[Nogrod]

Thydrë was relieved to fly through the landscape. She enjoyed this crisp morning gallop to the fullest. And so did Sythric. But soon Sythric came to think about things, and kind of catched on the problems he was facing. He was used to ride dangerous missions with men like him, or Raedwald: battle-hardened professionals. During the later days, he had also joined similar missions, with able-bodied men, at least knowing the trade somewhat, and under a decent leadership. At both occasions, he had been able to trust, that everyone along would know the basic manouvers, would be able to defend himself in trouble for awhile, would know what to wait for, would have a stern heart, would know who to aid first...

He was also used to ride with young people like these, a bit younger maybe, but not so much. And anyhow, at least Fion and Athwen could have been his apprentices. But then, he had been their warm-hearted tutor and teacher, and there had been no real danger. Now it was different. There were so many factors to pay heed to!

Don’t delve into these things now, my man! Enjoy the ride as you used to – and do a good job! With Gillsfang, all would have been different: she would have chosen the track by experience and instinct, but with Thydrë it was different. She had been scouting only a couple of times, and thence had to be steered all the time. Needing to take care of their path badly broke his concentration of the surrounding landscape. “You’ll learn one day my girl, you’ll learn”, he whispered to Thydrë’s ear, as they galloped forwards through small gorges and beside lesser hills. How long a time will we be allowed to practise these things?

As he had volunteered to scout, he had already marked the one bit higher hill than the others, some twenty miles ahead of them to their right, as a place to go for. Using all the natural covers, he had approached it from the small gorge, as unnoticeably as possible – and had found the lower edge of it quite empty. So he started climbing up the lower slope and looked back. The party was riding two or three miles behind him with steady pace. Vaenosa was speeding forwards ahead of them, almost at the level of himself, and just passing out of sight, behind a small knoll, some two miles away south, south-east. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful from this higher vantagepoint.

Soon he got to the top of the hill. He jumped off Thydrë, patted her easily and encouraged her to take some rest, fastly unpacking the couple of the heaviest packages on her. Then he walked the few steps to the highest point of the hill, and took a look around. In bright daylight, he could fathom out the silhouette of Croacht up north. Croacht, the biggest and most important city of the Rohanian Wold-land. The city where he – and Raedwald – had spent their prime-years, almost fifteen of them: riding as the defenders of the Wold, but in the first place, as the defenders of that city. There it laid, seemingly intact, as there were no great smoke rising on above the horizon from the city, or any great armies marching over the land towards it. Sythric was so relieved! Good earth, bless my eyesight at this moment!, he thought to himself. This was the sight he had wanted to see, and been afraid not to have seen. And the best was, that he couldn’t find out any larger or smaller bands of orcs or easterlings going around the landscape. The plains were just empty of movement, the few individual groups of people, seeming refugees, notwithstanding. Of course there could be anything behind any one of those hills, cliffs, hillocks, coppices or small woods about, but still, the scenery looked calming enough.

Sythric walked to the southside of the hilltop and took a look towards the route their party was taking. Farther in the distance, there was a small hillock, covered by some trees. That could be a perfect place for the afternoon break – and some light-lunch! Sythric became aware of his stomach giving its view of things by a great rumble. He was hungry indeed. Just a lunch and some rest before the afternoon ride. And I still have those chickens! What could this Dorran-guy come up with them? That's the place.

He re-packed Thydrë, regretting it to her, and mounted again. He was surely relieved, almost happy. His worst fears had not shown to be true, as Croacht seemed to be still standing. Maybe the enemy was not so strong after all to lay all the Wold in fire? Maybe these were just concentrated, but still minor attacks, not the full war he had feared?

He reached the wood by the hillock sometime after the mid-day. Vaenosa was riding towards him, somewhat to the east of him, about a mile away. He had shown her all possible handsigns to show the place he meant, and Vaenosa had turned towards him some time ago. Sythric jumped down at the edge of the trees and was about to unpack Thydrë, as his eyes got notice of something. There were wide scratches at the barks of the trees near him, one tree had been fallen quite recently, and the boulder beside them had been rolled out of its place. He started studying the ground more carefully. Judging from the marks and footprints, there had been a party here, not more than two days ago. And that had been a party of orcs, not men! He was familiar enough with these traces to interpret them with some confidence. He remounted Thydrë in haste, taking a look at the immediate surroundings: they had come from the east and continued towards the west...

He heard Vaenosa coming and turned to face her. As she was some twenty yards away, he shouted: "Orcs! No more than two days ago, maybe nearer, going westward! We should rest here for a while, but this is grim news indeed!"