Chương 423: 418. The Compound - IV

Men rose carefully, taking care not to clink buckles or scrape metal. They made room without leaving the cover of the trees. Hudan started them slowly—arms, shoulders, legs—simple stretches held just long enough to loosen stiff joints. Then he had them jog in place, light steps, heels barely touching. Tesyb followed, keeping his breathing steady and his movements small. Hudan added short exercises after that. Squats, controlled. A few quick bursts of knee lifts.

A set of shadow strikes with empty hands, elbows kept tight so no one hit a neighbor. They did it all without speaking, and they kept the noise down to soft foot sounds in mud and cloth shifting. Tesyb felt the change in himself after a few minutes. Blood moving again. Cold easing out of his hands. Tension turning into something he could use. He saw it in the others too—backs straighter, eyes sharper, expressions set instead of restless. When Hudan signaled to stop, men dropped back down where they'd been sitting.

Nobody looked fidgety now. They looked ready. They ate another cold meal after that, chewing slowly this time, swallowing carefully. Water skins went around again. A few men wiped their hands on their trousers and checked straps one more time. Then they sat and waited. Tesyb returned to the protruding root he'd claimed the night before. It was still damp and uneven, but it was solid, and it kept him a little off the mud. He rested his hands on his knees and watched the trees.

Nurobo made another round not long after. He stopped by the guard with the twisted ankle and squatted beside him, pulling the boot back far enough to check the swelling. The guard's face tightened when Nurobo pressed lightly around the joint. Nurobo shook his head.

"You're not fighting on that." The guard sat up straighter at once.

"I can stand. I can swing a blade."

"You can limp," Nurobo said.

"That's what you can do. You'll just get yourself killed if you go with the others." The guard looked at the captain and tried to protest, but Hudan cut it off with a flat order.

"You're staying here." The guard's mouth opened like he was going to argue, but the captain continued, "We need someone to watch the supplies anyway," Feroy said.

"You'll do that. Joric'll stay here with you." Joric made a sound that wasn't quite a complaint, but it wasn't an agreement either. He glanced around the copse as if he wanted to be anywhere else. The injured guard looked like he'd swallowed something bitter. He stared at the ground for a moment, then nodded once.

"Got it." He didn't look happy, but he didn't push it further.

The day leaned toward evening. Light shifted through the trees, but the light mist stayed. The cloud cover made it hard to tell how much time was left before proper darkness. The forest felt quieter, or maybe Tesyb's ears were just searching for any sound from the compound. Then finally, Feroy came back. He moved into the copse with the same controlled pace he always used, as if he didn't want his arrival to startle anyone into noise. Hudan stood as soon as he saw him.

Tesyb rose a moment later, along with most of the guards. Feroy gathered them close, tight enough that he didn't have to speak above a low voice.

"Our scout is still watching the compound," he said.

"No changes from yesterday's schedule." Stolen novel; please report. He looked from face to face, checking that men were listening.

"No wagon came from the south today," he continued, "but three men came in through the northern gate earlier." Hudan's eyes narrowed.

"So that makes 21 bandits present at or near the compound." He glanced at the men gathered around.

"On our side, we have 31 swordsmen now. Not counting the two medics, the injured one, and Joric. We can do it without any losses on our side if we're careful." He didn't say it like a promise. He said it like a standard to aim at. Tesyb felt a few men shift at the numbers, but he saw confidence on every face. Then Feroy started laying out the terrain.

"The compound is around 400 paces to our northeast," Feroy said.

"The clay mine is around 700 paces to our north, and around 300 paces north-northwest of the compound." Tesyb pictured it as Feroy spoke, trying to set the shapes in his head. They were at the copse here. Track going south to Kirnos in the east. Compound northeast. Clay pit further north.

"It's late afternoon," Feroy continued.

"In around two hours, the slaves will start coming back with what they mined today on carts and wagons." He made a small motion with his hand, indicating a direction.

"There's a tall pile of clay gathered outside the western wall of the compound. A lot of it, and if a man stands on it, he can easily see inside. There are other smaller piles too. Torhan's likely moving only small amounts to keep prices high in Kirnos." Hudan glanced toward Nurobo—the man who'd been an archer before he started working as a medic.

"That pile," Hudan said quietly.

"Isn't that a good place to—" Feroy nodded once.

"That's the plan. I've confirmed the pile is not easily visible from the clay mine because of a patch of trees between. So the men at the mine don't have a clear line on it." A guard near the back spoke up in a whisper that still carried.

"When do we attack?"

"Within the hour," Feroy said. A few men exchanged quick looks.

"That's before sunset..." Feroy didn't pause long.

"If we wait until sunset, the bandits will be alert. That's when they make sure the slaves all come back, then they patrol around the compound a few times. That's not a good time for the assault."

"Then shouldn't we attack later in the dark when they have relaxed?" Tesyb asked. The former mercenary kept his voice even.

"If we wait another hour after that, there won't be enough light. Not with the heavy clouds. Inside the walls, there will be nearly 80 people by then, including slaves and bandits. The bandits are dressed better, built better, and armed. We can recognize who's our enemy in the daylight, but after dark? We won't know who we are killing. We can't risk that." Tesyb's fingers tightened around his spear shaft.

He didn't want to imagine it—jabbing in poor light, hearing someone scream, and not knowing until later if that was a friend or an enemy. Feroy continued.

"The bandits are relaxed right now. They're waiting for evening so the slaves can come in and cook." He glanced toward the compound's direction for a moment, then back.

"The scouts saw a deer carcass brought in this afternoon. I'm sure the bandits are salivating just thinking of having meat tonight. None of them are expecting a raid right now." Hudan's mouth tightened in something close to approval.

"Then this is the best time to attack. We'll start as soon as everyone has taken their positions." He looked at the ex-mercenary.

"The bandits are in two places right now. What do we hit first?" Feroy didn't hesitate.

"We hit the compound first. There are around a dozen bandits there—fewer than our crossbows. The south gate is also open at this time. We'll clear the compound fast, then move to the clay mine. Unless they've got horns ready to blow, the bandits at the mine won't know what's happening until we're on them. So we'll make sure anyone who looks like he could blow a horn is shot by a crossbow first." Tesyb listened, then spoke up before he could talk himself out of it.

"Wouldn't it be better to hit the mine first?" he asked.

"If they're alerted, they can hurt the slaves or run. If some of them escape, they can carry news to Torhan or to the other compound to ask for help." The captain snorted.

"No help will come in time to save this compound."

"True that." Feroy looked at Tesyb for a moment, then nodded once.

"I agree it's still a risk, but it's a risk we have to take." He kept his voice even, the way he did when he wanted everyone thinking instead of reacting.

"A few bandits may escape no matter what we do," Feroy continued.

"Our goal here isn't to make sure every bandit is dead—there are always more lowlifes to take their places in this region—and we can't hide the attack for long. Someone will visit from the other compound in the north within a day or two anyway, and they'll see what happened and inform Torhan. Our goal is to free as many slaves as we can, take any loot we can carry, and get back home.

It would have been better if Torhan was here so we could have ended him once and for all, but the scouts have been watching this place for a week already. We can't keep waiting for him to arrive, likely with more bandits." He glanced along the line of men, making sure they were following.

"So we kill as many bandits as we can, but this is their territory. They know these woods better than we do. We won't chase anyone who breaks away." Tesyb nodded. He didn't like the idea of letting the bastards run, but he understood the point. They weren't here to stay and hunt bandits for days. They were here to hit hard, and leave fast before anyone realized what happened. Feroy lifted his hand.

"Those who have crossbows, load 'em."