Free The God Warriors by Sean Liebling Page A

will know. I would tell you more, but I prefer you to be surprised by the encounter I have foreseen in the ripples of the stream of time.]
    Elsa spent the next thirty minutes trying to get a response from the goddess to no avail. Obviously, the conversation was over, and she counted herself blessed to have heard that voice. It gave her a warm and satisfied feeling inside as she fell asleep.
    "Wolf Company. Prepare to ride!" She shouted the next morning as she strode into the courtyard and gathered her troops around her.
    There was a bustle of activity, and then her men and women lined up in rows before her. Two hundred strong, she had molded them into an elite group that possibly surpassed the King’s Own. The dawn's light had broken moments before, and it was time to go on a patrol that would last almost a month. The kitchen staff had already prepared their meals, packaged neatly and placed in large saddlebags which hung from her horse's loins and rump. The bags were attached to the back of the saddle itself to keep them from slipping off during a run or canter. She knew without looking that the bags would contain fifty-six individually wrapped packages, each containing trail bread, dried meat, and cheese wrapped in kava leaves. Though the patrol would only take twenty-six to twenty-seven days, an extra day's ration was standard in case they ran into difficulty. Kava leaves were broad and very tough. When rubbed with beeswax and wrapped around food, they created an almost airtight and watertight package. They were capable of keeping rations safe from spoilage for months. Scraped, dried, and cut into uniform sheets, the leaves even created a cheap paper.
    A smaller bag attached to the top of the others would contain a waterproof skin as ground protection during inclement weather, a tinderbox with striking stone, bandages, and other assorted items needed on the trail. Two large water skins hung from her saddle horn one to each side, and her bedroll rested on top of the bags. Allowed ale or wine in the city, there were no alcoholic beverages while on patrol when their senses needed to remain sharp. Personally, Elsa thought it a wise precaution.
    "Where to this time, Captain?" asked Ricon as he rode up next to Elsa's horse.
    "Tiber pass, plus forty miles north, until we reach Fort Brandor, then back again. They're patrolling the northern passes in strength, so we need to cover their southern route for them."
    "So, basically, two extra days of patrol, but why is Fort Brandor patrolling the northern passes in strength?"
    "Unsure, other than the sound of war drums during the night and some odd sightings and disappearances of locals. Might mean war.If so, those of Brandor will squash it."
    "Aye, Captain, that they will." Ricon then turned his horse around, shouting to the assembling soldiers to hurry up. Extolling them in his kindest tones meant he was displeased, though it was hard to tell. Ricon's style involved calling them every name in the book while simultaneously questioning their parentage. Elsa grinned as she leaned back to check all her saddlebags, although Ricon had packed them, and she knew he would rather lose an arm than disappoint her. Doing so was more of an excuse to think and not have anyone bother her,and as she suspected, everything was where it should be.
    Fort Brandor was one of their largest forts. Situated at the corner of the Jordache kingdom, its garrison held almost as many troop as did the capital. Built ruggedly into the side of the Northern Mountains, it had withstood more than a few sieges. It was also the go-to place for the king and his family when there was a threat south of the capital. In other words, it was huge, easily defended, and had some of the best troops in the kingdom stationed there. Those same troops also provided a fast response and delaying force when there was an attack from the north. Because of the large number of guards stationed there, a small city had grown around the fort on