The next days were quiet but not relaxing. We were on edge pretty much the entire time as we waited for the rest of our forces to arrive. We kept watch the entire time, both in the tower as well as on two positions on the ridge and mountain to either side of the pass, as we had discussed. At first we were a little under strength but after a while, once we had sent the wounded back, the rest of the scouts and rangers started arriving. By the time nightfall came around again I was certain that we could hold the pass even against a determined assault, not that I actually expected one.

As the sun set Tortho surprised me with another suggestion. The dark elf suggested that we send an advance party down the other side of the pass to gather information about the lay of the land and any nearby settlements or further fortifications. And of course he volunteered to lead them himself. He would mark the right path for us and if he were to discover anything that could pose a threat to the army he would send back a messenger. Otherwise he would await us somewhere at the base of the mountains to share whatever other information he and his men and women managed to gather.

That was more than just reasonable. Thus the responsibility for those that remained at the pass came to rest solely on my shoulders again and the troops and I settled into a tense wait. We didn't receive any word from Tortho and his scouts. I decided to interpret that as a good sign. No news was good news. The first to arrive, two days later, were curiously enough Tora'pheer and her cavalry. They really were quite at home here in this mountainous region and I was quite glad to have them along. We had them set up camp near the watchtower but on the side of the pass facing my domain.

Their arrival relieved us regarding watch duty, since the lancers could take care of watch duty at the tower which in turn freed up more scouts to take over at the watch posts up at the ridges. The next to arrive, still on the same day but a few hours later, were Yath'zur and his Wall Breakers. They set to work right away as I mentioned my plans to further fortify the pass for use as a supply base. In their hands even the larger stones were like pebbles and before long we had the beginnings of a wall as well as some foundations for buildings just behind it.

Especially the trolls wanted to tear down the tower to rebuild it as well, but I had to persuade them to not make that one of their priorities. Not right away anyway. They didn't exactly like that but in the end they agreed that the wall and some storage buildings behind it were of greater importance. Some of them even descended back in the direction they had come from, into the wooded forests to get some wood for construction purposes. Trolls didn't usually use wood. Not in any permanent structures anyway but for a makeshift fortification that had to be finished quickly there was no way around it.

Before night fell once again I could already hear the sounds of logging from the valley below. At first I was afraid that the sound might carry across the pass but a quick check at the secondary signal fire reassured me that that wasn't the case. The logging party returned early the next morning with the first logs carried across their shoulders. They really put some serious effort into the construction project. It made me quite proud. At the same time I felt a little bad since we probably would have to replace the fruit of their efforts with something more permanent once this war was over. This mountain pass had to be properly secured after all. In the long run the fort had to stand up against wind and weather, especially during winter as well.

By the time the rest of the army arrived a decent wall with a makeshift gate blocked off the pass and we even had some rooms attached to it that could provide shelter for men and women or supplies or loot. Luckily the weather held. A storm of any strength could have seriously hurt us then and there. Sure we had rooms to shelter people but not enough for the whole army. A cold wave with snow could have cost us dearly. Thus I decided to not stay up there any longer than necessary. One night was all the time the infantry, that arrived last, received to recover. Not that they minded. They would sleep better once they were back down from the mountains and could rest on softer ground anyway.

We departed not long after sunrise, early the next morning. Or at least most of us did. I left a small garrison under Eld'tides command. Some of my own people who had accompanied the mercenaries as well as some of the harpies as messengers. They would be best suited to keep in touch with my domain and the rest of the land of our people. It hurt to leave Eld'tide behind but I needed a trusted commander up here. The giants and trolls would stay another day as well, to finish up their construction project. Their long legs would allow them to catch up with the rest of us easy enough. I was certain that I would see them again pretty soon as I departed our new mountain pass fort with the last of my troops.

Some scouts or rangers accompanied every larger detachment to guide the other men and women along the path marked by Tortho. I had a look at the marks left by him and his as well, out of curiosity. I had expected a few chalk marks pointing in the right direction but what I found was a lot more elaborate. One of the rangers explained the basics to me. The signs were actually scratched into some of the softer rocks facing our way. There were arrows pointing in the direction we would have to take sure enough but it didn't end there. There were additional symbols warning us about treacherous ground or narrow pathways as well in addition to distance estimates until the next set of marks.

As the woman explained some of the signs to me my vision blurred and a slightly muddled memory came over me. I was climbing a mountain, although not one as steep or tall as this one with a number of youths in tow. We all carried backpacks and some looked quite heavy due to being stuffed not only with hiking supplies but the equipment of the astronomy club as well. I stopped at a rock painted with some symbols to explain them to my students. I blinked and the memory faded once again, leaving me disoriented for a moment. Luckily the scout explaining the signs to me hadn't noticed. I could only admire the effort that went into these marks. They were a lot more elaborate than the marks I had glimpsed in this brief flashback. Well, they weren't intended for casual hikers after all. Of course they were more elaborate.

I had Tora'pheer and her riders at the front of our column. Although the lancers were our heaviest unit, except for the giants and trolls, they were the ones most apt to deal with any ambushes or monsters that we could have encountered thanks to their mounts as well. Thankfully everything remained quiet though. By the time I arrived at the spot the cavalry captain had picked to spend the night with the last infantry unit the sun was already setting. The scouts had not come across any enemies so far but I was moderately certain that someone would have spotted us descending from the mountain pass by now. We would have to be even more cautious in the next days.

We had not yet reached Tortho and his advance party either, since we were only halfway down into the lands of the Council. Maybe we would catch up to them tomorrow. At worst though we would meet up again the day after tomorrow. Still, the uncertainty left me restless and sleep did not come easy that night.