all he could think was ‘be sneaky,’ and his inner critic had nothing but sarcasm for that plan.
In the late afternoon the first scouts began to return, and Will was summoned to Lord Fulstrom’s tent once more so that he could listen to what they said. Their reports matched what Tailtiu had told him previously, though the scouts gave a more detailed account of distances. Darrow’s army was four miles distant, at the narrowest part of the pass. Their forward sentries were a half mile closer, and the scouts had been unable to confirm just how many men the Patriarch had waiting for them.
Will feared that the soldiers of Branscombe would be slaughtered if they followed Fulstrom’s plan to engage the well-defended position, especially given the fact that they were almost certainly outnumbered, but without a good reason for the knowledge he had no hope of convincing the baron of that.
When he returned to his tent, he shed his mail armor. He considered keeping the gambeson, but even that was stiff and rustled more than he liked, so he removed it as well. Instead he wore his tunic and a heavy cloak, bringing only his sword for defense. He’d be somewhat cold, but the cloak would keep him well enough, and its dark gray color would be useful in the darkness.
His squad mates were still out, performing their duties, so he was spared the trouble of explaining his departure.
Setting out, he jogged through the camp and no one stopped him until he reached the perimeter guard, but they waved him on after he gave his name. His body felt light, almost ephemeral. He had been forced to wear the heavy gambeson for months and the mail shirt for the past few weeks. Without them it seemed as though he floated over the ground. Without shield or spear, his hands were free and felt he stronger that he ever had.
Enjoying the sensation of freedom, Will began to run, and even the slight incline and rough ground couldn’t drag him down.
He covered two miles before he slowed to a walk. The sun had set behind him, and the sky was dimming rapidly. The Darrowan army’s forward sentries were somewhere roughly a mile ahead, if the scouts had been correct. He came to a halt, waiting on full night to hide him, but he wasn’t idle.
“Tailtiu,” he called softly, repeating her name twice more. “Thrice called, come and render your service.”
Half an hour passed before she appeared, walking slowly toward him from the north. It was almost completely dark, and the sliver of a moon had yet to rise, but even so he saw her by the light of the stars. He waved to her as she approached.
“Your eyes are much better now,” she said happily.
“Are they?”
She nodded. “Before, you wouldn’t have noticed me in this light until I was much closer.”
Previously he had known his eyesight wasn’t the best, but lately he had begun to wonder if it was now even better than the keenest eyes among the soldiers. “How close to you think I could get to someone else in this light without being seen?” he asked.
Tailtiu looked thoughtful. “It varies with your kind, but a safe guess would be less than half the distance I was at when you waved. Human eyes are not bad in the day, but at night they are exceptionally poor.”
Wow, he thought. He judged that he had waved to her at roughly a hundred yards, but he had seen her well before that. If what she said was true, then his night vision was significantly better than he had realized. It was no wonder he had found it so easy to sneak around the army camp back at Branscombe.
“What did you need this time?” she asked, breaking his train of thought.
“I want to sneak into the enemy camp,” he told her. “The mist you summoned the other night seemed useful. Do you think you could do it for me?”
“So long as I come with you,” she answered. “If you intend to send me back, the mist will vanish not long after I am gone.”
That wasn’t what he’d been hoping for, but he could adjust his plan. “Then you’ll have to come with me,” he said after a moment. “But don’t distract me. If they discover me, I’m dead.”
Tailtiu’s eyes focused sharply on him. “Remember what I said before. If you die, there will be consequences.”
“Are you planning to give me away?”
His aunt took on an