261

Within the hour you arrive at a junction where the track leaves the forest and joins the beaten road that runs from Tido to Tekaro. This highway borders upon the seemingly endless expanse of the Slovarian Plain, a verdant grassland that stretches away into the far distance. You scan the rolling horizon, wary of the enemy, yet you see little there save for a few wild stallions.

You turn your horses towards Tekaro and ride on at a comfortable pace. As the morning unfolds, Rouf tells you something of the battles fought across the plains during the past weeks. ‘This is cavalry country,’ he says. ‘Fighting here is like warring upon the high sea. Swift movement and striking power are the keys to victory. We Slovians are great horsemen and great soldiers and long have we been masters of this land. Our generals boasted that we would destroy the plodding Eldenoran infantry on the open plain, but we had never before encountered the Vorka. Those demons have been our undoing. They can run like ravening wolves and fight as hard as any knight in armour. Alas, if only we knew how to destroy them … ’

Rouf asks you about your mission but wisely you decline to give him any details. ‘It is not that I do not trust you,’ you say, sincerely, ‘but it is best you do not know. The Eldenorans are not above torturing their captives. If by chance you should be captured again, they will not make you tell what you do not know.’

During the afternoon you pass several Eldenoran riders bound for Tido. Some jeer at Rouf in passing, but none delay nor prevent you from continuing on your way. As night approaches, you reach a junction where a dirt track joins the road from the west. Rouf informs you that this trail leads to his uncle’s cabin in the woods. You follow the track for three miles until you reach a mound of stones topped by a wooden flagpole fixed with a ragged Slovian flag. When Rouf sees the flag he immediately signals you to halt.

‘Something’s wrong,’ he whispers. ‘That flag … it’s upside down. It’s a warning sign.’

Quietly you dismount and tether your horses among the trees before approaching the cabin on foot. It rests at the bottom of a shallow ravine and is surrounded by a number of smaller wooden outbuildings. Three saddled horses are tied to a rail beside the main cabin and, when you magnify your vision, you see that their saddles are identical to your own. They are Eldenoran army mounts. Cautiously you approach the cabin and peer in through a side window. Rouf gasps when he sees his Uncle Prizo and Aunt Fie, for they have been tied to chairs and placed back-to-back in the middle of the cabin. Three burly Eldenorans are looting their home and you can hear them threatening to kill them if they do not reveal where they have hidden their gold. The threats make Rouf’s blood boil. He urges you to help him attack the Eldenorans and save his kinfolk, but you are wary of rushing headlong into the cabin. Clearly the Eldenorans are worthless thieves and to attack them may endanger Prizo and Fie’s lives.

If you wish to wait and observe them for a few minutes longer, turn to 21.

If you decide it is best to do as Rouf insists and attack the Eldenorans quickly, turn instead to 168.