Lore of Eternal Shadow: The Fugitive King

Chapter Thirty

Everyone was kept busy over the next two days. Sigfred worked closely with Salgan to integrate the Galgarothian army with the Varian forces. It was way easier than Salgan expected. He'd heard earfuls from Alyssa, Jannick, and Runa about how highly Varians valued individuality and how small the gap typically was between the nobles and the peasants. Salgan had concluded that he'd have to put up with a mass of selfish people, unwilling to take orders from commanders. The Varian League hadn't had much of an army before the invasion, though. Most of the soldiers hadn't known war before a few months ago and their conviction to freeing their homeland was high. They couldn't have been more open to Salgan's tactical advice if he tried, much easier than what Salgan's Sussurri colleagues had said about trying to unite Galgaroth against the demons.

Sigfred was astounded by the miracles the handful of Sussurri Chandra had spared him could pull off. By the dawn of the third day, the integrated forces moved out. Sigfred clapped his hand on his little brother's shoulder as they walked past the scorched rubble of the demon's siege machines. The brothers were filled with confidence.

Touse was nearly thirty miles northwest of the Varian League's capital. It was the closest proper manor to the larger city. It had been a peaceful, quaint little place, situated in the middle of a small valley carved by Mus River, a tributary to the River Hearth. Touse Hall was situated in the center of a small town that had been generated over the generations to accommodate travelers who had spent the day walking or riding along the road from the city of Vanian.

Touse had not seen battle since the last civil war... fifteen-hundred years ago. It had always been little more than a way-station for couriers, merchants, and travelers between Vanian and the manors of the jotun in the north. It was the only real passage through the Jarna Mountains but this strategic fact had not been exploited in many centuries. The demons now held a very defensible chokepoint, effectively cutting the Varian League in half.

The road hugged close to Mus River but remained rather wide. Still, the army stretched behind Jannick and the others for more than a mile. The pines and other conifers grew above them tall and strong over steep cliffs on either side of the river. Jannick noted that the demons could very easily stage an ambush from behind this thick tree-line. Of course these demons had not yet met Salgan Almeron. A clump of fir trees was just an obstacle to teleport through.

"I'd better go scout ahead," Salgan offered, "I'll make sure nobody knows we're coming."

"Don't over-exert yourself," Lauren cautioned, "The rest of us can handle some skirmishes."

"All I said was 'scout,'" Salgan smirked.

"Go for it," Sigfred nodded, "and be careful up there."

"Will do," Salgan disappeared with a wink.

"Wow, I wish I could do that," Sigfred marveled.

"I've been meaning to ask Zicone to teach me," Jannick chimed.

The early-autumn sun was enough to warm the army as they marched into afternoon, but it was not enough to shake the chill of wariness as every man and woman watched the sides of the valley. They weren't attacked but that only made everyone more anxious. The valley fanned out. The road and river separated as the army came into a meadow. After being absent for six hours, Salgan reappeared quite suddenly. "Hey all," he greeted. He deposited a huge bag at Sigfred's feet, "All I could find were scouts."

Sigfred looked into the bag, "My God, there's at least twenty heads in here!"

"In groups of two or three," answered Salgan, "They were patrolling the trail up here."