Chapter 406: 406
Though the soldiers were eager to celebrate Arran's victory, Kaleesh made it clear in short order that there would be no celebrations until they reached Sacrifice .
"Get ready to move!" he shouted even as he and Arran rejoined the soldiers' ranks . "We depart at once!"
Some dissatisfied mutters sounded among the troops, but there were no real complaints . With the excitement of the duel beginning to fade, the soldiers quickly realized that Garvan's challenge meant there might be other enemies out there yet . And although Garvan had been a fool, the next attacker might prove a more serious threat .
"Should I scout ahead like before?" Arran asked, casting a wary glance toward the lumbering mass of Sacrifice in the distance . The closer they came, the larger the mountain seemed — more like a vast wall that stretched across the horizon than a single mountain .
Kaleesh considered it for a moment, then shook his head . "I will not risk having you away from the army . If trouble finds us, we need you here . The scouting parties should discover any dangers our path still holds . "
Arran gave an uncomfortable nod in response . He understood the captain's concern, of course . If the army was attacked, even the mere moments it would take him to return could prove disastrous . And with Sacrifice this close ahead, any enemies they encountered were more likely to come from the flanks or rear than from the front .
But although he knew Kaleesh was right, he could not help but feel some unease at trusting others with his safety . Accustomed as he was to relying only on himself, putting that much faith in others was a difficult thing .
A knowing look appeared in Kaleesh's eyes when he saw Arran's troubled expression . "You can't do everything yourself," he stated . "Not with use leading an entire army . That's true for anyone — even you . "
"I'm more than happy to let you handle the supplies and provisions," Arran replied . He frowned slightly, then added, "Though perhaps next time, I should be the one recruiting the cooks . "
Kaleesh rolled his eyes . "I'd like to see you do better with only a single night's notice . "
"Don't see how I could do any worse," Arran replied with a shrug .
They set off again some moments later, the soldiers quickly forming up behind them as they departed . Though it took some time to get the entire army back on the road — an unavoidable consequence of having well over three thousand troops — Arran could see that just the week of travel had helped improve the soldiers' coordination .
Perhaps the former prisoners couldn't quite match the well-trained troops that the Darian lordlings commanded, but with each passing day, they seemed to draw a little closer to that target . Another few weeks of training in Sacrifice, and they might actually begin to resemble a real army instead of an overly large band of brigands .
After the encounter with Garvan, the day produced no further surprises . The Wolfsblood Army progressed toward Sacrifice steadily, with the scouting parties finding sign of neither Darians or Blightspawn .
Still, Kaleesh pushed them hard in marching, traveling at the highest pace the carts could maintain and only ordering the army to make camp when the light grew too dim to continue .
After another unpleasant meal, Arran sat with Kaleesh and a handful of Rangers at one of the campfires as they discussed the next day's journey — the final one before they reached their destination .
"I don't see us meeting any more trouble . " Barric took a swig of lukewarm ale and frowned in disappointment, then continued, "After today, only a fool would dare attack us . "
"I don't expect us to find enemies before we reach Sacrifice," Kaleesh agreed . "But," he continued with a glance at Arran, "once we arrive, I imagine we'll face problems of a different sort . "
"I suppose the untimely demise of a Knight will not go unnoticed . " Arran smiled wryly . Although he'd known his actions would have consequences, he now wondered just what shape those consequences would take .
"Garvan's the one who challenged you," Barric said . He paused to drain his mug of ale, the taste of it bringing a brief grimace to his face . Then, he went on, "Nobody can blame you for that poor bastard's death . "
"It might not be a matter of blame," Ifras said . The young Ranger looked around uncomfortably, almost as if he was surprised at himself for speaking up, but he continued nonetheless . "A Ranger who defeats a Knight is bound to draw the church's attention, especially if that Ranger only just gained the title . "
"My thoughts exactly . " Kaleesh gave the Ranger an approving nod before turning back to Arran . "The church will want to talk to you when we arrive . Though they have no cause to do more than talk, I would suggest you be careful . There's no telling what their intentions are . And if they insist you return the dagger…"
"Then I will return the damn thing," Arran said . "I defeated a Knight, but I'm not fool enough to think I can take on the church . "
"Good," Kaleesh said, a hint of relief in his eyes . From his expression, it almost seemed like he'd feared that Arran might try resisting the church .
