Richard Tuttle - Army of the Dead

“What is that?” one of the sentries asked softly.

“Some wounded animal,” shrugged the other sentry. “What are you worried about? Do you think the animal will attack us? It is probably afraid of humans. It will run as soon as it gets our scent.”

Moments later the howl came again, much louder and obviously much closer.

“Its nose must be clogged then,” one of the sentries declared sarcastically. “That thing is heading straight for us.”

“Look!” the other sentry said excitedly. “Look at the size of it! It is almost as large as a krul.”

“That is no wolf,” the first sentry said softly. “It looks almost human. We should sound the alarm.”

“And end up looking like fools,” spat the other sentry. “Do not include me in your plans. Just keep your eyes on it.”

HawkShadow smiled and started crawling past the sentries.

“I can’t see anything but a dim outline,” frowned the first sentry. “It does look human, though.”

The voices of the sentries faded as HawkShadow continued crawling along the gully. When he reached an area where no human sounds reached his ears, the assassin rose and stuck his head up. He looked around quickly and saw that he was in the middle of a group of tents separated by the small gully. Smoke still rose from some of the campfires, but no one appeared to be awake.

HawkShadow climbed out of the gully and brushed the dirt from his cloak. He took a moment to get his bearings and then walked between the tents to the large pathway that Goral had pointed out earlier. When he reached the path, he turned towards the center of the encampment and walked purposefully. Several soldiers moved along the pathway, but they paid no particular attention to the Motangan mage. HawkShadow thanked Kaltara for their lack of curiosity.

The encampment was huge, and HawkShadow walked for over an hour before he found the large tent that was his target. He did not even know if StarWind would be inside the tent, but it was where he had to start his search. On his first pass, the assassin walked past the tent, noting the four guards stationed in front and behind it. A smaller tent alongside the big tent also had two guards posted outside its front entrance. He wondered about the need for guards on the smaller tent, but he appeared uninterested as he walked by it.

HawkShadow made a second pass in front of the two tents, memorizing the faces of the guards that he could see. He knew that was all the passes he could get in a short span of time without arousing suspicion, so he strode off to check out some of the rest of the encampment.

One area of the encampment was awake and alert, their campfires burning brightly as soldiers sat around the flames talking softly. HawkShadow noted its location and continued onward. As he approached the perimeter of the encampment, he saw a makeshift fence of black fabric attached to posts in the ground. The makeshift fence even had a gate in it. His eyes narrowed with curiosity as he approached it.

HawkShadow bit his lip and moved swiftly behind a large tree when the gate opened and two black-cloaked men emerged. What he saw when the gate was opened caused a chill shiver to race up his spine. The area within the fence was loaded with black tents, and the few people he saw moving about inside the fence all were adorned with black cloaks.

HawkShadow stood immobile as the two magicians passed by. They were talking softly, and the assassin could not make out what they were saying. HawkShadow waited several moments after the two mages disappeared before stepping out from behind the tree. Looking at the night sky to determine the time, he decided it was time for another pass by the large tent.

HawkShadow’s eyes constantly scanned his surroundings as he walked through the encampment. He noticed that fewer people were awake and moving around. The camp was asleep. He smiled inwardly as the big tent came into view. When he gazed at the sentries in front of the tent, he noticed they were different soldiers than before. Making a quick decision, HawkShadow turned and walked straight for the door flap. The sentries stiffened at his approach.

“The premer is asleep,” announced one of the sentries. “You will have to come back in the morning.”

HawkShadow halted before the two soldiers and stared at the one who had spoken.

“I have not come to see the premer,” HawkShadow declared. “I have come to interrogate the prisoner.”

“You mages are not supposed to get her until morning,” frowned one of the sentries.

“Morning?” echoed HawkShadow as he made a point of gazing up at the stars. “I was told that she would be available the next day. The next day has already begun.”

The sentries stared questioningly at each other. One of them shrugged indifferently, but the other remained skeptical.

“When a prisoner has information that may speed the destruction of our enemies,” pushed HawkShadow, “we do not wait for the sun to come up. I have been sent to gather her.”

“It matters little to me,” shrugged the skeptical sentry as his eyes glanced at the small tent not far away, “but she is not here. She has been taken to the generals’ dining tent. The premer would never sleep well with a spy in the same tent.”

“Understandable,” nodded HawkShadow. “I hope she has been kept under guard?”

“There is always a man inside with her,” nodded the sentry, “but I understand that she is securely bound in any event. She is not going anywhere.”

HawkShadow nodded his appreciation and spun around. He marched directly to the two sentries standing before the small tent. They not only saw him coming, but they noticed where he was coming from. He smiled inwardly as he marched up to the sentries and halted before them.

“I have come to interrogate the prisoner,” declared HawkShadow. “Do not bother telling me to wait until morning. The premer said she would be made available to us the next day, and technically, that day has begun.”

“Are you taking her away, or just questioning her?” asked one of the sentries.

“What difference does it make to you what my orders are?” scowled HawkShadow. “It is none of your concern.”

“I meant no disrespect,” cowered the sentry. “Our orders are to guard her until morning. If you wish to merely interrogate her, then you may enter, but to take her out of this tent will require an order from our superiors, and I am not anxious to awaken them.”

HawkShadow let his deep frown soften and nodded sympathetically. “I will try interrogating her in this tent,” he promised. “If she needs to be moved, I will give you sufficient notice to alert your superiors.”

“Thank you,” the sentry sighed with relief.

“You will move your positions several paces further away from the door flap, though,” HawkShadow said sternly. “We do not allow people to listen to our interrogations.”

“But there is…” began one of the sentries.

“I know,” HawkShadow interrupted. “I will deal with that problem separately.

The two sentries nodded and moved a few paces away from the door flap. HawkShadow moved the flap to one side and entered the tent. A soldier inside the tent immediately rose from his chair and snapped to attention. HawkShadow ignored the soldier as his eyes scanned the dark interior of the tent.

“She is sleeping in the corner,” pointed the soldier.

HawkShadow moved towards the corner of the tent that the soldier had indicated. He saw a form in the darkness on the ground.

“Shall I light a torch for you?” asked the soldier.

“No,” replied HawkShadow, “but you cannot be allowed to hear the interrogation.”

“I am not permitted to leave the tent for any reason,” objected the soldier as HawkShadow stooped next to the sleeping person.