Brian Pratt - Warrior priest of Dmon-Li

The army seems to be pulling out. He can see columns of men marching back along the road as they make their way out from the mountains. A sizeable force still remains within the village, probably on the off chance they somehow manage to make it out of the mine.

After they’re done eating, James has them dig up dirt to smother the fire, so it won’t produce a lot of smoke and alert everyone to their position. With Jiron again in the lead, they begin heading north as they make their way across the mountains.

They stay in the higher elevations as best they can, going down one side only to come up the next. Crossing streams and forging through ravines, they spend the day pushing on to the north. By the end of the day, they’ve managed to come a fair distance, the mountain they started from earlier in the day is far behind them.

Before the sun completely goes down, James takes down a large deer like animal, giving them plenty of meat that should last a couple of days. They cut strips off the carcass and cook them so it’ll be ready to take with them when they leave in the morning.

All through the night, the one on watch continues to feed the fire and cook the meat. By morning, they have most of the meat cooked, some of it cooked too much, but enough to last them several days.

Each puts as much as they can in the various pouches and packs they’re carrying, except for the pouch with the Fire that Miko is carrying. They leave that one alone.

Jiron again takes the lead as they push for the next ridge in the distance ahead of them. It takes them the better part of the morning to reach it, and when they reach the top, they come to a halt.

The view is breathtaking on the other side of the ridge. The mountain gradually makes its way down to the rolling hills at its base, where they extend several miles further before turning into grass covered plains. Far off to the north they see a green forest that stretches to the horizon. A couple riders are moving along the plains between the hills and the forest. From this distance, they look little more than specks.

“The trees will give us some cover as we move down to the hills below,” announces James.

“But past the hills, there’s nothing to hide us from the enemy,” says Fifer. “Not until we make it to those trees way over there.”

“Then we better make it down to the hills before dark,” suggests Jiron. “And then we could try to cross over to the trees before dawn.”

“Alright then, let’s move,” James says.

They begin to move down the side of the mountain toward the hills below. Keeping within the cover of the trees, they’re able to avoid detection during their descent. It takes them until late afternoon to make it all the way down to the low lying hills.

The trees begin to thin among the hills the further toward the edge of the grasslands they go. Near the end of the hills, they have to move quickly from one grove to another in order to avoid being seen by the riders moving out on the plains. The sun is almost down to the horizon as they make it to the last grove of trees before they end completely.

James turns to the others as they settle in amongst the trees and says, “A short rest break will do us good before we try to cross the grasslands to the forest.”

Miko rests against the bole of a tree and says, “I’m for that.”

Jiron moves to the edge of the trees and looks out upon the plains, now currently devoid of any riders. James comes up beside him and asks, “What are you thinking?”

“Just that we have come a long way,” he says with a sigh. “I can’t believe all the things we’ve gone through since leaving the City of Light.”

“I know,” replies James. “If we make it back to Cardri, I’m going to find someplace and just rest for a month.”

Jiron looks sidelong at him and chuckles, “I doubt it. You don’t seem the type to just sit back and let the world go by.”

Shrugging, James says, “Perhaps not, but I do like to just have nothing to do once in a while.”

“What about Miko?” he whispers softly, nodding his head in Miko’s direction.

“He’ll probably stay with me, I like having him around,” admits James.

“He is a good kid,” Jiron adds.

“Yeah, he is,” agrees James.

“How long should we wait before we make for the trees over there?” asks Jiron as he points to the forest several miles away.

James glances to the setting sun and replies, “Probably a couple more hours, at least. Make sure we have the cover of night before we make the attempt.”

Turning back to the others, he says, “Then we should try to get some rest.”

They go back to where Fifer sits, sharpening his sword. Nearby, Miko has already fallen asleep, his snores sounding loud amidst the quiet.

“James, you go ahead and sleep,” offers Jiron. “I’ll keep watch until it’s time to go.”

“Thanks,” he says as he lies down. With the sun over head, it’s awhile before he’s able to fall asleep.

Jiron awakens everyone once night has fallen. Even though he hasn’t had much sleep, he’s still alert. He knows that when he finally gets a chance to sleep, he’ll be out hard. “Let’s get moving,” he says as everyone stirs groggily, trying to come awake.

“How long has it been dark?” asks James.

“A little over an hour,” he tells him. “Unless we run into someone, it’s unlikely we’ll be spotted.”

“Anyone out there?” asks Miko as he stares out over the plains.

“A lone rider occasionally, but that’s it,” Jiron replies.

“That’s good,” says Miko.

Once everyone is ready to move, Jiron leads the way as they leave the cover of the trees. James is glad the moon hasn’t risen yet to reveal them to any enemies who may be in the area. If they hurry, they can be to the trees in a couple of hours.

A half hour into their trek to the trees, they hear a horse approaching from the east. From the sound of it, it’s only a single rider but he’s moving in their general direction.

“I think he’ll pass fairly close,” Jiron whispers to James. “We should try to get the horse.”

“Why?” asks James, leery of giving away their position.

“We need horses if we’re going to break through the lines,” he replies. “This is a start.”

“Alright,” agrees James. “Just be careful.”

Jiron glances east toward the sound of the approaching rider. Taking Fifer with him, he positions them where he believes the rider will pass. Suddenly, the rider appears before them in the starlight and James watches as Jiron and Fifer jump him, pulling him down from the horse.

A cry breaks the silence of the night and is quickly silenced. Jiron and Fifer return with the horse.

Jiron again takes the lead, Fifer leading the horse as they continue across to the forest. Two hours later, they enter the outer fringe of the forest. Everyone relaxes now that they’re within the covering shelter of the trees. The density of the trees increases the further into the forest they move.

“How far do these woods go?” James asks Fifer.

“Not really sure,” he says. “The soldiers that had taken Lord Pytherian had gone around them. I do know there’s a range of mountains on the other side, though. We’ll have to move eastward around them to continue north.”

“What’s past there?” ask Jiron.

“To the north of the mountains are more plains and that’s where the Empire’s forces were when we left,” he says. “If they’ve pushed north, they may be closing in on Lythylla, the capitol of Madoc. That’s where the Patriarchal Council lies.”

”The capitol would indeed be a prize,” adds James.

“Yes it would,” agrees Fifer. “If it falls, then all of Madoc is lost.”