The Book of Terrus: A Land of Sunlight

Chapter 16 - Unlikely Companions

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"Hold! Heads on hills!"

The call from the scouts at the front of the column brought the entire Fourth Company to an immediate halt. Though it had been nearly four days since their departure from Joska, the Factionists' ambush remained very fresh in Tarun's mind. Yet again, the rebels proved themselves keen to leverage unfamiliar terrain against their enemies. The Running Road had at that moment led Princess Ellorae's entourage into the bottom of a gully. The Fourth were easy targets, a fact which even the inexperience mountainfolk became uncomfortably aware of as dozens of dark heads appeared around the rim of the valley. They were clansfolk – that much was obvious – and they had the Fourth Company totally surrounded.

'Shields would have been good right about now' groaned Tarun to himself, although in truth carrying a heavy shield across the Hanara desert was the last thing any man wanted to do in this lifetime.

"Close ranks," barked Pedrum.

As the soldiers hurried to draw together into protective blocks, the Knights of Amenthere likewise placed themselves in a solid ring of horse and armor around Princess Ellorae's carriage. Lieutenant Neel however did not join the formation; he and Captain Jerriod sat astride their horses at the front of the company, heads craned up to stare fiercely through the piercing sunlight above.

"You are impeding a royal caravan," announced Lieutenant Neel, his voice echoing off the sandstone authoritatively. "Identify yourselves at once and yield the road, in the name of King Mahir Amenthis."

A man's voice called out in answer, the throaty, vowel-laden accent of the clans on full display. "It is you who are trespassing upon the lands of Clan S'Dir, Westerners. None may pass through these lands but by leave of our eimir, Hadasna S'Dir."

Jerriod visibly bristled; even his horse laid its ears back flat against its skull. "You disrespect your royal house, rascal! As rulers of Goran, the blood of Amenthis claims the right to pass unhindered upon any road. Now, withdraw your folk, or the Fourth Company and Knights of Amenthis will repay this insult with force."

Tarun counted at least sixty clansfolk, their headwraps easily marking them out against the brightness of the eastern sky. Between the soldiers of the Fourth and Princess Ellorae's guards, the royal forces numbered over five hundred. On numbers alone, it seemed the S'Dirs posed little serious threat. When one considered their positioning though – the Fourth in the bottom of a steep gully and the clansfolk surrounding them from above on all sides – it did make an armed skirmish that much less appealing.

A drop of sweat rolled down the back of Tarun's neck. His half-healed back tingled beneath damp, day-old bandages. He could hear Joar, the cobbler, shifting uneasily from foot-to-foot behind him. Borse subtly moved Berin inward, toward the protective center of the soldiers' column. There came a rustle from the royal carriage; no doubt Princess Ellorae and her ladies were all huddled together inside, watching and waiting in fearful anticipation.

The ringleader scoffed. Tarun at last picked him out; he stood at the southeastern rim of the gully, the mid-morning sun making him nearly undistinguishable beyond a vague silhouette.

"So quick to violence against the king's own subjects? You needn't be so. We are but servants of Eimir S'Dir, guarding our clan's stretch of The Running Road as is our duty."

"Well then, consider your duty fulfilled," said Captain Jerriod. "You see we are a royal caravan. Now yield the road."

"Who are you to say when our duty has been fulfilled? You are the travelers, and we the guardians. For you to tell us that our duty here would be akin to the camel telling the herdsman where it ought to be going!"