Chapter 132 Ford

"My Lord. We need to speak about the latest scouting reports."

At the captain's words, Lucien inclined his head. "Have there been any changes in their movements, Dorian?"

Dorian didn't respond immediately, his brow furrowing as he continued to watch the men drill.

After a brief moment, he finally spoke. "I sent Marcus out yesterday to see if he could spot something different from Sera. He managed to get a little closer, My Lord."

Despite what should have been good news, the captain didn't look pleased. "It is strange. Marcus's skills, while good...are not equal to Sera's when it comes to moving unseen."

Even though the captain always carried a certain reluctance when it came to the hunter, the man still had a healthy respect for her skills.

Lucien rubbed his chin in thought. "I might be mistaken...but could orcs have some way of noticing women more easily?"

When Dorian gave him a questioning look, Lucien clarified, trying to keep his tone casual in the hopes of masking what might simply be common knowledge.

"Before being appointed Lord of Ashridge, I had little reason to pay attention to beasts. But if orcs are driven to take women away, could they perhaps have some way of sensing whether a woman is nearby?"

To his relief, Dorian's brow creased, his eyes lowering in thought. "I don't believe so, My Lord...at least, it isn't something I have heard before, though a female hunter tracking orcs is unusual as well."

"That might explain why there is little information on whether they can single out a woman's presence."

The captain exhaled through his nose. "At the very least, the mages in the capital have said nothing of the sort."

It was likely that the man beside him had studied orcs whenever he had the opportunity to do so.

The subject sat too close to things Dorian rarely spoke of, so Lucien cleared his throat before carefully moving on.

"Regardless of the reason, let us not waste this opportunity. Dorian, what did Marcus find?"

Dorian folded his arms behind him. "At first, they seemed to be watching the northern road, but they have begun moving closer toward the village, My Lord."

At Lucien's narrowed eyes, the captain shook his head. "They are not planning a direct assault. They sent too few, and none of the scouts lingered for long near our side of the forest."

"But they have been watching the sawmill. There have been a few reports from the workers here about strange noises and sightings near the treeline late in the evenings."

Lucien turned toward the northern treeline. "They're getting bolder...daring to come this close."

A scoff left Dorian's mouth, though he quickly stilled it when Lucien glanced at him, brow raised.

"Orcs are not as cunning as goblins, My Lord. If not for that variant...I suspect they would have attempted an attack by now."

Looking toward the men drilling, Lucien let out a breath. "Is that why you've been drilling the men here, Dorian? Tempting them to test our defenses?"

Dorian inclined his head. "If they come at us in a full-on assault, I will of course order a retreat behind our walls. But I had hoped to lure a few out so we might cull their numbers."

"Given how orcs...increase their ranks, killing even a few would give us a significant advantage."

"But they haven't taken the bait," Lucien guessed, a hand coming up to rub his temple. "Likely because of the variant commanding them."

The captain glanced at the guards briefly, then jerked his head toward a spot farther from them.

They walked a short distance away, out of earshot, before Dorian gestured to the Easthollow River. "Marcus found broken reeds and orc prints in the mud near the bank, My Lord."

"One of the tracks...the water had already washed most of it away by the time Marcus found it."

He seemed to hesitate before continuing slowly. "They might be trying to ford the river."

Lucien's eyes widened slightly before he remembered what Sera had written that morning. He turned toward the riverbank, eyes narrowing in recollection.

"Sera...after finding that she couldn't get closer to the orcs safely, began watching them from a distance instead, trying to hear their movements."

He turned back to Dorian. "She was going to the eastern fields today to check the other side of the river."

A furrow formed on the captain's brow. "She went off on her own again, My Lord?"

Lucien exhaled faintly before inclining his head. "Yes. She's been going out almost daily now...the only times I have seen her are when she visits Cora."

"My Lord...we cannot afford to lose our best hunter on risky scouting missions. If the orcs have some means of detecting her, then it would be safer to keep her at the watchtowers instead."

The captain's words only made his hand come up to his temple again.

"I tried asking her to go with Marcus. To have someone watching her back, just in case."

At Dorian's questioning look, Lucien's expression turned dry. "She refused."

"Firmly," he added, exchanging a glance with the captain.

Dorian looked away, a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth. "I am sure she has her reasons, My Lord."

That only made Lucien rub the bridge of his nose. "When I asked who she would accept beside her, she pointed at me."

Immediately after, the captain faced him again with an expression as close to incredulous as his restraint allowed.

Lucien let out a sharp breath. "Yes. That was exactly how I responded. Apparently, Marcus doesn't count as sufficient for her."

"...What exactly is her criteria, My Lord?" Dorian asked, a rare mix of amusement and exasperation on his face.

"Another hunter."

Dorian turned to him slowly, his mouth opening before Lucien cut in, his expression flat.

"Yes, I know...but she doesn't see it that way."

The captain looked as though he had several things to say and had chosen none of them.

After a moment, the man cleared his throat. "Then Sera may have reached the same conclusion," Dorian said, wisely choosing to change the subject.

