Chương 424: 419. Revenge - I

The men with crossbows moved at once. Tesyb watched them work in the late afternoon light—quiet hands, practiced steps. The little clicks and creaks sounded loud to Tesyb, but no one was careless. Cloth and leather muffled most of it. Feroy waited until he saw heads lift again.

"Eight of you go to the clay pile," Feroy said.

"You climb it and take position just near the top. You'll have a height advantage and a clear shot into the compound from there when the signal comes." He shifted his gaze to the remaining crossbowmen.

"The other ten will go in through the south gate. That's the main gate—the one they use for everything."

"That leaves 13 swordsmen who don't have crossbows," Feroy said.

"A scout'll stay in the tree perch to watch everything. If anyone tries to flank us from the side of the clay mine, he'll signal us. If reinforcements come for the bandits, he'll signal for that too." Tesyb's eyes went to the trees northeast of them. He couldn't see the perch from here, but he knew it was there.

"Amongst the 12 remaining men," Feroy continued, "six'll follow behind the south gate group—led by Hudan. You'll go in after the crossbows start the work. You finish what needs finishing, but if all goes well, you won't even need to lift your swords, since we have more crossbows than there are bandits in that compound." He paused, then pointed slightly with two fingers.

"The other six go to the north gate—led by Tesyb. It's usually closed. At the signal, you break it or climb over it and come in from that side, to attack any bandits in the north and flank them." Hudan nodded slowly.

"So the scout will be the one to give the signal to attack?" Feroy nodded.

"He's best placed to see when everyone has gotten in position." He looked at Nurobo.

"The two medics stay behind the groups—one with each gate entry. You don't enter first. You stay back, ready. Patch anyone who needs it. Pull wounded out if it comes to that." The medics nodded in acceptance. Tesyb waited until Feroy stopped speaking, then asked the next thing that had been bothering him.

"What about the watchtower in the compound?" Tesyb said.

"Can't they see us coming from there?" Hudan snorted, short and dry.

"I saw it. It's not a watchtower. It's hardly a raised platform." Feroy nodded.

"Even so, they can only see us coming if someone's standing on it when we attack." He looked at the crossbowmen as he spoke.

"They don't always keep a man there," he added, "but if someone is up there, he's the first one to die. The moment the men on the clay pile have range—after everyone is in position and the scout gives the whistling signal to start—they put a bolt into him. That's the first body down, and the start of the assault." Tesyb pictured it. The man was going to drop off the platform before he even understood why.

For some reason, he didn't feel any sympathy with the bandit who was going to die before he knew what was happening. Feroy continued.

"Everyone in the compound will notice it immediately, but they'll need a few moments to understand what's happening. By then, we're inside and crossbowmen will release their remaining 17 bolts—enough to kill all the bandits inside."

"It's a three-sided attack," he continued.

"Clay pile shooting will start it. South gate entry. North gate entry. If it goes right, the bandits inside the compound are dead in moments."

"That's the way I like it," Hudan grinned. No one else spoke, but there were a lot more grins and smirks on the guards' faces. A few men shifted their grips on weapons.

"Once the compound is clear," Feroy said, "four crossbowmen will stay inside to keep the slaves calm, while reloading. The rest'll move straight to the clay mine." Tesyb's expression tightened at that. He knew it would be messy there.

"That fight will be harder," Feroy said.

"The mine is spread out. The bandits don't stay in one spot. They move around." He held up his hand again.

"So we break into seven teams of four. Each team finds a bandit and kills them. You don't wander alone. You don't chase into the trees. You work your area and move on. Each team only needs to find one bandit—at most two—and send him to the goddess, and that will be enough to ensure our clear victory." Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. A guard near the back muttered, low enough that it was meant for the men beside him, not Feroy.

"This sounds… easy." Hudan heard it anyway. He turned his head and grinned, showing teeth in the late afternoon light.

"That's what it looks like when you've got numbers on your side," Hudan said.

"But it comes at a cost—Tiranat's nearly undefended right now. So we do this clean and we get back fast." Feroy's gaze swept over everyone again, steady and hard.

