed Talot.
Prince Derri nodded and led the group towards the shallows where the water rippled over the rocky bottom. The rest of the group waited anxiously as the Salacian prince urged his horse across the shallows. Once he had made it across safely, the rest of the group followed in single file. Sandar's horse stepped in a hole and for a moment he thought he would be dumped into the cold water, but the Odessian beauty recovered and continued across.
The forest was sparse on the western bank of the river, and Prince Derri led off at a fast pace to put some distance between the border and the campsite for the night. Sandar began to fall behind and Prince Umal called for a halt. He leaped off his horse and inspected the legs of Sandar's horse.
"We have a problem," the Odessian prince announced as Sandar dismounted. "This horse cannot keep up such a pace."
Prince Antion looked back across the river and saw the Borundans descending the hill on the other side.
"Go on ahead, Derri," he commanded. "Find a place with some decent cover, and make it a defendable spot. The rest of us will follow at a slower pace."
"You are expecting them to cross the river?" asked Jared with concern.
"They have seen us cross the river," nodded the Arin prince, "and they do not appear to be slowing down. Evidently the border means nothing to them."
"The rest of you should go on without me," stated Sandar. "I will not have my problem cause harm to my prince."
Prince Antion smiled and extended a hand to the Arin soldier to help him onto the back of the prince's horse. "No one gets left behind," he declared. "We will take the weight off your mount and tend to it as best we can when we stop for the night. Get moving, Derri."
The Salacian prince nodded and galloped away. Prince Umal mounted his horse and picked up the reins for Sandar's horse, while Sandar hopped up behind Prince Antion.
"I don't think it is serious," Prince Umal called after they were under way. "Perhaps Jared can do something for it when we stop."
Talot led the group, and he strained to follow Prince Derri's trail as the sky grew dark and the forest began to get denser. Eventually they found Prince Derri standing and waiting for them.
"Dismount," ordered Prince Umal. "I don't want the horses near the campsite."
Everyone immediately complied, but several questioning glances made the Odessian prince explain his command.
"Only Sandar's horse will go to the campsite," explained Prince Umal. "I am going to take the rest of the herd with me and continue onward for a while. Derri can clear away the tracks of where the rest of you left the trail so that the Borundans will continue onward."
"You are going to take our horses and leave us?" frowned Monte. "Why does that not give me a warm feeling?"
"I will return," smiled the Odessian prince. "It is an old horse camp trick. The others will explain."
"Go, my brother," Prince Antion said as he took the reins to Sandar's horse and held them firmly.
Prince Umal urged his horse forward and then whistled loudly. The rest of the herd surged to follow Umal and the other riders were forced to drop their reins as the Odessian beauties answered the call of the horseman. Only Sandar's horse remained because Prince Antion kept a tight grip on its reins.
"Amazing," Monte remarked as Prince Umal led the herd westward into the dark forest. "What did he mean about a horse camp trick?"
"He will ride for about an hour, cre
ating a false trail," answered Prince Derri, "then he will circle around and return to this campsite. If the Borundans continue to track us, they will pass right by our camp, but we will have two hour's notice of their arrival."
"Sufficient time to prepare for a defense," added Prince Antion. "If they do not pass us, we will have lost little more than Prince Umal's time."
"It is also wise to search for a path of escape," offered Sandar. "Preferably one that confuses the tracker."
"Very good," Prince Antion smiled and nodded. "My father's gold has not been wasted on your lessons."
"It was a tremendous learning experience being at a horse camp," grinned the Arin soldier. "I will be forever grateful for that opportunity."
"Let's get a camp set up," suggested Prince Derri. "We can discuss the wonders of horse camp later. Jared, you take care of Sandar's horse. Go directly north. There is a small clearing a few minutes from here. I will erase the tracks from here to our campsite."
Jared nodded and took the reins from Prince Antion. He led the group through the forest to the clearing and tied the reins to a tree. As Jared knelt and examined the horse's leg, Prince Antion continued through the clearing and kept on going. Sandar followed the prince.
"Why to the north?" asked Sandar as the prince halted to see who was following him. "I would think that the mountains are far too close to allow us space to maneuver."
"You would think correctly," answered the Arin prince, "but going south could get us surrounded. Captain Xero already knows the direction of our travel. We cannot fool him now by pretending to go in another direction, so instead of trying to escape, we will seek a place that is defendable."
"You plan to defend against thirty elite warriors?" gasped Sandar. "That hardly sounds wise. If they were merely regular Borundan soldiers, I would applaud your optimism, but that is not the case."
"We have little choice," shrugged Prince Antion. "One problem with Prince Umal's plan is that we have given up the option of a swift flight westward. If the Borundans do pass by us tonight, we can hardly chase after them in our desire to flee to the west."
"There is still the option of fleeing southward," Sandar pointed out.
"Prince Umal will be coming back from the south," the Arin prince shook his head. "The smartest path lies to the north, but the mountains have us penned in so there is no room to flee in that direction. What the mountains can offer though, is an advantage in defense. If we can find an appropriate spot, we will be able to look down upon our enemy and deny his ability to climb up after us. It is far from a perfect plan, but our options are limited."
"I understand," nodded Sandar. "How far off are the mountains?"
"Not far," answered Prince Antion, "but there is no sense in both of us going. It will take me about an hour to hike there. I should return around the same time as Prince Umal."
Chapter 49 - Standoff
Standoff
The giant Lomite leaned against the tree as he stood his watch in the wee hours of the morning. He gazed up at the nearly full moon as his thoughts drifted to his homeland, which he had not seen in over a year. He had enjoyed the adventure and excitement of the journey, but part of him longed for the simpler life, found only in the jungles of Lom. Of course he had not left the jungle for excitement or adventure. He had left because of the strange inner calling to follow Prince Antion of Arin, and that feeling had not left him yet. His brow creased as he pondered the reason for his devotion to the foreigner. As often as he had tried to understand his motivations for following the prince, he could never make any sense out of it.
