The captain at the head of the group was panting hard, his face filled with the excitement and tension of a hunter who had spotted prey.
"Lord! To the southwest, near Tar Valley, we found a force of Sauron scout cavalry—around twenty or thirty riders! Judging by their gear and horses, they're elite mounted scouts from the Sauron main force. We were too few, so after one exchange we pretended to retreat. They pursued us for a short distance, then seemed to grow wary and pulled back into the valley!"
Tar Valley? The staff officer beside him swiftly pointed out the terrain on the map while still mounted.
It was an important passage linking the northern mountains to the southern hilly plains. The valley road was not especially broad, but it was wide enough for an army and its baggage train to pass through.
If Harald wanted to swiftly transport the great numbers of people and supplies he had plundered back beyond the pass, Tar Valley was one possible route.
More importantly, the skirmish with the scout cavalry and the Saurons' cautious reaction suggested that an important Sauron force was very likely there—or at least prey worth hunting. Otherwise, they would not have sent elite mounted scouts forward to keep watch and seal off information.
"Pass the order to the entire army." Karl hesitated no longer. His riding crop pointed southwest, and his voice was decisive as iron. "Turn south for Tar Valley! Increase our speed!"
Almost at the same time, within Tar Valley.
A huge, utterly chaotic column crawled laboriously along the winding valley road like a bloated, sluggish giant python.
At the front and along both flanks of the column rode fierce Sauron Cavalry, mounted on stolen or privately owned warhorses, their eyes vigilantly sweeping the cliffs on