"You all understand what to do?" Feroy asked. Heads nodded. Some men gave short murmured answers. Nobody looked uncertain. Tesyb nodded too, and he felt his mouth pull into a grin before he could stop it. He wasn't used to having better numbers. The last time Torhan's men came to raid Tiranat, it had been the other way around—too many enemies, not enough time or men to take them on. This time, it was different. This time, it was going to be thrilling! They were going to wipe out the men who'd hurt their home.

He checked the line of faces again. Tired, dirty, tense, but ready to go. His hands also felt the grip on his spear, and he grinned harder, his heartbeat already getting faster in anticipation. It was time to teach Torhan a lesson he would never forget. Nobody touches Tiranat! Nobody harms his home and expects to stay alive for long!

The light was dropping toward sunset, but it still wasn't dark. Clouds flattened the sky and kept everything a dull gray. Most of the mist had faded, though thin patches still hung low in places where the ground dipped. Tesyb led his group of six along the edge of the compound, keeping them off the wagon track and inside the cover of trees and brush. He used hand signals more than whispers. When he did speak, it was a breath of sound close to the nearest ear. They reached the north side of the wall and slowed.

The 'wall' was a tight weave of branches lashed together, taller than it looked from a distance, rough and uneven. It was just above a man's height, with gaps where the branches didn't meet cleanly. Tesyb lowered himself into the mud and signaled the others to do the same. Five shapes settled around him, bellies down, elbows planted, heads kept low. Spears were still in their hands for the moment, held close to the ground so the tips wouldn't catch light.

He crawled forward a little and peered through one of the gaps. Inside, the compound had a small open space with packed earth, trampled paths, and a few low cabins made of rough wood. A well sat not far from the north gate. Two slave women were there, drawing water. One looked older, shoulders hunched, movements steady and careful. The other looked younger, with her hair pulled back tight and her hands moving too fast on the rope. Near the closest cabin, a bandit sat on a log with his legs stretched out.

He looked like he'd been there a while, shoulders loose, weapon within reach but not in his hands. The cabin behind him was larger than the others. Tesyb guessed it might have belonged to Torhan when he came here. Another bandit walked across the yard toward one of the further cabins, yawning. He moved with the slow pace of someone going to lie down. Tesyb watched the north gate. It was braced from the inside with a crossbar. If they tried to climb or force it open, the bandit on the log would see them.

If Tesyb waited for the signal, the first sound of fighting would put that bandit on his feet, and the nearest hostages were already right there at the well. He kept looking through the gaps, measuring distance and angles. The bandit on the log had a clear line to the gate and the well. The women were close enough that he could reach them in moments. Tesyb pulled back just enough to whisper to his men.

"We can't wait for the signal to break in. Situation's not looking good here. We'll go before the signal." Five faces turned toward him in the dim and gave nods. Nobody argued. Tesyb shifted closer to the wall again, crouching a little higher this time. His mouth was near a gap, and he kept his voice low, careful.

"Hey," he whispered, aiming the sound toward the well. It was so quiet he wasn't sure it carried. The women didn't react. He tried again, slightly louder but still tight.

"Hey! You there." The younger woman paused. She lifted her head a little, eyes scanning, uncertain. Tesyb stayed crouched and kept still. He whispered again, more direct.

"By the wall. Near the north gate." The younger woman's gaze flicked toward the gate, then toward the wall itself. She hesitated, then took a small step, then another, moving as if she didn't want the bandit to notice she was changing what she was doing. The older one gave a curious glance but returned to her task. When the younger woman got close enough, she leaned slightly toward the wall, her face turning like she was checking the lashings. Tesyb spoke through the gap.

"Don't be alarmed," he whispered.

"Don't shout. I'm here to free you and the other slaves." Her eyes widened. Her lips parted like she was about to speak. Tesyb raised a finger toward his mouth, before he realized she probably couldn't see him clearly.

"Don't say anything," he whispered.

"Just listen." She swallowed and nodded once, small and fast.

"I need you to go back to the well," Tesyb whispered.

"Distract the bandit sitting near the cabin. Make him look away from the gate. Complain to him. Anything. Just make him turn his head away." The woman's brow pinched. Confusion crossed her face. She gave another short nod anyway and stepped back from the wall.