* * *
Errollan crawled silently along the rough ground, his sword held out in front of him and shield on his back. Small streams of smoke were rising into the air from the trail below his position. Fourteen Feldonian soldiers came with him up the northern side of the mountain trail. If their information was correct, the Dargonian camp would be just twelve feet below them. Despite the drop from the incline to the trail being a sheer vertical plunge of near ten feet, Errollan was confident that his men could safely make the jump and take the Primals by surprise. To the east Mandigal would be readying the remaining troops to storm the camp from within Dargonian territory. They would make their enemy think the attack was coming from the north which would hopefully send them fleeing to their homeland in the east, where Mandigal would be waiting to cut off their retreat.
Errollan reached the edge of the ledge and waited for his men to get into position. Several moments passed and they waited in silence. No sounds came from the trail below, though campfire smoke still filled the air. A faint bird call filled the air, coming from the east. Kilthies's men were ready. Raising his hands, Errollan signalled for the men to leap down onto the trail. In unison the fifteen men jumped from the ledge and landed on the rocky trail with their swords ready. He moved his shield in front of his body, but moments later let it fall to his side. Except for a few low burning campfires and some discarded gear, the camp was empty.
"Be wary, they may still be near," he whispered to his command.
The men spread out to search the campsite in groups, keeping their guard up and making as little noise as possible. It was clear that the area had been used recently as a camp, as the trail was spotted with food scraps and the stink of human excrement. Errollan studied the ground and found that the footprints led off to the east. "They have been here and gone," he said with chagrin.
A rush of footsteps announced the arrival of the rest of the company from the east. They moved into view from a thick clump of trees and headed for Errollan and his men.
"What happened?" asked Ludvic as he reached them.
"We have missed them," answered Errollan. "We must have waited too long before we attacked."
Thibalt, who had come up with Ludvic, kicked the nearest rock sending it crashing into the wall. "Damn the gods!" he yelled.
Estallion moved up to him and placed his hand reassuringly on his back. "It's not over, Thibalt."
"There is always something in my way," he said angrily. "When I find these assassins there will be no mercy."
Fliethu let out a sigh and walked over to Kilthies. "What do you see?"
Kilthies dropped low to the ground and studied the footprints. "Freshly trodden...They cannot be far away. These marks are no longer than half a day old."
"Then we must make haste, and catch them before they travel too far inland," pressed Mandigal. "They are on foot, so we should be able to cut them off."
"What is their most likely route?" asked Errollan.
Mandigal looked out to his former homeland and tried to remember the landscape. Directly east lay the beginning of the Leadfoot Marshes, a series of swamps and murky lakes that made the land uninhabitable to all but the lowest of life forms. South was the path to the city of Sastine, but the road was almost as perilous as the mountain pass during this time of year, with strong winds and heavy rains turning the ground to muck. "There is a forest just north of here that they will likely enter," he finally said. "It is the least treacherous route to a safe city. I suspect they will move for Vladistov. Long ago there was a large temple located in the forest. It was abandoned and is now but a broken shell. If we hurry we could catch them before they reach it."
"Then we shall ride our horses into the ground," said Errollan. He signalled for the men to return to where they had left their mounts and the company left the abandoned camp.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE RUINS OF GASTONILE
Dawn of the Valiant (The Valerious Chronicles: Book One) Page 77