Robin Hood | Thief of Skandia

Chapter 10

Song: HandClap by Fitz and The Tantrums

Halt regarded the man as silence ensued. 

'You know that I have,' he said, not taking his eyes from Erak's.

The Skandian leader frowned. He knew Halt's reputation, as a fighting man and a tactician. The man was a Ranger, after all, and Erak knew enough about the mysterious Ranger Corps to know that they weren't prone to issuing pointless insults or making ill-considered remarks.

'The question is,' Halt continued, 'have you seen the Temujai fight?'

He allowed the question to hang in the cold air between them. There was a moment of silence from the Skandians. None of them had, of course. Seeing that he had their attention, Halt continued.

'Because I have. And I'll tell you what I'd do if I were the Temujai general.'

He swept his arm up to encompass the steep sides of the pass where they towered above the little fort. Pines grew there, clinging to the almost vertical sides of the pass, managing to find some foothold in the rocks and the snow.

'I'd send a party of men up onto the walls of the pass there above us. Say, two hundred or so. And from there, I'd have them direct a killing fire on anyone foolhardy enough to show his face in the open inside the fort.'

The eyes of the group followed the direction of his pointing arm. One of the Skandians snorted scornfully.

'They'd never get up there. Those walls are impassable!'

Halt turned to face him, looking him straight in the eye, willing the man to understand and believe what he was saying by the sheer force of his conviction.

'Not impassable. Very difficult. But they will do it. Believe, me, I've seen these men and what they can achieve. It may cost them fifty or so lives in the attempt, but they'll count the cost cheap.'

'How do you think I get back into the country Jarl, because I can tell you this much, I'm not allowed to just waltz through the gate.' She joked.

Erak studied the cliffs above the fort, squinting to see more clearly in the rapidly fading light of the late afternoon. Maybe, he thought, the Ranger was right. He figured he might be able to scramble around up there, with ropes and tackle and a small group of hand-picked sailors – the ones who tended the big square sails on the wolfships, who could slip up and down the mast as easy as walking. But the Temujai were cavalry, he thought. He voiced the objection.

'They'll never get their horses up there.'

'They won't need their horses up there,' Halt countered. 'They'll simply sit up there and direct a plunging fire on you. The fort may command the pass, but the heights there command the fort.'

Erak was silent for a long moment. He looked again up at the walls of the pass. If the trees could find footholds there, he reasoned, so could men – determined men. And he was ready to believe that these Temujai were determined.

'Face it,' Halt continued, 'this fort was never meant as a real defensive position. It's a checkpoint for people crossing the border, that's all. It's simply not designed or placed to hold an invading army at bay.'

Erak studied the Ranger. The more he thought about it, the more sense Halt was making. He could picture the dangers of being caught inside the fort with a hundred or so archers perched on the cliffs above him – and no way to reply to their attack.

'Why don't we just show them his ugly face, then they'll probably run all the way back home with their tails between their legs.

Erak glared at her and gestured two of his men to tie her up. 'If you take one step closer I will seriously injure you.

'Look around lady, I have 20 men with me, you don't stand a chance.'

'Oh come on I saved your sorry ass, Jarl.'

'So you said.' Erak bit back, a scowl on his face.

One stepped forward and as quick as lightening she bent his head down and kneed him in his privates sending him reeling. She was quickly subdued but not before she bruised a few men.

Her nose was bleeding and her lip was cracked but still she smiled. 'That was exciting.' She scoffed, a smile touching her lips, she looked at her bound hands. 

'I think you may be right,' he said slowly, ignoring the outlaw. He had begun to respect the mysterious Ranger's judgement. And he was honest enough to admit that Halt's experience of these eastern riders was far greater than his own. So far, he realised, everything he'd said about them had been accurate. Abruptly, he made the final decision – to pass control over to Halt.

'What do you suggest we do?' he asked. His men looked at him in surprise and he glared them to silence. Halt nodded once, acknowledging the difficulty of the decision the Jarl had just reached.

'You were right about one thing,' he said. 'Ragnak has to be warned. There's no point in our wasting any more time here. It'll take the Temujai at least half a day to get the whole army on the move. Longer for them to come through this narrow pass. Let's use the time we have. We'll ride – and run – like hell back to Hallasholm.'

'How do you expect me to run back Hallasholm with my arms and legs bound?' Erak gestured to one of his men to untie her legs.

'Think you can keep up with us or do you need be tied to a horse.'

She rolled her eyes and murmured a prayer to the Vallas loud enough for everyone to hear, 'Vallas give me strength to not murder this buffoon where he stands.'

'How do you know that?' One of the Skandians asked, shoving her forward, shocked that she knew their customs.

'Know what?' She questioned, fully aware of what he was asking. 

'Our customs,' another added with a scowl. 

'I am Skandian you half-wit.'

They all looked at her, now that they thought about it she did have some Skadian features, the thing that threw them off was her lightly tanned skin. 

'That explains a lot.' Halt remarked. The others still confused.

'I spent a few years in the Arridi desert.' At their unwavering expression she added, 'that's why I'm not as pale.' Then she saw understanding dawn on them.