The sound of pounding hoof beats startled solitary animals accustomed to the quiet of the dense forest. Streaking down a game trail, the light of the full moons reflected off the backs of the fleeing Nonaeans. After the turmoil behind him, the calmness of the forest seemed a strange contrast to Tenan.
When Tenan dared push the horses no further, he sat back in the saddle and eased back on the reins. Patting the damp animal on the neck, he twisted round and looked down the path until the forest obstructed his view. Hearing nothing but the whisper of leaves and the sounds of the horses' heavy breathing, he gestured to one of the men. "Go back and see if we're being followed." The man nodded and pivoted his horse to retreat the way they'd come.
While gesturing for the others to dismount, Tenan swung down from the saddle. It was an old trick he'd learned long ago. In a chase, the most rested horses won, so Tenan determined that his animals would always be the most rested. Keeping a steady jog, his men followed as they put more distance between themselves and the wrecked camp. After more than an hour, they intermixed loping and trotting so as not to overexert their animals. When the sun had reached its zenith the next day, Tenan ordered a halt. The men hid in the trees and ate a hurried meal as he waited for his scout to catch up.
The man returned that evening. "I went all the way back to the camp, no one is following us."
Tenan blew out to release the anxiety that had been building in him since the day before. "We'll camp here tonight. Report."
Every ten men had a captain. Those captains met with their subordinates and then reported to Tenan. One after another, the captains reported their success. Everyone had nearly completed their tasks before the alarm was sounded. "And the casualty report?"
His men smiled. "There are none."
Tenan ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair in disbelief. He pointed to two men. "You two go back and ascertain the damage we incurred on the Kanovians." He pointed to his captains. "Set a watch. I don't want them sneaking up on us during the night."
Still hesitant to believe their enormous success, Tenan waited until his scouts returned. When his sentries announced them coming, he jumped to his feet and ran to meet them.
The scout grinned down at him. "The Kanovians have lost more than half their horses, leagues of men have fallen ill or died as a result of the poison, and many of the tents had been burned or stomped into the ground. In addition, Torzac lost his four highest ranking officers!"
Cheers broke out among the men, Tenan's shouts mingled with their own. He lifted his sword above his head. "For Nonae!" He roared and the others joined in the cheer. "For Nonae!"
One of the Dwarves brought out strange liquor. Normally, Tenan would have turned down foreign liquor. But he felt so pleased with his success, he took a swig anyway. It burned his throat merrily and warmed his belly. Still, he only allowed his men one drink. After all, they were still in the midst of The Wild Lands.
That night, they celebrated by telling tales of their success. After it was all over, Kendrake laid a hand on Tenan's shoulder. "I'm proud of you boy."
Tenan glowed with pride at the compliment, and even though he hadn't slept at all the night before, he couldn't manage to close his eyes.
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