A pair of riders moved confidently out of the trees. Another was behind them, and two more followed. The camp was so crowded by then, that the last two men had to stop more in the trees than in the clearing.
The person in the middle of the other four was a woman. She was draped in glittering chain mail, which was belted at the waist with a large, steel-plated girdle. She wore no helmet. It was dangling from her saddle horn. Her hair was in a long, fat yellow braid that trailed over her shoulder and ended somewhere near her bosom. She wasn’t young, but was far from being considered old. It was hard to say, but she was probably quite shapely under all that armor, at least Hyden thought so. Her fair-skinned face was probably beautiful as well, but her narrow-browed scowl was hiding its potential. She looked to be the one in command, sitting atop her gray horse, with its fancy cropped mane and even fancier saddlery.
The four men with her were rugged looking. The two in front were cloaked, and dressed in uniform leather woodsman’s attire, all shades of gray, brown, and green. Their bows were drawn. One had an arrow trained on Vaegon. The other had his pointing at Hyden’s heart.
The two men behind the woman were armored as well as she was, though theirs was in far worse condition, as if it had been put to its proper use on more than one occasion. They wore their helmets with the visors up, and though they were crowded, and still mostly in the forest, neither seemed to be worried about it affecting the swing of their drawn blades.
Besides feeling the full anticipation of the coming dark-winged creature he had just seen through Talon’s vision, Hyden was aware that the wolves were completely silent, and nowhere to be seen.
“Where are my white furred friends?” he asked sharply. His bow was drawn, and held as steady as the other men’s, but his arrow was aimed at the woman’s heart.
She spoke a strange word, and snapped her fingers. Instantly, Grrr’s whine of confusion seemed to start from halfway through. Then, the wolves were leaping back into the camp, taking on aggressive stances, and growling savagely at the intruders. By the amount of distance Grrr kept from them, it was obvious that he was wary. His feelings were conveyed to the other wolves by his posture. More than once, he glanced at Hyden for some indication of what he should do.
“You picked a bad time to come upon us lady,” Mikahl said, with polite urgency. His face was a study in raw emotion. “Some dark and deadly beast approaches our camp as we speak.”
“A trick!” One of the leather clad men up front barked.
“Just like them little buggers,” agreed the other.
“Silence, rangers!” the lady commanded. Then to Mikahl, in the same demanding tone, “Why are you here? It isn’t wise to sneak into a kingdom that is under attack. Willa the Witch won’t be pleased by your trespass. You don’t look like Valleyans, or Seawardsmen, for that matter, and you travel with wolves and an elf. Who do you align with?”
Turning to face Vaegon, she asked, “What do these human’s affairs concern you?”
“M’lady, on my word of honor, we can parley later,” Mikahl said quickly.
His grasp on Ironspike’s hilt had tightened, but he didn’t draw the blade for fear of the rangers’ arrows that were aimed at his friends. Through his grip, he could feel the magic warning him of the fast approaching danger.
“This is no place for you or your men. There is –”
The shadow of the Choska demon passed over them then, three full heartbeats of shadowed eclipse. The woman started to give a command, but her horse tramped sideways nervously, and the air filled with a high pitched wailing shriek.
Vaegon fell to his knees, and clasped his hands over his ultra sensitive ears. Mikahl pushed Hyden to the side, and drew Ironspike. The ranger in front of Vaegon almost loosed his arrow, but showed great restraint by thinking better of it. Ironspike’s glow wasn’t bright or radiant, but it was visible. A sword with only blue light where its steel blade should be, apparently warranted his discretion.
“Get the lady clear of here, man!” Mikahl yelled over the horrible shrieking sound. “It is no ordinary beast that comes for me.”