Lord Soth by Edo van Belkom Page A

it while they indulged on food, ale and wine in celebration. Fortunately for Soth and the people of Halton, it simply meant that the ogres’ celebration would be short-lived.
    “Did you get a chance to learn where the ogres are located?” asked Soth.
    “Most of them, milord,” said Pike.
    “I saw some too,” offered Hender.
    “Excellent,” said Soth. Then in a slightly louder voice. “We’ll break for a short rest here. When we mount again, we’ll be riding into battle.”
    He dismounted and began studying the map the rider had drawn back at Dargaard Keep. In comparing it to what was known about the ogres by Hender and Pike, it became clear that, despite what the rider had said about them at Dargaard Keep, these ogres preferred to stick close together.
    According to Hender, most of the ogres had gathered in the middle of the village around the open meeting place called Center Square. From there, four pathways led out in four basic directions: north, south, west and east. The pathway leading into the village from the north was the largest of the four and could easily be considered a road. It was the village’s main connection to Dargaard Keep to the north and the path most often traveled by villagers. The path heading west was also fairly wide and well maintained. This was the path that hooked up with the trail that led to Vingaard Keep, another stronghold of the Knights of Solamnia. The path south was thin and seldom used, stopping at the edge of Halton Wood, a thick, dark forest that had, up until now, served as a buffer zone between the farmers and the ogres living in Throtyl to the south. The path leading east was also a short one, leadingto a single farmhouse and a trail that led up the side of one of the Dargaard range’s more majestic peaks.
    It was this path that the knights decided on utilizing. It was likely that the ogres had posted guards on the main north-south road, so they would gain some measure of surprise by coming at them out of the mountains from the east. It was also a safer plan for the villagers given that most of them were being held up in the two large homes on the west side of the main road. If the knights were successful, they’d be able to overpower the ogres long before they had a chance to harm any of their prisoners.
    So, armed with a rough battle plan, they set out around midday, riding halfway up the slopes of the Dargaard Mountains in the hopes of remaining unseen by any scouts or guards the ogres might have stationed around the perimeter of the village. As they got closer to Halton, however, it became more and more apparent that the ogres didn’t perceive there to be much of a threat from outside forces. There were no guards, no sentries, nobody on the rooftops overlooking the countryside. Nevertheless, Soth kept the knights hidden on the mountainside in order to assure they retained the element of surprise.
    “Is this the path?” Soth said in a whisper, even though such precautions were proving to be less and less necessary.
    “Yes, milord,” said Pike. “It curves a little to the right before joining up with the others in the center of town. There is a farm house on the right of it halfway between here and the center of town. On the left there’s a small creek that feeds into a large pond which is where the farmers get most of their water during the dry summer seasons.”
    “Very good,” said Soth. He took a look around him to see if all of the knights were close at hand. They were. “Farold!”
    “Yes, milord,” came the curt, matter-of-fact reply.
    “You will take your men across the field there,” said Soth, pointing to the open field below. The grain was nearing harvest and stood as tall as a man, if not taller. “Leave your mounts behind and secure the trade post and mercantile before joining me in the center of town.”
    Farold nodded and dismounted. The three knights under his command also dismounted, leaving their horses to the villagers. In a minute the