We got going again the next morning as soon as the sun started to rise, just as we had agreed upon last night before turning in. Sunrise apparently meant that the sky was just turning the first shades of dark blue. The sun itself was nowhere to be seen yet. We didn't need to do any real packing as we hadn't set up any camp worth mentioning. In the end we only rolled up the blankets we had been sleeping on, fastening them back to our rather slim packs. Those packs mostly contained food for the next few days. Food like the dried fruit, which the soldiers who had been on last watch started to hand out the moment we got ready to go. It wasn't much but it was pretty sweet and the sugar got us going good. By the time its effect would wear off, we would be properly awake anyway.

We didn't move fast though. Most of the time anyway. We spread out even further as we left the little hamlet, keeping low to the ground as we moved along the stone walls separating the various pastures from each other until we reached the forest edge once more. I quickly noticed that we weren't following the tracks left by the enemy army as they came down from the mountains directly. The scouts and rangers that moved further ahead of us, usually spread out pretty far and moving only in pairs, kept us informed about the direction the army had taken. That allowed us to stay out of the open and in the forest or underbrush along path the humans had trampled into the landscape. Thus we should stay hidden from any casual observer and hopefully even not so casual ones.

Progress in general was slow but it soon became apparent that we were really moving up into the mountains. At this pace we would have to worry about proper cover soon as we ever so slowly approached the treeline. In the afternoon we came to a full stop after Tortho received the last reports of his scouts. Before I could even tell what was going on everyone started to change formation upon seeing the captain giving one of his hand signs. I wasn't left in the dark for long though as he headed my way as soon as everything seemed to be to his liking. “The rangers who are out the furthest have found what they think is the mountain pass the humans used. They have just passed word back to us. And as you expected the pass isn't quite undefended.”

He guided me to a large, mostly flat stone before fishing out a piece of parchment. It contained a rudimentary map of the area and after pulling a rather worn looking feather from his pack as well, he added the last information he had received as well with a few quick strokes. Then he picked up a few stones from the ground and placed them on the piece of parchment. At first I had suspected that they were only to weigh down the map but it became quickly apparent that they served another purpose. He pointed at one stone a good days march out from the hamlet. “This is us.” Then his finger followed a double line across the map, past the depictions of some hills and mountains that showed just enough detail to make them recognizable. “This is the route the enemy army has taken.” It followed the path of least resistance through the valleys. If I looked out from the trees hiding us right now I could see part of it further downhill.

I refocused on Tortho as he continued with his explanation. He placed his finger on a number of other stones, of a similar brown to the one marking our position. They mostly flanked the path ahead of us. A few were a little further off at various spots that probably allowed for a good view at a greater distance. “These are the groups ahead of us.”

As I looked at the map realization suddenly dawned upon me. If that map was even just remotely to scale some of these groups must be at least a day or more likely two ahead of us. I shook my head. “You sent some of your scouts out before we ever left Caer'zoth, didn't you?”

He shrugged, looking not the slightest bit sorry as he did so. “Not exactly. I already had some groups further out during the march to Caer'zoth. I simply had orders fast forwarded to them via your harpy friends the moment you made your intentions clear. They had a good head start from the very beginning.”

Well, that made sense. I couldn't hold it against him either. He simply interpreted my orders in my own best interest after all. Nothing wrong with that. In the end I could only shrug as well. “Good. Go on. We didn't just stop because of the nice scenery, right?”

He grinned. “No, we didn't.” He tapped a stone of a different color, a well rounded gray river pebble he must have picked quite some time ago. It was sitting in between two mountains. “This is the pass they used and they haven't entirely abandoned it. Quite to the contrary. They built a crude watchtower there and it is still very much manned.”

If we were to follow the path the army had taken it would take us a day or maybe two to get there. I looked at the map, especially the watchtowers position and ours to be precise, then at some of the visible landmarks in an attempt to match everything up At that moment Eld'tide, who had been squatting beside us in silence so far, spoke up. She pointed further uphill. “If we stay on this side of the ridge and follow it we should get to this mountain there. Unseen.” She pointed at a mountain on the map at the end. It was behind or rather beyond the mountain pass. “From there we should have a good view. We might even be able to take them by surprise by attacking from behind.”

Tortho nodded, the feather he used to update the map between his lips. Lips that were now stained black in a few spots. He noticed my look and shrugged apologetically as I snorted in amusement. “I have given orders for the nearest groups to gather at our position. Once they are here and night has fallen we will move along the ridge.”

I frowned. “Should we really? Do you think we can take them by surprise? What if the terrain back there isn't to our advantage? What if we can't get down to the tower there?” Those were some valid concerns. We didn't have any rangers in position to judge that vector of approach after all. Then something else occurred to me. “And is it wise to move across mountainous terrain at night? That sounds more than just a little daring.”

Again it was Eld'tide who answered first. “We should be able to move. The sky is clear and we will have some moonlight still tonight. Tomorrow or the day after things might look different though. The moon is waning after all.”

The elf mercenary further expanded on my friend's comment. “We will keep moving slow as well. It should be safe enough and the ridge will keep us shielded from the watchtower. They shouldn't see us coming.”

I frowned but nodded anyway. “What about the terrain then? Getting a larger group over there might proof an exercise in futility if steep mountainsides will keep us from getting to the tower. Shouldn't we get a smaller scout team into position first?”

The experienced scout shook his head at that. “I don't want to waste the opportunity by being overcautious. At worst we will all get a good look at the enemy positions. At best we can secure the pass right away. It is a risk we should take. And even if it is all vertical cliffs over there, I have a handful of people who could do it.” He sounded pretty sure with himself.

I thought about it a little and started to see more details of his plan. “A daring midnight or early morning raid during a night of the new moon?” I swallowed hard. It was an ill omen as far as I was concerned. “I lost a friend the last time I did something like that. Are you sure you want to do it?”

He just flashed me another of his disarming smiles. “We have a good plan in the making. We will see for sure once we are there. And we have some of the damn best people to make it happen as well.” My shoulders slumped a little but I didn't protest thus he kept going. “Eat something. Get some sleep now if you can. We move once the sun sets. It won't be long by the way. We will be in the shadow of the ridge pretty early on.”