An Ancient Truth
Copyright© 2026 by Asa Strong
Chapter 12
Sunrise found us in our saddles, waiting for the orcs to continue with their march. We had a very early breakfast and had used up all of our remaining food. There was no doubt; we were in a very bad situation.
As I sat, facing the rising sun, I knew we were in dire straits. Without food to fuel us, we were in serious trouble. Our only hope was that Tag’ar had reached a defensible position, and we could join him before the orcs overwhelmed us. Hopefully, he would also have hunters out looking for game.
As I sat atop the hill, I could hear the orc drums to the north. Soon, we would have to face them again.
The morning played out as a repeat of the previous day. The orcs would march; we would attack as the terrain allowed, and then the orcs would regroup. It was apparent by midmorning that the enemy was starting to adjust to our methods. The lead elements of the orc army were in much tighter formation and were much less inclined to break when hit by one of our slicing attacks. We were also starting to take some casualties as well.
The orcs stopped at mid-day and set about feeding the huge army. I sat upon my horse and watched from a nearby hill as the army ate in shifts; never allowing a situation where we could strike. They maintained a strong guard, and it would be suicide to try and penetrate them.
When the orc army was once again forming up to march, I could tell that whoever was leading had made a change in how the army was being deployed. Two large groups split from the main formation: one marching to the east, the other to the west. It was immediately apparent that they were going to try and encircle us. Now we had no choice; we had to retreat and stay in front of the flanking orcs.
Gait, who was sitting on his mount beside me, said, “Donta, what now? We can’t let ourselves be caught in the middle.”
I paused a moment before answering, “We retreat and hope that Tag’ar has found a strong position. If he is still in the open, we are doomed.”
Gait didn’t say a word. He kicked his mount into action and headed off to get the elf cavalry moving. I did the same with the dwarfs.
Although our mounts were tiring, we had little trouble keeping ahead of the advancing orc column. By late afternoon, I could see the Giant Hills in the distance. Still, there was no sign of Tag’ar, except the trodden trail of his retreating army.
We caught up with Tag’ar just before sunset. He and those afoot were just entering a shallow valley between two of the smaller hills. Behind us, over the sound of our horses, I could hear the incessant drum beats of the advancing orcs.
By the time I found Tag’ar, the sun was setting to the west, and the drum beats from the orcs had ceased. We had made sanctuary, albeit with little margin for error.
The foot soldiers were still marching, and it took me a few minutes to find Tag’ar. I spied him near the front and made my way towards him.
“Tag’ar,” I announced, as I came within hailing distance. “The orcs are not far behind us.”
Tag’ar turned when he heard my voice, and then said, “Donta, we must make for the deeper valleys of the hills. We cannot hold here.”
“Tag’ar,” I answered, “you know the terrain much better than I. I’ll form the cavalry to the rear. That way, we won’t get ahead of you.”
I didn’t wait for a response from Tag’ar. I wheeled my mount and returned to our mounted troops.
After explaining the situation to Gait, we formed two rear guard units and followed the slowly advancing troops in front of us.
The moon was high when Tag’ar called a halt to the march. I couldn’t see much, as the moon, being in its quarter, shed little light. It did appear from what little I could see that we were in a deep valley, between several very steep hills.
A dwarf messenger, sent by Tag’ar, informed me that there was plentiful grass further down the valley. I motioned the mounted dwarfs forward and we continued through the mass of dwarfs and elves that were busy setting up camp.
It was apparent, as the troop unsaddled and took care of their mounts, that not only the riders, but the horses as well were spent. We had little food and unless we could find a haven for a few days, our army was in serious trouble. Elf, dwarf, and Gait and I, as well as our horses, badly needed rest and food. Sadly, I didn’t see how we would find much of either.
The faint light of early dawn found me awake. Late last night we had bedded down without a meal and I had slept little. Like most, I’m sure; my stomach was complaining about the lack of food and finding sleep had been difficult.
As the sun rose, I took a walk around our makeshift camp. I was surprised that I didn’t see any horses down. The past few days had been trying for them and I fully expected that many would not make it for lack of forage and being ridden hard. It was also apparent that our mounts were totally spent. They moved very little and were listless and spooked at the least little noise.
“Whatever comes today,” I said to myself, “we will not be able to use our cavalry.”
I looked out over our camp, and further down the valley to where Tag’ar’s foot soldiers had settled for the night. Very few dwarfs or elves were up and about. They, like our horses, had endured a horrific march over the past few days.