Dawn of the Valiant (The Valerious Chronicles: Book One)

by Julian Saheed

Robeld let out a curse regarding Estallion, not for the first time this night, as he continued to move from building to building. He thanked Skiye that it was night time and that the tall structures provided enough shadows to hide their movements. He felt a large thud beside him and turned to find Irrol hugging the wall next to him. Estallion could have picked a thinner man for a covert mission such as this.

  "Can you see it?" asked the big man silently.

  Robeld peeped around the corner and turned back with a smile. He raised his hand and made a waving motion to signal that there were no troops near their target. They waited until the remaining three Scorpions had made their way to their position, then Robeld pulled out a small box that contained flint and steel, that he had commandeered from a guard who was too incapacitated to notice. He popped his head around the corner one last time to make sure that no one was there and then looked across the grounds to where Estallion and the other Scorpions waited.

  A quick signal from Estallion sent Robeld and Irrol into action. They jumped from their hiding spot and ran out to the wagon that was overburdened with sacks of grain. Robeld pulled out a small jar of lamp oil that he had taken from the last guard room they had passed. He poured it over the first two sacks and set up a small fire. It only took moments for the closest sack of grain light in a fiery blaze.

  Within seconds half the wagon was ablaze and the shouts of the guards rose in number throughout the fort. Now came Irrol's turn to play his part. He moved up to the wagon and, with a great display of strength, lifted it onto its wheels. Irrol began moving, step by step, until he had the wagon moving at a steady pace. Robeld and the other Scorpions moved up and began to push the cart. Within moments they were running towards the fort's outer wall with a burning wagon in front of them. Guards rushed out of the buildings and after the saboteurs as they headed for the main gate. Knowing that the wagon had gained enough momentum, Irrol let go and allowed it to keep rolling. The guards in the fort, who were unaware of what was happening, were shaken from their ignorance as the wagon crashed into the gate. Wood and dirt flew into the air together with a great cloud of burning grain.

  Estallion set his men into action and began to make a run for the wall. They covered the ground quickly and found Irrol and Robeld outnumbered and fighting off the guards in the courtyard. The Scorpions rushed to their comrades' aid, but Estallion and Borrin stopped in their tracks. Something on the wall had caught their attention.