Steel Wolf

Escape

Escape out the front of the city was impossible; there were simply too many demons and undead soldiers. A small unused gate, located at the back of the walled city, provided the answer. Not known to the general population as a working gate, it sat alone, weed-choked with various bits of debris piled against it. Close inspection of the hinges, however, revealed that it was well cared for. Able to be opened only from the inside and watched constantly by a hidden pair of local guardsmen to prevent a curious person from opening it, it provided the necessary emergency escape route.

Clearing the debris took a matter of moments, the princess slipping behind a small shed to rapidly change into apparel more suited for riding. Lieutenant Imelda Lauran led her squad through the gate, followed closely by Isarac Chesthammer in order to make sure the way was clear. It was. The whole of the invading force was pouring in through the front gates of the city. Princess Serenna trailed Scualdon Rennerfeld's group through with Tanaya and her band of death dealers directly behind. Captain MacNaulty ordered the two locals to secure the gate and led his men out of the city. The gate closed.

"WOODS!" roared Tanaya. "HARD RIDE!"

As one, the regiment spurred their Percheron chargers and blasted headlong for the grove of trees which lay one hundred yards distant. Princess Serenna Newlander let a small piece of scarlet leather slip from her petite fingers. Barely larger than a fingernail, the piece went unseen and unheeded by the regiment as it dropped to the ground to be trampled by galloping hooves.

As they slowed in the safety of the trees, Tanaya signaled to one of her battlemages and ordered that an illusion spell be placed on the princess. This way, she explained to the small young beauty, they were less likely to draw attention, as common observation would merely show a regiment of soldiers. If an unarmored person were observed within their ranks, that person would easily be identified as an important target. Since the new armor wasn't yet known throughout the land, they should be fairly safe for the time being. The mage waved her hand, a suit of armor appearing around the princess; her arms, legs, and torso seemed to grow longer as she sat astride her horse. She looked every inch the part of an elite guard.

The troops formed three concentric circles with Serenna at the very center; Tanaya and the other officers forming the next ring, sergeants, and corporals the next, and the privates in the largest circle around their precious charge.

The battlemages each threw up silence spells, causing the almost sixty horses to tread as if on air. A hunter on the other side of a small hill would never hear them as they passed. Contrary to the popular belief by those with no knowledge of magic, the silence spell was not used merely to keep a spellslinger from uttering incantations. Some mages used the spell to keep the sounds of torture quiet, some used it for more carnal purposes. Of course, a magical detection spell would pick them up, but that's a chance they'd have to take.

A small scrap of red leather, barely larger than a fingernail, fell to the ground unnoticed.

They rode deep into the woods, miles from the fallen city. The overhead foliage was thick here, giving the appearance of twilight even when at high noontide. A small stream sat directly in their path and it was getting late, the shadows now almost black. Tanaya called a halt and informed the princess that they would be spending the night in the forest.

"We're sleeping here?! In the filthy, nasty, dirty woods where all manner of unseemly and grotesque things and who-knows-what live?" the princess asked, crinkling her nose.

Tanaya dismounted and handed the reins of her horse to a warrior, watching for a moment as it was led off to drink from the stream and placed within a hastily built rope corral. She removed her helm and coif, turning back to the princess who was also dismounting, the illusion spell dissipating.