Chapter 405: 405
Arran had initially approached the Darian army at a hurry, but as he drew nearer, he slowed his pace, hiding between the trees that lined the road as he cautiously crept forward .
He had little to fear from the army, of course . If he was discovered, escaping a handful of Rangers and a single Knight would be an easy matter . That should hold true even with his strength diminished by the Desolation .
But he could tell that they were waiting for something, and he was all but certain that that something was the Wolfsblood Army . Which meant that if he was spotted, it might alert these Darians to his companions' approach, as well .
Still, as he came closer to the army, he began to feel some doubts about their intentions .
While he had initially thought it was an ambush, the group did not appear to have posted any lookouts, nor had they even bothered to hide themselves . Instead, they simply stood gathered on a clearing that looked to be a campsite for passing armies, with little sign that they were preparing for battle .
But if it wasn't an ambush, it also wasn't just another army traveling to Sacrifice . They lacked the supply carts that more than a few days of travel would require, and although they did not look like they were expecting battle, they hadn't set up camp, either .
After a moment's hesitation, Arran decided to risk moving close enough that he could actually lay eyes on the army . Though the Knight might be able to Sense him at such a short distance, he had to see what sort of welcome awaited them .
He quietly moved between the trees, advancing until he was only a few hundred paces away from the Darian army — near enough that he could see them through the foliage .
As soon as he laid eyes on them, he knew this wasn't just a ragtag band of soldiers . Well-armed and dressed in uniforms of green and black, they resembled some of the wealthier armies he'd observed in Knight's Watch, with the troops standing in neat lines as they waiting in the clearing .
Much as he'd expected, it only took a moment before the Knight — a lean man with a hard face — glanced in Arran's direction, after which he leaned over to whisper something to the Ranger beside him .
That Ranger would be the group's leader — probably the son or nephew of one of the Imperium's many Lords . From the haughty expression on the young man's face, Arran guessed it was the former .
The young man cast a bored look at the tree line where Arran was hidden, then made a dismissive gesture to the Knight . Apparently, he was unconcerned with a scout observing him .
Arran was no simple scout, of course, but there was no way for the Knight to know that . While the man had a Living Shadow weapon — which he had somehow bonded enough to share its Sense — both Arran's magic and the nature of his sword were well-hidden . As far as the Darians knew, he was merely a lookout, sent to inspect the road ahead of the main group .
But dismissive though the Ranger appeared, now that Arran had been detected, no time could be wasted . The Wolfsblood Army would be barely a mile behind Arran, and he had to bring word of these Darians before the captain and the others arrived .
He cast a final look at the army ahead, noting the banners it flew — green, with a white sigil shaped like a stag — then turned around to leave .
Yet as he turned, he felt something from the bond he shared with his weapon . Two more Living Shadow daggers, farther away than Arran's own Sense could reach, but close enough that his sword could still barely make them out .
More Knights, then, almost certainly with more troops to accompany them . Which could mean that the army he'd found was merely the vanguard of a larger force .
He had no time to investigate any further . Though the Wolfsblood Army moved slowly, it would be no more than a quarter-hour before they arrived here . That only barely gave Arran enough time to warn Kaleesh .
He departed at a run, no longer caring whether the Darians spotted him . By now, they already knew that the Wolfsblood Army would soon arrive, and there was little point in trying to hide the obvious .
Arran hurried back to his allies as quickly as he could, his figure rushing between the trees and brush with the speed of a wolf about to catch its prey .
Just minutes later — sooner than he would have liked — he caught sight of the Wolfsblood Army . Kaleesh and several of the Rangers headed the slow-moving column, and Arran approached the captain at once .
"Trouble," he grunted even before he came to a halt . "A Darian army awaits further up the road, less than a mile away . "
Kaleesh immediately signaled for the soldiers behind him to halt, then gave Arran a sharp look . "How many? And what else did you see?"
Arran took several minutes in explaining all he had discovered, and when he finished, Kaleesh gave a thoughtful nod .
"The banners you saw are Lord Malach's, which means the army is Garvan's . He's Lord Malach's youngest son, and he should have arrived in Sacrifice some two months ago . Someone must have sent him a messenger the night before we departed . " Seeing the surprise in Arran's eyes, he gave a small smile . "I did more than just drink ale while you were busy training . "
"Yet you don't sound concerned," Arran observed .
"I'm not," Kaleesh replied . "Lord Malach was an ally of Kadun, but if Garvan planned to attack us, he would not go about it this way . " He fell silent for a moment, stroking his chin as he considered the situation . "My guess is that he wants to assess our strength before committing . Lord Malach is not so powerful that his sons can afford to waste troops on a quest for vengeance . "
Before Arran could respond, a Ranger stepped forward, whom Arran recognized as the one he'd sparred against in Knight's Watch — Ifras, he vaguely recalled .
"My apologies, captain," the Ranger said in an uneasy tone . "But if Garvan wants to attack us, it won't be vengeance that drives him . "
"You know the man, then?" Kaleesh asked, raising an eyebrow .
"I know of him," Ifras replied . "His ambitions reach beyond what his father's power allows . If he wishes to fight us, it will be to build his reputation among the others in Sacrifice . "
At this, Kaleesh let out a deep sigh . "So he's an idiot who wants to prove himself, and he thinks to use us as a stepping stone . " He shook his head in disgust . "It changes nothing . Whether it's vengeance or ambition that drives him, he'll back off once he understands that we are no easy prey . "
"Do you know his strength?" Arran asked .
