Page 50 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

“I take it the scouts returned?” Logan asked.

“Aye, that way leads tae thick, impassable nettles. Our horses would hae been tangled up and it could hae delayed us by days, while that path straightens out and is nae as dangerous as it seems. Looks as though ye were right,” Allan said.

“I hope ye learn tae listen now. Look at the time we hae wasted,” Ryan muttered.

Allan looked abashed by his father’s words and quickly marched away, barking orders at other men. The camp was hurriedly packed up and then the army was once again moving.

They had to slow as they made their way across the rock path. It wound around a mountain and the path was only wide enough for horses to ride two abreast, and even then it was cramped. Rocks skittered off and fell down the side of the mountain, sinking into oblivion. If anyone lost balance it meant certain death, and they were given a sobering example of this when one rider failed to pay proper attention. He tried to move more quickly than the path would allow. The horse lost its footing. There was a horrible, frantic whinny from the horse as it tumbled off. The rider fell upside down, and his helpless cry echoed around.

It all happened too quickly for anyone to offer assistance. The horse and rider slammed and scraped along the jagged rocks of the mountain as they plummeted down, disappearing from sight. The echo of their screams outlived them.

“Careful!” Allan cried, and grim mutters moved through the army, with vile looks cast towards Logan, as though he was the one responsible for the man’s death.

As with so many other deaths, Warnock was the one responsible. He had made the land approaching his Keep as inhospitable as possible to prevent any advancing armies. Logan grit his teeth and moved slowly at the rear, knowing that there were many warriors who wouldn’t have minded him “accidentally” falling down the mountain.

Thankfully after a period of caution the path did widen and became easier to traverse. The mountain joined the land and they were soon on solid land again. The army increased their speed, following Logan’s directions. They followed a winding river towards a forest, which Logan had described as being thick and brittle, a hazard in itself. He advised them that they were going to have to carve their way through this barrier, but as they approached, a sense of awe came into his eyes and his mouth dropped open.

He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised given what his father was capable of, but this was an affront to nature. The forest had not been a beautiful, lush place, but it had still been home to all kinds of wildlife. That was all deserted now. There was a huge swathe of destruction carved in the middle of the forest. The ground was ashy and blackened stumps peppered the ground. Carcasses of dead birds, rabbits, deer, boars and more… all of them caught in the inferno that had obliterated the forest.

Although this army had been fighting Warnock for a long time and they had seen villages after Warnock’s armies had passed through, this was something else entirely. So many trees, all of them destroyed in a thoughtless act of brutality. The army proceeded on their horses, scraping through the layer of ash that carpeted the ground.

Logan furrowed his brow. He tilted his head from side to side. Flanking the devastated area were parts of the forest that remained intact. Logan squinted, wondering why his father would have done this. Was it just to give the advancing army pause, trying to play tricks on their mind? The forest would have slowed their pace, so why—

Logan’s eyes widened. He dug his heels into his horse’s flank and veered to the side of the army, accelerating to overtake the soldiers.

“He’s running!” a cry came out.

Men yelled at him. Logan ignored them, focusing on the head of the army. Ryan, Allan, Elliot, and Angus came into view.

“It’s a trap!” he cried out.

Allan came riding to meet him, a mean look on his face. He had the look of a man who would crash Logan’s horse. Logan wasn’t going to be intimidated. He wasn’t going to be stopped.

“Hold!” Ryan cried out, and Allan pulled up, a frustrated look on his face. “We are nae gaeing tae think the worst of this man,” Ryan said.

Logan felt a shadow of shame pass across his heart, for he did not deserve such confidence. He brought his horse to a stop and spoke quickly.

“We should move quickly. This hae tae be a trap. He would nae hae burned this forest for naething,” Logan said. Ryan opened his mouth, as did Allan, but neither of them had the chance to speak.

There rose a groan from the men. Logan turned around. From both sides of the forest arrows came soaring through the air, creating a thick cloud that was blacker than the ash beneath their feet. While they seemed to hang in the air, rising in the arc before they descended with their points dripping with death, there came the rise of distant thunder.

Except it was no storm.

It was an army.

Men burst out of the trees, axes and blades raised in the air. Logan twisted his head from side to side, noticing the scattered banners, the mixture of armor and flesh. Some were mounted, some ran on foot. Warnock had called upon all of his remaining allies, sellswords, bandits, and anyone else he could have gathered up in is cruel hands and tossed them on the battlefield, hoping that the advance would be halted right there.

Because this was the only way to the Keep, and he knew they were coming.

“Defend yerselves,” Ryan bellowed, before sinking to his knees and drawing a shield over him.

Allan and Elliot did the same thing, as did other men, crowding together, gathering under shields that were raised over their heads. The horses were pushed and ordered away, for they had no defence.

Neither did Logan.

The horses bolted, straggling in all directions. They knew something was wrong, but they could not tell what it was. For a moment everything went still. Logan narrowed his eyes as he gazed in the air, watching the arrows as they dipped and began their descent. He clenched his jaw and gripped his sword, ready to cut them out of the air.

“Get under here, ye fool,” Angus hissed, beckoning him with an urgent hand.