A rider came up to Thane just then. His horse was lathered in sweat and looked to be on its finale legs. One of the scouts then, watching the nearby roads and villages for enemy movements. The scout was a scrawny man, short but with strong eyes and prominent ears and nose. The trick was always to spot the enemy before he saw you, every sense was useful.

"Captain,' he said breathlessly. You'd think he'd done all the running by the way sweat slid down his face. "There's is an enemy column moving along a road five miles west of here."

"How many?" Thane demanded sharply. If there were too many they'd have to be negotiated around, but if they were a small party Thane's army could ambush them with the proper timing.

"Not three hundred, but sir that's not all." The young man was excited and his voice cracked under the excitement. "They're traveling with a carriage, looks like their a guard for some officer. I think-"

Thane held up his hand to stop the scout. "Runner!" he shouted, and a small boy not ten years old hurried up to him. Some fathers brought their small children along and Thane had found useful tasks for all of them. "Find Captain Knapp," he told the boy. "And bring him here with all haste." The boy scampered off through the village to find the Whitecloaked officer. "And get down off that horse before you kill it." Thane snapped at the scout. They didn't have enough horse that they could kill one of exhaustion.

Sheepishly the scout climbed down. He was short, and young looking, not much older then the boys Thane used to run messages. His own forty winters didn't make him terribly old, young compared to most of those he commanded, but the grey in his hair seemed to give him an extra ten years or more in most men's eyes.

His hair had started graying even before he'd left home in Kandor to become a mercenary. Though 'left' was stretching the truth perilously thin. It'd been leave or face the gallows for treason against the Throne of Clouds for supporting a false dragon as a young man.

The second sun of a wealthy horse trader it'd been Thane's brother who assumed the family wealth after their father passed away. After wandering for a time, a foolish man named Davian Gahand proclaimed himself the Dragon and a more foolish boy named Thane Stykle join his army before it was put down by the forces of Queen Ethenielle. A life in exile followed, drifting from one conflict to the next, commanding a force of Murandians in the Whitecloak War, and as part of the Illianer companions during the Aiel War.

The last few years had seen an uneasy peace between the various nations, only petty successions for various thrones. Rumors of conflict on Toman head had sent Thane rushing for action, only to find some strange people claiming to be Artur Hawkwing's descendents come back to reclaim their land. The Dragon Reborn had driven them back into the sea. Him and a hundred other heroes from legend. Thane was a practical man, he knew what he'd seen and even if the Dragon wasn't with them he still had a duty to build him an army and see them to safety. And kill a few Taraboners along the way.

Only the white cloak gave a hint of Captain Kodi Knapp's former allegiance. The short Cairhienin wore the same armor as his men, a leather jerkin sewn with steel disks, and a helmet forged by one of Farrey's smiths. Knapp commanded Thane's light cavalry, small men lightly armed and trained to use their horse bows as often as their swords.

"Alright," Thane said to the scout, "Tell us everything you saw."

The boy told his story about scouting a large enemy cam to the southeast, seeing a carriage arrive, and leave with a large armed escort, and that they'd reach a village just five miles to the west before nightfall.

Knapp tapped his lip with his finger thoughtfully. He was a prone to think things through, it was just so hard for him to make a decision. "What are you thinking sir?"

Thane was looking at the clouds blanketing the sky. They hid the sun, but he could tell it wouldn't be dark for a few hours yet. If only the rain would hold out. Thane hated fighting in the rain almost as much as he hated fighting at night. He'd had to do both once, on a cold night in western Altara, losing a good portion of his men to a strong Whitecloak raid.

"Any man fool enough to take a carriage through this country, is foolish enough to be a of some importance. An important fool might know something useful to us."

"We could use more armor, and better weapons too." Knapp added. "Not to mention three hundred horses."

"We'll you can leave out the horses, I don't expect many to survive. I plan on ambushing the bunch of them in that village with you and your horsebows."

"I'll get the men in their saddles." He pulled himself back into his own. "What about the infantry?"

"They'll be left behind, tell Captain Gentz he's in charge and he is to bring the rest of the men behind us. We'll meet up with him again tomorrow." Thane glanced at the inky black shy and thought of the coming rain. "Light I hope we see him tomorrow."