Fin felt the sound more than he heard it, a sharp jolt as his brain picked out one sound from among the background of the night.
For a moment the thump of his heart drowned out any other sound. Then it came again, the click of two stones among the muffled thud of a boot. Fin slowly pulled himself up into a crouch, his fingers testing their grip on the spear. A shadow was slipping up the valley. Careful to keep the gloom of the hill behind him, Fin crept forward. Stealthily he made his way down among the sleeping boys until he was only a few yards from the edge of the camp. There he waited as the shadow came closer, now resolving into the shape of a man.
"Halt and declare yourself!" Fin stood, shield up, spear pointing.
"Friend," came Cail's voice in return.
About the Author
Martin Swinford writes, paints, reads, and walks the dog, but not necessarily all at once. He lives in Lincolnshire, England with his family who work tirelessly to keep him from getting too weird. In the time that’s left he teaches Psychology and Mathematics. His biggest fear is getting bored. Martin is the author of The Song Of Amhar Series, consisting of The Path of Swords, The Guild Of Warriors and The Arena of Lost Souls and is currently working on an untitled fourth book. He has recently completed a Science Fiction novel, Thus Falls the Shadow, which is due to be released in December 2018.
The Guild of Warriors Page 13