The Emeralds

XIII

- What about the company on the eastern flank? Do the scouts have any news? - Asked the irritated wolf.

- No news Rainer. - Olaf replied, trying to clean the blood trails from his chainmail in the melted snow. - The eastern flank has been carved into a stump. Agree with it finally, they died.

- You can't be sure of that. - Rainer objected, curving his lips and making a reflexively menacing face.

- I'm sure, and I urge us to move. - Olaf continued. - Every day of delay is a risk we can't afford to take... In fact, I'm not insisting. I demand a complete retreat.

Rainer turned his head, which for days had been smeared with traces of the blood of the enemies the wolf had killed during the battle at the walls of Jarl Knut's settlement. Everything had happened so fast that the man hadn't even had time to wash away the traces of the battle.

The rebel forces had been split into smaller clusters and were all hiding in the forests at the foot of the mountains. The man knew that every day of delay waiting for the survivors of the battle was gradually draining his strength. People were freezing to death in their sleep, others were deserting and still others were starving. The day of the failed negotiations with Magnar will long be remembered as the day the wolf suffered a severe defeat on the battlefield. Only thanks to Thorstein's plan to deploy a part of his forces in the surrounding woods, Rainer's army was not completely defeated. Had it not been for the blizzard that raged during the battle, the rebels would not have been able to escape without leaving traces in the snow. The fact that they are alive is therefore due to the weather and Thorstein's plans.

Magnar's plan was really, really simple. His own hidden army was to go around the main rebel force and attack them from the flank. The strategy planned by Lynx prevented encirclement and provided an opportunity to escape the battlefield. If not for that, the civil war would have actually ended that day.

- Good. - Agreed Rainer with a grim face. - Order a general retreat.

- I would have done it anyway. - Replied the upset bear, who then threw a bloody cloth straight into the snow. - I knew it was a trap. Fuck, I knew it.

- Since you knew, you could categorically advise against these negotiations. - Thea spoke up, picking herself up on a thick branch as the woman was limping on one leg after the battle. The woman was also marked with numerous traces of her opponents' blood. - It was not a smooth victory. Magnar now suffers from the same problems we did.

- As far as I can see, we lost, and in almost the worst way we could. - Olaf replied jealously. - We are used to eliminating one Jarl after another. Magnar is not just some average Jarl. He is an outstanding strategist and warrior who personally trains his warriors. Rainer underestimated him. I wonder what made you make such costly and unwise decisions?

As Olaf spoke these words, he looked towards the bound Colin sitting under a tree with hatred in his eyes. Sitting next to him was his foster uncle, who had maintained since the battle had ended that he had no idea of Magnar's plans. Rainer knew that words alone would not be enough to save Colin's life after such a turn of events. Especially since Rainer felt his position of leadership weaken after being fooled by these supposed sincere intentions of Magnar.

Colin had not exchanged a word with the man since Rainer escorted him to the tent on the night of the negotiations. On the one hand, the boy had not even had time to recover from the shock of the news of his mother's death. On the other hand, he was probably not a little surprised when his father decided to risk his life. The boy escaped with his life only because Rainer arrived on the battlefield in time and ordered the evacuation of the prisoners to the forest for two reasons.