Chapter 329 Battle Approaches (1/2)
Under the watchful eyes of the steward, Lord Kadun's troops wasted no ti down their hastily erected camp
And while they loaded their tents and supplies back onto the carts as fast as they could, the steward — Paya abuse at any soldier who so
It was obvious that thehisworried looks at Lord Rannoc's troops, as if he expected them to attack at any moment
Yet when Arran looked at the hundreds of soldiers in the distance, he saw no indication of an i up can that they were in a hurry, either Instead, they appeared to be resting and eating, with noeither the mercenaries or Lord Kadun's troops any attention And those who did gave thelance
Arran frowned Turning to Captain Kaleesh, he asked, ”Do you think they'll attack?”
”Of course,” the captain replied, his tone unconcerned ”That they will attack us is a certainty The only question is when they will do so”
”Any idea when that will be, captain?” Lasha eyed Lord Rannoc's troops warily, clearly not as confident as the captain appeared to be
Captain Kaleesh reht, he began, ”With the carts, it will take us roughly three weeks to reach Kadun's lands Payaers, and they should move faster — a week and a half before they reach their destination”
He paused briefly, his expression thoughtful After a moment, he continued, ”If Kadun sends reinforceht reach us as soon as teeks into the journey” To Arran's surprise, the captain turned his eyes to Gar, and asked, ”Gar, what do you think?”
The giant”They'll strike as soon as they can, without giving us time to prepare Definitely within the next two days”
Captain Kaleesh considered the words, then shook his head ”An interesting thought, but I ree They will need time to prepare their attack, and Rannoc's troops will not want to risk offending the church by attacking so openly Sassun, your opinion?”
Where Gar had answered instantly, Sassun took several moments to consider the question Finally, he said, ”By the end of the second week Kadun's troops will be weary with travel by then, and their attention will have started to slip after teeks of constant worry”
Again, the captain shook his head ”They cannot risk waiting that long After the battle, they'll have dozens of wounded to transport If Kadun's reinforcements are only days away, Rannoc's troops won't be able to outrun thehtered Arran, your turn”
Arran had already expected the question, but his heart still skipped a beat when he saw the others' attention suddenly turn to hiht suddenly ca opportunities when they appeared worked best And perhaps the saer battles
”They'll wait for an opportunity,” he said ”Have several scouts watching us, then attack when the terrain is good and our forces are exposed”
Captain Kaleesh gave hi That could work for a sroup, but with hundreds of soldiers, any opportunity they see will have long passed before they've readied themselves to attack Lasha, you're up”
Lasha, however, ave the captain a flat stare ”Just tell us already,” she said in an exasperated tone
The captain sighed ”You take all the fun out of war But very well, I will tell you”
He looked at the four coan, ”They'll attack at the end of the first week — long enough for Kadun's troops to grow tired and careless, but not so long that reinforceers ahead of the others, Rannoc's forces will be long gone when they arrive”
Lasha nodded thoughtfully ”So what's your plan?”
”Glad you asked,” the captain replied, a broad smile on his face ”On the day of the attack, they will leave behind their supplies on the road, along with a small force to catch any of us who try to escape The main force, meanwhile, will overtake us and lay an ambush — to defeat Kadun's forces, which they believe to be the biggest threat And that mistake will cost them dearly”
He cast another look at his cohed in disappointment when he saw only blank looks
”Rannoc's roups One to halt Kadun's forces, and another to flank the that ill try to flee Darians think little of outsiders, after all And so, ill flank the flankers” A glint of exciteh theood,” Lasha said, ”but shouldn't you inforreement From the sound of it, the captain intended to use Kadun's troops ason his own forces to win the battle But with their enemies all Body Refiners, he could not help but think the strategy a reckless one
”Absolutely not,” Captain Kaleesh replied ”It is essential to my plans that Kadun's troops are taken by surprise”
”I don't suppose you'll tell us those plans?” Sassun asked, only a hint of annoyance in his otherwise flat expression
The captain shook his head ”You'll find out soon enough,” he said ”But rest assured — the Wolfsblood Coain froh ”Just tell us when to fight, captain My sword is eager to taste soiant et the chance sooner than you'd like”
Indeed, Arran could see that several of Kadun's soldiers were eying them suspiciously Yet before any more could come of it, Kadun's steward shouted, ”Everyone! Get ready to leave!”
It took another quarter-hour before the large group of people finally set into motion, and as they did, Arran looked warily at Rannoc's forces in the distance
If Captain Kaleesh was right, he would ain before the as over