They spent the next hour going over their plans in Sacrifice, but the discussion yielded little of value . None of the Rangers had any experience leading an army of this size into the Desolation, and few had any idea about how either the church or the other armies would react to their presence .
Arran only listened with half an ear as Kaleesh and the Rangers spoke . Instead, his attention was on the camp and the soldiers, and it wasn't long before he began to notice a peculiar change among the troops .
During the previous days of the journey, he'd had a hard time getting more than a few moments of quiet, with soldiers constantly approaching him to ask whether he could join in their practice .
But this evening, no such invitations came . Although he found soldiers staring at him more than once, they only did so from a distance, hurrying off when he returned their looks .
When he mentioned this to Kaleesh, the captain gave a shrug in response . "It's to be expected," he said . "The gap between you and them has grown too large . Having witnessed you slay a Knight, the troops consider you one as well — in truth if not in name . And few common soldiers would dare ask a Knight to join them in practice . "
Before Arran could respond, Barric rose to his feet . A wide grin on his face, the giant Ranger grabbed the hilt of his sword, then said loudly, "The troops might not dare demand your attention, but I want to see just how you killed that bastard . Care to instruct me?"
Arran accepted the invitation happily, glad for the diversion . Important though the Imperium's politics might be, he much preferred the simplicity of swordplay .
As they set to sparring, it wasn't long before other Rangers and soldiers joined in . Perhaps the soldiers no longer dared to invite Arran themselves, but they clearly had no such qualms about joining in when he was already practicing with others .
Their practice lasted well into the night, and although the soldiers initially faced Arran somewhat uncertainly, apprehension soon gave way to the focus of sparring . On the training field, at least, there was little room for fawning and flattery .
The next day, the army broke camp before dawn . Kaleesh appeared to have no intention of wasting even a single moment of daylight, and with the towering shape of Sacrifice looming ever-closer and ever-larger, there were few in the army who disagreed with him .
They made good progress through the morning, the long column of soldiers finding no obstacles in its way along the winding road through the densely forested landscape . Yet although the landscape was pleasant, few of the soldiers had eyes for anything but the looming shape of Sacrifice .
This was true for Arran, as well . Though much of his attention was taken up by his Sense, his eyes barely left the mighty mountain that now stood only a few hours' travel away .
He had thought the mountain unnatural even when he first laid eyes on it, but as they gradually drew closer, he began to see just how strange it truly was .
The lower part of the mountainside was so steep that it resembled a vast wall more than any natural structure, with its dark rock smooth enough that it almost appeared to be shaped by human hands .
Yet if it resembled a wall in shape, its size was undeniably that of a mountain . Just the smooth lower part was nearly a mile high, and above that followed another mile of sharp, jagged rocks that jutted from the mountainside like thorny spikes .
If Knight's Watch was like a fortress built to withstand endless armies of Blightspawn, then this was like a fortress created to break the assault of gods and titans .
Warlocks might have the power of Archmages — outside the Desolation, at least — but Arran did not think even they had the strength to damage this towering mass of rock . It was too tall to scale with ropes or ladders, too steep to climb without those, and massive enough to weather even the strongest magic .
But for all its might, there was one thing about it that Arran did not understand .
He turned to Arjun, who walked beside him near the head of the column . "Sacrifice — the city, I mean — it stands atop the mountain, right?"
The Ranger gave him a curious look, as if he was surprised at the question . "It's more than just a city," he explained . "Although the basin atop the mountain holds a city and several towns, it also has many miles of farmlands and villages . Crossing from one side to the other takes a good four days of travel . "
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