Trial by Ambush

Although it created a tenuous conduit for essential communication, the uncomfortable ceasefire established by mutual public humiliation did little to alleviate the underlying tension within Stonegate Keep. With a low grunt, Borg sought out Grakka two days after they had appeared together at the muster, bringing a small, neatly wrapped leaf with a single, strangely shaped rock and a pinch of characteristic reddish soil. He gestured to the overgrown area close to the postern gate while speaking rapidly in their guttural speech. Grakka narrowed her eyes as she studied the results. There were faint but verified non-goblin tracks close to the gate that led to the burned shed; a skillful person had attempted, but failed, to completely erase their path.

Brennan, one of Kaelan's most trusted scouts, who had been surreptitiously monitoring the ridges above the keep since the fire, sent him a coded message almost at the same time. On the night of the fire, Brennan saw shielded lanterns on the western ridge, the one closest to the postern gate, flashing signs that were unrecognizable by any human military code.

The disparate results all suggested that outside actors were staging or communicating in the vicinity of the rarely utilized postern gate. In the living room, Kaelan discovered Grakka carefully examining the tension on an extra bowstring. With brevity, he delivered Brennan's report. After listening, Grakka quietly handed over the dirt and pebble that Borg had discovered.

Simply put, "The tracks match the soil from that ridge," said Grakka. "Someone descended, lit the fire, gave a signal, and most likely walked away. Maybe via the gate or over the next wall.

There was no denying the need for a closer examination. However, sending out a sizable patrol would warn everyone inside the keep, including any possible arsonist supporters. It may even incite the same adversary they were trying to pinpoint. "A quiet reconnaissance is required," Kaelan stated, expressing his thoughts out loud. "Minimal personnel."

Grakka looked up at him. But "minimal means none," she retorted. "The noise level of your soldiers is excessive. Too much attention is drawn to my fighters. The implied meaning hovered between them. "We leave. Only us.

Kaelan paused. It felt quite hazardous to think of going beyond the keep walls with Grakka by himself, especially in the direction of a rumored enemy rendezvous site. He couldn't ignore her reasoning, though. Involving others felt too risky, and neither party trusted the other enough to go alone and report back accurately. Grimly, "Agreed," he said. "At dawn. We come from beyond the walls.

Their departure was purposefully unexpected as they snuck out of Stonegate Keep by a narrow sally port used by scouts, rather than the main gate, as dawn painted the sky in shades of grey and pale rose. Kaelan held his sword and shield and donned utilitarian leather armor. With her cleaver at her hip and multiple throwing knives attached to her thigh and forearm, Grakka walked next to him in her typical scarred leather. Kaelan's methodical caution and Grakka's natural awareness of the landscape blended surprisingly well as they navigated the predawn darkness in a cautious, trained silence.

They used the thin cover of prickly shrubs and boulders to approach the area beneath the postern gate from a broad angle. Only the chirping of early birds disturbed the silent, chilly air. While Grakka's eyes were keenly focused on the ground near the foot of the wall, translating the language of broken twigs and disturbed earth, Kaelan surveyed the upper ridges.

Below the gate, she paused and pointed with her chin at a group of loose scree. "This is it. marks from scrambling. A person descended. Not goblin boots. Kaelan stepped forward, studying the dim indicators she pointed out. She was correct.

The world burst as Kaelan knelt down to get a better look. Just a fraction of a second before, an arrow hissed past his head and thudded into the ground where he had been standing. As additional arrows poured down from the thicket to their left and the ridge above, he cried, "Ambush!" and threw himself flat.

Grakka responded immediately, not by ducking under cover but by charging forward with a yell, tackling Kaelan behind a group of bigger stones as another barrage of arrows struck the area they had just cleared. At least six figures wearing dark, unmarked leather with deadly coordination and swords and axes that gleamed dully in the waning light came out of the undergrowth. Two archers on the ridge simultaneously moved to get better shots. This was a professional, well-planned death team, not a haphazard bandit raid.

"Archers high left!" As he clambered up and pulled out his sword, Kaelan yelled and raised his shield. "Force them down!"

With her cleaver a blur, Grakka was already in motion, swerving low between boulders. Instead of charging straight ahead, she made use of the terrain, attracting the attention of two swordsmen who hurried to stop her. A third charged at Kaelan, but his shield stopped a powerful axe blow that would have broken bone. Knowing they were outnumbered and in danger, he fought defensively and held his position.

With a feint, a quick cut to the hamstring, and a devastating upward hit with her cleaver as the man stumbled, he witnessed Grakka brutally slaughter one of her attackers. However, the second swordsman put a lot of pressure on her, demonstrating his skill. Recognizing the skilled accuracy underlying the attack, Kaelan deflected another blow from the axe-wielder. These were disciplined soldiers or mercenaries, not regular thugs.

From the ridge, an arrow splintered off Kaelan's shield. He looked up to see an archer getting ready for another shot, obviously aiming for the combat-locked Grakka. He shouted, "Grakka, archer!"... He jerked his shield up without thinking, angling it at the same moment the arrow was released. The shaft flew innocuously aloft after clattering off the metal.

Grakka didn't say anything to acknowledge the save, but she took advantage of the gap Kaelan's defense had created as her last opponent lunged. She slipped beneath the man's sword arm, kicked him backward into the path of another assailant who was coming at Kaelan from the side, and plunged her cleaver's hilt into his throat. When the two collided, Kaelan lost valuable seconds.

He quickly shoved beyond the man's guard and killed the axe-wielder. The three assailants were still moving forward, and the archers were either temporarily silenced or looking for better perspectives as they stood momentarily back-to-back. "We cannot hold here!" Kaelan let out a gasp and looked around. "Need cover!"

"That way!" Further down the slope, Grakka groaned and nodded toward a little gully clogged with prickly shrubs. "Bad ground for them."

They advanced toward the ravine, fighting their way there rather than completely fleeing. Kaelan shielded their back, his swordwork a wall of gleaming steel, while Grakka sprang forward, stumbling one assailant with a thrown dagger before launching into a heated argument with another. She cut her arm slightly, but she didn't seem to notice because she was so focused. Kaelan was impressed by her fierceness and her utterly unanticipated deadliness. She appeared to rely on his unwavering protection in return, utilizing him as a focal point for her barrage of strikes.

They arrived at the ravine's edge. Clearly hesitant to continue into the thick, thorny tangle where their numbers would be less advantageous, the surviving assailants paused. The attackers made a quick decision after realizing their targets had arrived to defensive ground and possibly hearing the sound of horns from the keep in the distance (alerted by the sounds of fighting traveling on the morning air). They disappeared as swiftly as they had emerged, perhaps carrying any fallen companions with them as they slid back into the thicket and up the ridge with well-honed coordination.

Only their own heavy breathing and the chirping of birds, which now seemed uncannily natural, broke the silence. With their weapons at the ready, Kaelan and Grakka stood at the edge of the gully, looking around the deserted area. Grease and sweat mixed together, and on Grakka's arm, there was a trickle of blood.

Even though there was no longer any immediate danger, their veins were still tingling with adrenaline. For the first time since the conflict started, they actually looked at one another. Not only did they see the human knight and the goblin fighter, but they also saw the creature who had just fought next to them, who had depended on them, and who might have saved their lives. In the furnace of battle, something new had been formed by the shared peril and the natural teamwork that came from desperation. The harsh, indisputable reality of their joint survival vibrated across the air between them.