“You’re an old campaigner, Sergeant. What’s your thought?”
The sergeant was quiet as he considered, then he said, “They’re certain to be in those trees. But I’ll wager Bear’s got a dozen or so lying low in that meadow on the left, by the cliff. It rises then falls off behind, and I think he’s got some archers crouched down over there, where we can’t see them. I think his plan is to bait us to charge the pass, so the lads flee over the summit. Then we come hard right after them, and as we get to the Fangs, he hits us from the right, and as we wheel to charge, his archers take us from behind.”
“That’s my thinking, too,” said William. “So if we see him put riders up there on the crest, watching for the mercenaries’ arrival, we know you’re right.”
Less than an hour later, a pair of riders appeared from out of the line of the woods and took up position at the bottom of the rise. “Well,” said William. “Looks like we’ve found the Bear.”
“Shall I send the Pathfinders?”
“Send them up through the trees and have them get up as far as they can, and report back on numbers. I want them back here by midday at the latest.”
Time passed slowly while they waited, and William gave orders for the men to ready themselves for a fight. He suspected Bear had a larger body of men hidden in the woods. William was counting on the absence of the Grey Talon mercenaries to tip the balance in his favor.
A little before midday the two Pathfinders, Marie and Jackson, returned. “There’s about fifty of them scattered through the woods, sir.”
“Horse or foot?”
“Both. Looks like they plan on tempting us by showing us foot, then riding horse over us once we take the bait.”
William considered and said, “We can’t play his game.” He knew he was outnumbered: his thirty-six men against Bear’s fifty or more. “Take a half-dozen men into the trees,” he ordered the Pathfinders. “No matter what you hear, wait, then when you hear Bear’s men given the order to leave the woods, strike from behind. Don’t linger, but draw off as many of the horsemen as you can.” He pointed to the left side of the pass. “That’s where we hit first.”
“How do we proceed?” asked Hartag.
“Thirty of us ride calmly to there” - he pointed to a large boulder near the bottom of the rise - “and then we charge the archers. We take them out as fast as we can, and force Bear to charge us. Either he’s on foot or he’s forced to retreat and mount. If Jackson, Marie, and the others can draw off some of his riders, he’ll be forced to reorganize on the fly. Either he retreats and we keep following, or he charges us piecemeal and gives us the chance we need to finish him.”
“If he retreats?”
“We follow and don’t press until it’s to our advantage. As much as I want that murderous dog, our mission is successful if we keep him from his goal.”
“And that is?” asked the sergeant.
“Widow’s Peak above Haldon Head.”
The sergeant glanced around. “By my reckoning, sir, that’s where he’s leading us.”
William said, “What?”
Sergeant Hartag said, “Over that rise, to the west, you’ll find a trail that cuts over those peaks and leads down into a woodland just east of Haldon Head. It’s less than two days’ hard ride from here. If we left now, we’d be there at sundown tomorrow.”
“Damn,” said William. “It’s not on any maps I’ve seen.”
The sergeant smiled. “Lots of things don’t get put on the royal maps, Will. Best to always ask travelers when you can, or the lads who grew up in the area.”
“Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
“So, what then?”
“Then we don’t let him get away.” Will looked around. “Surprise is all we have going for us. They outnumber us, so if the fight goes badly, make for the river below.”
Hartag said, “The river? Are you daft, Will? Even if we could survive the fall, those rapids below will drown a man quicker than - “
“No. If we start taking a beating, rally the men and head south. If he’s bound for Haldon Head, he will not follow. We’ll retreat to the portage we passed yesterday, and build rafts. We can get to Haldon Head before Bear if we use the river while he’s forced to rest his horses.”
“Ah,” said the sergeant. “So you weren’t suggesting we jump from that cliff over there?”
“Well, if it’s that or be killed . . .”
“Last resort, it is,” said Hartag.
William shaded his eyes as he surveyed their surroundings once again. “How soon?”
“Marie and the others should be in place now.”
“Pass orders. We form up and ride at a trot until I give the command, then charge the left.”
“Understood.”