Dagger of Souls
*** Chapter 9 ***
"The tracks should be easy to follow in the snow," Keltar stated as he viewed the numerous tracks from the southern side of the farming community. He looked up trying to gauge the time of day, which was difficult because of the grey clouds that blanketed the entire sky, but he knew it was late afternoon. It was fortunate that no snow had come along to bury them the last few days.
"I'll send some of the soldiers with you, then." Sir Dural stated calmly.
The Lord's messenger shook his head emphatically. "No. I can make better time by myself and if they have an ambush waiting I am not encumbered and evade capture much easier alone."
The elf stood nearby with his arms folded within his dark green robes as he looked over the tracks and the two men speaking with a meticulous gaze from his almond shaped eyes. "Perhaps I could help. I am not burdened by armor and if they do have a trap setup my arcane skills would be beneficial."
"I work alone when I am scouting. I can better escape if there is nobody to look after," Keltar commented indignantly.
The elf raised an eyebrow and studied him for a few moments. "How many times have you scouted in this type of weather and terrain?"
Keltar's face suddenly took on a reddish hue as he bit his lip. "In this terrain? Well, very little with this exact terrain, but it is much more difficult to scout ahead in cities where there are plenty of people and sounds to drown out what you are looking for. I have a practiced ear for noticing where people are that are trying to avoid detection."
Einlan gave him a condescending look from within his deep cowl. "It is very different in the wilderness. The distinct sounds of creatures in the wood are not easy to distinguish without an ample amount of experience. The difference between a fox, a small bear or an orc hiding in waiting, are difficult to discern without proper woodland knowledge. I spent nearly twenty years in cities, but over seventy in woods and terrain similar to this."
"Fine," the roguish man acquiesced in a huff, having no sufficient argument to counter the elf's reasoning. The truth of his reluctance was a matter of trust and the Arcanist had revealed very little to gain that trust. "You can join me and find out where their trail leads. With your experience in the woods, you can probably follow the tracks easier than me." Keltar didn't mean it as a compliment, but thought he could better keep an eye on this elf while he was in easy view.
The robed man flashed a smirk, before returning his scrutiny to the tracks on the white surface.
The heavily armored paladin watched the exchange and commented after they finished speaking, "The villagers I questioned have said the orcs approached from different directions each time they attacked. Either they are moving their encampment periodically or they are taking precautions to make their tracks difficult to follow. My men will set up a defensive perimeter around the village and station watches and patrols. Identify yourself when you return close to camp, so they don't raise an alarm. The soldiers will be dressed as villagers so any orc scouts will not be warned of our presence here and increase the size of their raiding party."
The messenger merely nodded to the knight and turned back to Einlan. "There's only a few hours of daylight left. I guess we should get started."
"I am ready. The tracks are easy enough to follow, I'll move quickly. Whistle if I get too far ahead."
It was Keltar's turn to raise an eyebrow at the arrogant comment, though it wasn't as noticeable since his long bangs obscured his eyebrows. He pulled the light crossbow that was slung over his shoulder out and loaded it with a steel tipped bolt, locking the tightly wound string back against the trigger. The elf glanced back briefly and began to follow the footprints as they headed toward the south.
Einlan stopped and looked around a few hundred yards from the nearest cottages and surveyed the ground. Keltar halted behind him and looked down to see what he was studying.
The elf circled some of the large tracks as he spoke. "The tracks converge here. It appears as if they split up at this point and attacked the village in several smaller groups. The tracks coming in to this point with the additional horse tracks here show they returned to this spot and it appears that they are following their own trail back. This would make it easier for us to follow, which seems a little curious."
The messenger shrugged, "They probably figured that nobody would come to the aid of these people and the farmers wouldn't be bold enough to try and follow them to their camp, or they were just simply worried about losing their way back."
The elf began to move and follow the tracks without answering or commenting, which further annoyed the roguish warrior. He sighed and followed behind as the wizard began to move swiftly on a course parallel to the tracks.
They continued for over a mile at a brisk pace, causing Keltar to hurry and focus on avoiding tripping over obstacles just beneath the snow which gave him very little time to listen or look for an ambush. The reckless pace concerned him, but he wasn't about to feed the wizard's ego by asking him to slow down and admit he was having trouble keeping up. He was winded from the pace and nearly tripped a dozen times over loose rocks, exposed roots and tangled overgrowth, but the slender elf moved through the wilderness with graceful ease and showed no signs of tiring. The tracks ended in a large, bubbling brook that brought the elf to a halt, much to the messenger's relief.
Keltar kneeled beside the tracks and started looking them over, which also provided him an opportunity to catch his breath. His long hair glistening with sweat concealed his face as he leaned over and examined the boot prints. The tracks converged before stopping at the icy water's edge. "Why would they move to single file across a brook? It seems shallow enough to cross at any point."
He looked up and the elf had already started to cross the brook and didn't hear his assessment, causing him to curse under his breath. Thin sheets of ice formed along the very shallow banks, but the water in the middle of the brook flowed steadily. The messenger watched as the wizard hopped from rock to rock, staying out of the water and somehow balancing perfectly on the slippery, uneven surfaces as he hopped onto the opposite bank.
There were a few algae covered rocks that stuck out above the water Keltar could use to cross as the elf did, but most likely he would end of slipping into the shin deep water and possibly soaking his entire body. He cautiously stepped into the brook as he looked for the shallowest route across. It was only five or six paces wide, but the cold water was already beginning to make his feet numb at the first step.
Einlan glanced toward the man in black leather armor as he stepped into the freezing water. "The tracks do not continue on this side. It appears that they were heading east since the tracks turned slightly before entering the water. We'll need to see where they emerged from the water. We should split up on opposite sides of the stream in case they doubled back further down instead of crossing."
Keltar shivered from the icy water that soaked his boots and the legs of his leather pants. The orcs were proving to be much smarter than he expected. They obviously took precautions to avoid being followed. This was going to be much more difficult that he had hoped. He agreed they should split up to make better time and check both sides, and he wasn't thrilled to enter the freezing water again. "I'll take this side," he said, not giving the elf time to reply he stepped back out of the water and began to follow along the stream's bank. He hoped the brisk walk would raise his body temperature a bit.
He felt like a lost city boy out here in this element. The messenger wasn't even sure how Einlan knew the direction was east since the hazy gray clouds covered the sky and obscured the sun. He chastised himself for secretly hoping the aloof elf would have slipped and fell in the water. He let out a huff and continued to walk close to the southern side of the stream.