It was clear to the Lomite that Prince Antion was the center of a mysterious struggle concerning the Talent, but the giant looked back over the previous year and could not see how he had made any difference in that struggle. He had helped in the skirmishes of course, but his presence had not made that much of a difference in the outcomes. Did that mean that his part to play was still in the future? Is that why the uncontrollable urge to follow Prince Antion still existed within him? The giant sighed softly in confusion. He had grown to admire the young prince and would probably continue to follow him regardless of the feeling inside him, but he truly needed to understand what was driving him.
A sudden sound pulled the Lomite from his thoughts, and his hand tightened around the shaft of his large double-headed axe. The noise had been distant, but distinctive. It was the sound of a human cough. The giant bent and scooped up a handful of pebbles with his free hand. His fingers closed around a large one and he let the others drop from his hand. Turning slightly, he tossed the large pebble towards the campsite and then immediately turned back to face the trail. He knew that the pebble would alert the others that someone was approaching.
The riders were surprisingly quiet as they moved through the trees. Their weapons were properly padded for stealth, and they did not talk as they rode by. The only noises were the sounds of the beasts tromping along the forest floor. Talot could easily see the Borundans in the light of the moon as they rode by, but he had positioned himself to be in the shadows. He stood as still and silent as an ancient tree as the soldiers filed past him. Only when he could no longer hear them, did he turn and move swiftly to the campsite. Everyone was awake and prepared for battle when Talot stepped into the clearing.
No one spoke; there was no need to. Quietly the group began to pack up their gear and get the horses ready to ride. Within a few minutes, Prince Antion was leading the group northward. He led slowly at first, favoring stealth over speed, but after a while he picked up the pace. The light from the moon was bright, and he had already walked the path twice the night before. Within half an hour he was leading the group up a narrow rocky path that wound between large boulders on the side of a mountain. A hundred feet up the steep slope was a large, nearly flat area. Prince Antion dismounted and the others followed his example.
"Derri, Monte" the Arin prince ordered, "take a walk and see if there is any other way for them to get up here. If not, we will make a stand here."
The Salacian prince and the Caroomite archer walked off in different directions while Prince Umal gathered the horses and moved them as far away from the edge as possible.
"Did you count them?" Prince Antion asked Talot.
"Thirty-one," answered the giant. "They are well trained, Prince Antion. Only a cough alerted me to their coming."
"Can't we just continue onward?" asked Jared. "We have two hours head start on them."
"We can't head west," the Arin prince shook his head. "They might decide to turn around at any time if they realize that the tracks that they are following are lighter than they should be. We will hide up here and see what they do, but once they start coming up that path, we will have to kill them, Jared."
"He is right, Jared," interjected Talot. "Those men want us dead, and they will continue to follow us until we are dead. We have enough provisions to last us a week up here."
"And after that?" asked Jared. "They are not just going to turn around and leave if what you say is true."
"One step at a time," replied Prince Antion. "We will scale this mountain if we have to, but we will not sit still while they come up and slit our throats. Jared, I know that you have a problem with killing people, and we won't ask you to hurt anyone here, but the rest of us will do what we must to survive. Perhaps it would be better if you go sit near the horses until this is over."
Jared frowned and walked away without a reply.
"That was pretty harsh," frowned Talot. "He is barely older than a lad."
"He is over sixteen years now," retorted the Arin prince, "and that is old enough to understand that sometimes one must kill to survive." The prince sighed heavily and shook his head. "I am sorry, Talot," he apologized. "I truly wish Jared could be spared from death and destruction, but he can't any more than we can. At times I admire his steadfast desire for a peaceful solution to problems, but our enemies are not open to negotiation. They want us dead."
"You don't have to expla
in that to me," Talot replied. "I am not the one who is objecting to annihilating the Borundan killers."
"I know," nodded Prince Antion, "but Jared frustrates me at times. If Audric is correct, Jared is the only person in the world capable of killing King Zinan, but I fear that he will refuse when the time comes. How can I make him understand that destroying evil is actually doing good?"
"You have fifteen years of Zalman's tutoring to overcome," shrugged the giant. "Jared's whole life has been devoted to running away from problems. He does not understand that there are times when it is impossible to run away."
"They sent bounty hunters after his father," countered the Arin prince. "They are already sending elite army units after him, and soon they will send entire armies to kill him. Zinan knows about him now. It is not the same game as the one he was taught to play."
"True," conceded the giant. "What do you want me to do while we wait for the Borundans?"
"Move some boulders towards the edge," replied the Arin prince. "We can hide behind them and also send them over the edge if we have to."
"It will be dawn soon," commented Sandar as he returned from helping Prince Umal with the horses. "When do you think they will arrive?"
"Probably within the hour," Prince Antion replied as he looked at the setting moon. "I wonder how many nights the Borundans have been running on short sleep?"
"Probably every night," Sandar shrugged. "Why does it matter?"
"Over time, it takes a toll on man and beast alike," replied the prince. "If we have to hold up here for a week, it will refresh them. I would just as soon keep them tired. It may cause them to make mistakes."
"Mistakes would be nice," shrugged the Arin soldier. "Should I help Talot with the boulders?"
"No," replied Prince Antion. "You stood watch just before Talot. Get some rest while you can. Price Umal and I will help with the boulders."
Sandar moved away from the edge and stretched out near Jared. Prince Umal joined Prince Antion and Talot to set a string of large boulders along the edge and finished up just as Monte returned from his scouting expedition.
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