The flash as sunlight off a metal object was enough Arya to confirm what they'd been warned about. There was an ambush ahead. Predators awaiting unwary travellers through the pass. The rough road from Uplands to Starfall was already more dangerous than it had ever been. They had been told that travelling without an armed escort was madness
Of course, Arya wasn't alone. The Hound and Gendry ride through the pass below her, their keen eyes looking out for the trouble Arya already knew was ahead. Her dilemma was how to warn her friends without alerting the ambushers to her presence. They were leading Arya's horse, which in itself would be a sign to a diligent force there was something they had to watch for.
Only Arya didn't think they were dealing with a smart enemy.
If they were, then she wouldn't be able to see them.
Feeling fit, and seeing her companions were moving cautiously far down in the pass below her, Arya set off at a good pace through the rocky cliffs on the side of the orange canyon that formed the main passage through the mountains to Starfall. Keeping low, she used the jagged outcrops to hide her movements Arya closed on the enemy.
Wedged between two slabs of sandstone, she took a moment to survey both sides of the canyon. The enemy had picked an excellent position. Below the pass had to bend around a wide outcrop meaning any travellers would end up, not only with their backs to the enemy but also with the sun behind them if the attackers picked the right time of day.
Arya approved. Maybe they weren't quite as stupid as she first thought.
More flashes of metal reset her thinking. They were only visible for a brief fraction of a second, but it was enough for a killer with Arya's skills to make out each of the enemy and their location. Soon enough she had a good idea of their numbers.
Glancing back along the pass the Hound and Gendry kept their sensible pace. Both looked tense. Gendry had his hand on the handle of his Warhammer and was scanning the rocky cliffs for a sign of Arya, while the Hound resolutely looked ahead of him.
Arya smiled. They would know where she was soon enough.
Drawing her Valerian dagger from the belt around her waist Arya crept towards the unsuspecting ambushers.