The captain gestured toward the riverbank. "Marcus noted that the water runs lower in some places. Specifically, nearer to the water gates..."

His words trailed off, though Lucien immediately understood.

"It is likely due to the current weakening after the construction of the water gates. No need to mince words with me, Dorian."

Lucien's gaze shifted toward the water gates. "I had planned to build a wall extending past the sawmill, so this was a vulnerability we could have avoided."

"You could not have foreseen this, My Lord. Mages have studied their behavior for ages, and even they would not have been able to predict an orc band's movements," Dorian replied, glancing at him.

For a time, they remained silent as the harsh breaths of the drilling guards and the turning of the sawmill washed over them.

Lucien let the thought settle for only a moment before forcing himself back to the problem in front of them.

Clasping his hands behind his back, his gaze lowered. "The men on night duty...did they see any sign of movement near the Easthollow River last night?"

"No, My Lord. After Marcus came to me with his report, I ordered men with sharper eyes posted along the northern wall and told them to pay particular attention to that area."

Dorian gestured toward the palisade walls. "In the day, they can see well enough despite the distance, but once night falls, the men posted there can barely see past the treeline."

Tapping his foot lightly against the ground, Lucien's eyes shifted between the riverbank and the palisade walls. "Then let us give them enough light to see."

He gestured toward the ground near the river. "We build fires near the suspected crossing, enough to make the bank visible from the wall. Can we spare that much, Dorian?"

The captain's brow furrowed. "Not along the whole bank, My Lord. Not unless you wish to empty every store of pitch, tallow, and lamp oil we have."

"But a few fixed fires near the suspected crossing...that is possible," Dorian said, his gaze moving toward the bend in the river. "Raised baskets filled with dry scrap from the sawmill, or resinous wood if Harlon has any."

"With enough pitch-soaked cloth...yes, I believe it would provide enough light for the men to see, My Lord."

When it looked like Dorian had more to say, Lucien gestured for him to speak.

"The orcs...they can simply destroy what we build in the night, My Lord. We could hit them with the windlass crossbows, but with only two, even if we asked the women to take the night watch there..."

Lucien gave a nod. "Let them destroy it, Dorian. Ensure that the fires we prepare don't cost us too much, so they can be replaced again."

"I want to see how they respond once they know we are watching that crossing as well."

He needed more information about his enemy, and a few signal fires were a small price to pay.

"We keep track of their movements for the next few days. While doing so, we will have to come up with a plan to take the initiative from them," Lucien continued, his eyes shifting to the treeline.

"...You mean to launch an assault on them first, My Lord?"

Lucien shook his head. "No. At least, not until we learn more about their numbers and movements. But letting them linger near our borders like this isn't an option either, Dorian. For now, trade can flow through Cragwatch from Helvarn..."

He let out a breath. "But merchants will avoid Ashridge if the orc band remains a threat for too long."

Both men fell silent for a long moment as they considered the implications.

As Lucien was about to dismiss the captain, he stopped halfway at the man's gesture.

"My Lord, the child...Cora, was it? Has she woken yet?"

Lucien's hand stilled at his side.

For a moment, the sound of the drilling men behind them seemed to grow louder.

"...Yes. I had just visited her before coming here."

Slowly, Dorian inclined his head. "And how is she, My Lord?"

At those words, Lucien let out a breath. "Not well, Dorian. She could barely speak to me compared to her usual self."

"Someone who failed to awaken properly often fares worse, My Lord. For the one who performed the ritual...and for those around them," Dorian replied, his tone more careful than usual.

Lucien turned to the captain, a suspicion lingering in the back of his mind.

Upon seeing that, Dorian exhaled before speaking.

"Elias came to me about the girl, My Lord, and his...concerns regarding your decision."

"My decision?" Lucien asked, his tone sharper than usual.

"Whether to send her to the capital." Dorian's eyes met his own. "You know Ashridge cannot do anything to help her, My Lord."

"I will not separate a child from her parents, Dorian."

The captain shook his head. "A Wild Mage is dangerous, My Lord. You must have heard the stories in the capital. It is why even noble children are sent to the Academy despite protests from lords and ladies."

"Even His Majesty's daughter is not exempt from that rule, My Lord."

The fact that King Abel had children shouldn't have surprised him, though the sudden mention still made him pause.

Keeping his expression carefully neutral, Lucien glanced at the man beside him. "Even if I were to agree, I have my doubts as to whether the mages in the Academy could truly help, Dorian."

At the captain's raised brow, Lucien continued, dispelling any misunderstanding before it could form. "I do not doubt that they would have the best chance. But the cases you heard about...did those same children try the ritual in a place like the mana-infused area near here?"

"...No. I don't know the details, but I believe they would have followed whatever arcane books they managed to get their hands on from the academy's library or old collections." Dorian's gaze shifted briefly toward the river. "And places like that aren't found anywhere in the heartlands."

Before he could respond to that, however, the captain cut in.

"But the capital is still the best place to help her, My Lord."

As much as Lucien wanted to deny it, he knew Dorian was right.

His eyes moved toward the riverbank. "Let me think further on this, Dorian."