We moved further around the area. The goblins worked enthusiastically stripping valuable from the corpses.

“Finally,” Arlene exclaimed with a loud voice as she passed another corpse, “they got what they deserved. Like they say, crime rarely pays.”

“Our luck does not shine forever. Next time, we cannot count on our opponent to commit so many mistakes,” I muttered while lowering my tone.

“In fact, they had two crucial failures in their well laid out plan.” Vitalia supported my claim with her sentences.

“Well for one, those two shields and Halberds would have been better for fighting in a plain but in a thick forest and uneven terrain, that phalanx loses to mobility. The thick growth would also hinder swinging the halberds to their full potential. That much is clear. But on the other side, if I were to go against dire boars, phalanx and halberdiers are the two units I would utilize.” The ranger looked towards the fae as she completed her assessment.

“That is one of their mistakes but their most important blunder is lack of information or rather incorrect processing of information. They knew exactly the composition of the Aberrant Irregulars. They knew we have two dire boars. But this is where they failed to process the information. Our opponents presumed that we would use the dire boars for a charge as a standard shock troop or cavalry. Hence the spiked tower shields and Halberds.” I elaborated.

“An incorrect presumption. Their biggest blunder,” Vitalia supported my assessment again, “and no doubt, we will not be falling into the same trap.”

“Understood, We will not ignore their threat since we defeated them now. “ Arlene grasped the gist of our current discussion.

“Now we need all the information about these pretend-deserters” I spoke while adjusting my cloak.

“For one we know they are not deserters but a quickly assembled band to target our new friend,” Arlene uttered as she fell behind me and continued, “which, by the way, I still find it hard to believe that Dar would be involved in anything.”

“Second, they have enough resources to quickly arrange a well-armed band. Magistra, “ Vitalia used my honorific, “correct me if I am wrong but my opinion is that they are not just some put together patchwork band. These men are trained and disciplined and they were mobilised at short notice.”

“And whoever dispatched them would have a more trained unit available at their disposal,” I finally uttered the problem that has been nagging at the back of my mind.

“Any ideas on their identity or their aim?” It was Vitalia’s turn to put the question in our midst.

“I scrapped the black soot from one of the shields. There is a coat of arms.” This time it was Arlene’s turn to surprise us.

“And?”

“well, that is it. I do not recognise the house or which Noble they belong to,” Arlene shrugged. Her body language clearly indicating that this is outside her field of expertise.

“Describe it,” Vitalia said the words, though it was more of a command.

“Some dagger or sword cutting a thorny leafy branch. But it appeared as if pruning the vegetation if I were to describe the visual effect.”

I looked apprehensively towards Vitalia but she seemed lost in her thoughts.

“I can’t say I recognise the house and my memory goes a long way back,” the fae finally acknowledged her ignorance, “but maybe looking at it might help retrieve my memory.”

“Now, as for what they are after,” I lowered my voice to a whisper, “what do you know about Dar’s past?”

“He has always been a peddler,” Arlene answered bluntly.

“Family?”

“Not sure if he has one, never mentioned any,” the ranger was quick with her answer.

Theko who has been till now silently following us while busying himself with collecting various spoils of war cleared his throat and finally mustered the courage to speak.

“Dark Mistress, I say,”

“Sure Theko, your opinions are valued. Let us see what you have.” I encouraged Theko. I was finally happy to have Theko emerge from his silent shell.

“Dar sleep with human warchief wives. maybe daughters. Warchief angry and sends more warrior to kill.”

One of these days, when the weather is favourable, I resolved to have a conversation with Theko. I was especially interested in finding out where Theko gets his inspirations from.

“Naah,” Arlene responded to Theko, “Dar is not the type to roll in sheets. He has always been respectful even with the gypsy girls. Sure he flirts here and there but that is the extend of his advances. Moreover, he is never the type to take risks.”

“Maybe it is not personal. But more a matter of principle.” Vitalia declared.

“Looking at our enemy, I think the same, but then who did he cross or rather what did he do to warrant such an action?” Even though I formulated the question, I was not expecting any reasonable answer.

“He is a peddler, who else to better know overland smuggling routes than a peddler.” Vitalia was the first one to put forward a postulate. “Perhaps, he helped the smugglers or racketeers avoid authorities, showed them the paths and now they want him dead. Or probably another rival crime group? maybe he decided to break and start on his own. Such actions do not fly well with illegal guilds.”

“Probably not, “ I countered the fae’s opinion, “Now, I am not saying this is totally not possible, but very unlikely since the attackers have a coat of arms. Thieves guild, assassins guild and the like do not issue weapons with a coat of arms.”

“Perhaps, the weapons and armours were stolen?” Arlene offered an alternative view.

“Yes but in case you did not realise, the heraldry sign was very vague. I suspect it did not belong to any house, to begin with.”

“That leaves us with his wares. Maybe the answer lies in what he transports. Since our attackers were also keen on the wagons or their contents. Any contraband or controlled substance? Arlene, would you be able to infer their contents?” I requested.

“There would be no need for that. As soon as the ordeal began, I checked their goods. Nothing interesting there. Mostly, wool, trinkets, some household items, pots, vessels nothing of any interest. Not even any arcane artefacts. Just simple common products.” Vitalia voice sounded clear through the silent forest.

We completed our initial round and it was time to return to the camp.

It was Vitalia who broke our silence again. “I would advise addressing these issues directly with Dar. An open conversation would clear a lot of our speculations.”

I pondered over the fae’s suggestions. Or rather on how to tactically refuse her advice.

Arlene again broke the silence. “I should confess something at this point”

Her statement intrigued both of us.

“In fact, during the other night, when I suggested that we did not talk about Nemeash. It was a lie.” She confessed.

I pulled a stoic expression trying to hide my annoyance. This is not the time for that. Vitalia’s visage masked her immediate feelings. Though Theko’s expression became livelier.

“We, or rather, Razzia was indeed interested in Nemeash but not in usual sort of way, the way a girl fancies. She wanted to know how he earns his coins and what sort of things he barters and who he hangs out with.”

“You should have said this before.” I admonished Arlene for her tardiness. “Did she ever mention why she was interested?”

Arlene pouted a bit but after a bit of coaxing from Theko, she opened up.

“Razzia mentioned that she has seen him dining in finest establishments and residing in high-end inns. So she wanted to know how he makes his fortune.”

“Now that changed everything.” Vitalia agreed with a renewed enthusiasm.

I recalled the way Nemeash held his own against two armoured opponents and even managed to disarm them. There is definitely more to Nemeash than a simple peddler. He has skills, skills that do not fit with the profile of a simple vagabond.

“I bet, it might actually be Nemeash who they were targeting. We should keep an eye on him as well” reckoned Arlene.

“Ever wondered how a girl who panhandles for a living knows who dined at a fancy restaurant or who lives in an upscale inn? Those are not the district where one would expect her to hang out. I would say Razzia is even more mysterious than Nemeash.”

And with that our list of suspects grew to three.