"He has three Knights to protect him, and four thousand troops at his command . Enough to defeat us, perhaps, but not without heavy losses . " Kaleesh gave Arran a glance, then added in a softer voice, "Naturally, if they did attack, Garvan himself would be the first to die . "
Arran nodded, though he wondered whether that threat would be enough of a deterrent . Kaleesh assumed their opponent had the wits to see the danger of attacking, but if Garvan proved a fool, the entire Wolfsblood Army would pay the price — a price for which the death of the man himself would be poor compensation .
And that was without taking into account the three Knights .
Supposedly, Knights would not lower themselves to face Rangers, nor would Rangers face common soldiers . To do so would be a disgrace — an indelible stain upon their honor . That was why the situation might not be as dire as it seemed, and it was likely the reason Garvan had chosen not to attack yet .
But honor was a fickle thing, and Arran was loath to bet his life on the Darians' peculiar sense of righteousness .
If he cut a bloody path through Garvan's forces, he wondered whether the Knights would truly remain idle . And if Garvan himself was in danger, he very much doubted that the Knights would stand silently and watch as their Lord's son died .
Yet there was no avoiding the confrontation . Even if they still had time to retreat without provoking an attack, doing so would only put more distance between them and the relative safety of Sacrifice .
Kaleesh spent a quarter-hour rearranging the army's formations, bringing more of their strength to the front while moving the weaker groups to the back of the column . When he was finally satisfied that the army's vanguard looked sufficiently imposing, he gave a sharp gesture, and the soldiers set to marching once more .
At the very front of the column, Kaleesh and Arran were joined by a dozen of the strongest Rangers among the group — Barric, Arjun, and several others who had the experience to face a surprise assault without breaking .
Kaleesh gave them an appraising look . "When we meet Garvan," he said, "do not let him provoke you . Maintain your calm, and let me do the speaking . If all goes well, there will be no battle today . "
"And if things don't go well?" Barric asked . From his tone, he seemed not the least bit apprehensive of that possibility . If anything, his tone was hopeful .
Kaleesh shrugged . "Then we will make the ground run red with the blood of our enemies . "
His words brought several cheers from both the Rangers as well as the soldiers behind them, but only Barric's shout had any real conviction to it . As for the others, they knew all too well that if battle erupted, their odds would be far from great .
They'd arrived in the Desolation only a day earlier, after all, and they had yet to fully adjust to its suppression . In a battle against Rangers who'd arrived months earlier, that would be no small disadvantage .
But they weren't given much time to linger on the danger . The Wolfsblood Army had already been within a stone's throw of Gavran's army when Arran reached them, and as they set off again, it took barely a quarter-hour before they reached the clearing where their opponents awaited .
Kaleesh came to a halt roughly a hundred paces from Garvan, Arran beside him as the Wolfsblood forces silently fanned out to their left and right, forming a broad line of grim-faced Rangers and soldiers to match the line of green-uniformed troops that stood opposite them .
To Arran, it seemed like a strange and pointless dance .
If there was to be a battle, then Garvan would do better to attack immediately . And if battle wasn't what the man intended, a handful of scouts would have done just as well in sizing up the Wolfsblood Army's strength .
But instead, the two forces merely faced each other, Garvan and his troops waiting silently as the Wolfsblood Army took position .
"Does he actually plan to do something?" Arran asked Kaleesh in a low voice . "Or will we just stand here and gawk at each other?"
"Patience," Kaleesh replied . "He'll come forward in a moment or two, when most of our strength is laid out . Until then, use the chance to see what we're up against . "
The suggestion was unnecessary . Arran had studied the opposing army from the moment they stepped into the clearing, and although the Darians had done little to betray their skill, he thought he already had an inkling of their capabilities .
Garvan's army comprised roughly a thousand soldiers, divided into groups of about fifty, each of which was led by an armed and armored Ranger . And although they now stood quietly, the groups' formations were tight enough to show that they were well-practiced .
Moreover, even from a distance he could see that there was little sign of anxiousness on the faces of Garvan's troops . They watched the Wolfsblood Army with the calm of experienced veterans, expressions alert but not the least bit fearful .
Little though that was, it was enough for Arran to know that the Wolfsblood Army would face heavy losses facing even this small force . And if thousands more soldiers like this awaited further down the road, it might well turn into a disaster .
Yet if Kaleesh was concerned, he showed little sign of it . The captain's expression was calm as he observed the Darian army, and he nodded to himself several times, as if what he saw confirmed some silent suspicions he had .
Finally, when most of the Wolfsblood Army had lined up in a rough formation, there was some movement among the opposing army, and a moment later the Ranger leading them — Garvan, Arran surmised — walked forward, the single Knight among the troops at his side .
"That's our sign," Kaleesh said . "Arran, come with me . But please, watch your temper . "
Arran followed the captain as they stepped forward into the open space between the two armies, and they came to a halt some twenty paces from Garvan .
"What is the meaning of this?" Kaleesh called out, his voice loud enough that both armies could hear him . "What reason have you for blocking our path?"
A frown crossed Arran's face when he heard Kaleesh's words . There was something unnatural about the captain's tone, almost as if he was an actor in a play .
"You were complicit in the death of Lord Kadun," came Garvan's reply, his tone similarly formal . "I have come to seek redress for that crime . "
Kaleesh gave a loud snort . "Ludicrous!" he cried out . "Lord Kadun fell by the hands of Lord Rannoc . Only a fool would think mere Rangers would dare meddle in the affairs of Lords . But if it is battle you seek, you will find our blades ready . "
Garvan shot the captain a contemptuous glare . "There is one with the strength of a Knight among you . If we do battle, my Knight will face him . "
Arran's heart sank at the Ranger's words . He'd already expected that Garvan's Knight would not stand idle if the two armies fought, and from the sound of it, Garvan considered Arran's presence enough of an excuse to involve a Knight .
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