Almoth plain consisted mostly of large grasslands with occasional hills covered by stunted trees. The grass was still brown from the winter frost, the trees still bare. Spring had not truly arrived yet, a more cautious commander with a proper army would have kept his men camped until the rains had passed. But Thane didn't have time, or a proper army, what he did have were a group of overzealous soldiers terrified of him.
They rode over broken ground covered with brush and chaparral scrub, making poor time on their horses, thin from a hard winter and scarce forage. Though if Thane hadn't whipped the Dragonsworn into motion, they'd probably have sat in their captive villages drinking hard ale until the next winter or the Taraboners got them. Before he came along, their leaders had been non the military type, simply the biggest, the meanest, and the stupidest of the lot.
When Thane rode into the village where most of them had congregated he'd found their leader a self proclaimed General named Tabor. He'd been drinking heavily and glared that anyone would be foolish enough to wake him. The look had turned to shock as he found Thane's night-black sword sticking between his ribs. His guards would have tried to kill him right then- Thane was a fare swordsmen but he couldn't defeat a dozen men, even when drunk-if not for the corpse. Tabor's bloody had smoked and turned a blacked char, like meat left on the fire for hours. Thane's first order had been to dispose of the body, after that he simply kept giving orders.
The men had obeyed, becoming accustomed to his discipline, but always wary of his black sword. Rumors had circulated that the sword was magic, that Thane could channel, that he was the Dragon Reborn. Thane had stamped those last rumors out quickly but the rest remained, fueled after he did nothing to stop them.
The going was slow, but the horses eventually got them to the village with an hour of daylight to spare. The clouds covered the sun so much it might have almost been night for all the men could see. Thane gathered his two subordinates before riding into the village.
" Captain Knapp's men will hide in the village, bow ready, to ambush the carriage and the escort. Once the team is dead, that carriage will make a good road block, and divider their men in half. Knapp," he looked into the Carienin's Blue eyes. "One man in four to hold the horses in this little gully." Knapp nodded and rode off, naming men who would stay behind.
"What'd do we get to do?" Lystar demanded. Thane didn't trust the man's sense anymore the smell of ale was thick on his breath. Thane had picked him for an officer because of his military background, hoping he could project some good habits on the men. It looked like the men had corrupted him.
"Your men will close on the tail of their column, stick together and don't do anything rash."
Lystar saluted and departed, not sparing words for acknowledgement. Thane shook his head. "That mans going to be trouble," he said to the stormy air.
He rode down to the village as thunder boomed somewhere in the distance. No lighting struck so Thane assumed the storm was still a ways off. Hopefully it would hold back until their business was done. Hopefully the enemy wasn't to wary of a trap. Hopefully Lystar didn't do something rash. Hopefully…
So many questions, and so little hope. Hadn't the Dragon been reborn to bring hope to mankind? Where was he then, Thane hadn't seen him since the display at Falme where he battled the Dark One and drove the Seanchan back into the sea. Men all across the plain had gathered to pledge their support to him, two of the groups big enough to be called armies as rumor had it. Arad Doman and Tarabon broken into civil war by his name and yet, he had vanished. Thane didn't even know his savior's name.
Thunder echoed again as Thane led his horse into the Inn's stable. The village was considerably more prosperous then the last one, and boasted two Inn's, but only one had a stable. He hoped his horse would be safe their as he unsaddled it and put it into an empty stall at the back. Thane road the best horse in the whole army, the men thinking that, as their leader, he deserved the best mount.
All along the street men in bits of amour and misshapen helmets were herding the villagers into their homes like cattle. Others planted themselves atop the thatched roofs anticipating the camouflage of darkness, while still others crowded around windows and doorways. Soon the street was deserted except for Than, and the little clouds of dust his boots kicked up.
