All you could say was that Westminster Castle truly deserved its reputation as the military hub guarding Dunling. Its response time and efficiency were far better than expected. Kraft was still soaking and packing his equipment that very day when he received word that the party was assembled and ready to leave the next morning.
When Kraft arrived the next day with Kup and his luggage, he found a party with more horses than people. Some of the riders wore armor or mail, and each had one or two extra horses led by squires, carrying armor and other supplies.
There were more than thirty of them. From what he could tell, the packs on the horses contained at least seven or eight full suits of armor. Under ordinary circumstances, each would normally have required several attendants.
According to Wilbert, the steward, before they set out, they had wanted to bring more people. But more was not always better: adding another group of infantry would only slow them down, turning a swift march into a laborious slog and giving the other side more time to react.
"Realistically, we can't bring any more." Martin rode alongside Kraft in the middle of the party. They had been traveling for over two days along fairly good roads and were nearing their not-so-remote destination.
"Hudson Town isn't large. The manor is just one of the temporary residences the Duke uses while traveling. Usually, only a few people maintain it, and more are sent ahead to prepare when it's going to be used. At this time of year, there wouldn't be supplies to host a large number of visitors."
"This is already plenty of people. We don't need a bunch of liabilities who'd fall apart at the first fright." After spending two days with the