We travelled fast, not rushing, just fast, steady and in control. A mountain range to the left of us, Orc territory to the other.

  Despite being hours, everyone was still tense. Gaston was at his auto-fire crossbow contraption. Isabelle and Emila both rode with telescopes in hand, often checking the distance. Emelia rode vanguard, followed by Layla and Juniper in their chariot, and the carriage. In rearguard were Isabelle and Tuana.

  Emelia may have been retired, however she had clearly not lost any of her sharp senses. Her fist raised following a look down her telescope. The caravan slowed steadily to a halt. FarSight showed me why.

  Emelia rode up to between the chariot and carriage. She waited for the rearguard to both arrive beside her, before speaking.

  "Suspicious foliage up ahead, and a disturbance along the track. Let's backtrack to fork in the road and take the mountain path— Now!"

  There was no arguing, we turned and headed back. Several bushes looked like branches stuck in the ground, debris just about visible, suggesting their leaves were falling off, dead and drying in the sun. It was hard to see at that distance, but there looked to have been green and brown bundles behind the "bushes". A line across the track looked freshly dug up.

  "I'm scouting ahead!" Called out Emelia, racing ahead.

  . . .

  We reached the fork and began navigating the sharp turn as Emelia came down the mountain track. I had a bad feeling...

  "Looks clear." She stated, I doubted she'd gone that far up.

  "HOLD!" I shouted.

  Johann eased the horses to stop, soon as they did, I stood up.

  "It was too obvious. And not far from this fork. It's as though it was meant to be seen, it would naturally make anyone come back here."

  Nods from Emelia, Isabelle and Johann.

  "But what else can we do, if you suspect a trap up there?" Asked Gaston.

  "We go further into orc land, around that possibly false ambush setup, via the inside." Stated Emelia, casting a suspicious eye up the mountain path.

  "No, something less predictable. There weren't many bushes, Orcs aren't so friendly, even amongst themselves. It's unlikely to be two behind each. Let's charge through." I said.

  "I approve! Shall we do that?" Asked Amanda, leaning out of the carriage.

  "Get to use this." Said Gaston, slapping the side of his creation.

  "We can't stay stopped like this any longer. Johann, Isabelle?" Inquired Emelia.

  "Inland or charge, I don't like the look of that mountain path." Shouted Isabelle.

  Johann remained quiet for a moment longer.

  "If we hadn't seen it sooner, we may have opted for inland straight away, they'd know that. I didn't see what you saw, but a few suspicious bushes, something along the track? We can't risk the track, but if we charge and go just a little inside, we should get around pretty quick. It'll have to be pretty much full speed. I'm for that, hit and run."

  "Everyone agree?" Called out Emelia, making it sound more a command than a question, in many ways it was, we needed to move. Layla, Tuana and Juniper, all looking a little lost, nodded along with everyone else.

  As the caravan turned, Amanda hopped out with her glaive, switching places with Juniper. Layla had a spear borrowed from her clan, but was happy to take the reins, letting Annabelle be the chariot's weapon.

  We started at a steady pace.

  My keen eyes detected movement high up in the mountains, up ahead Emelia threw a glance that way too. The ambush there must have spotted us turning around. Everyone was silent, Johann knew this carriage and its horses, we were waiting on his command.

  The bushes emerged from the haze, clearer to the naked eye.

  "We need archers ahead." I said to Johann, he nodded.

  I ducked into the carriage, picking up a crossbow and spare bolts. Gaston had said I could use it. I squeezed past Gaston's legs, the opposite side to Juniper comforting the baby. Slid a bag of skirret over to the rear gate, I laid down, crossbow leant on the edge of the rear gate.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  A sharp whistle was Johann's call for Isabelle to come forward. She galloped past, I felt her glance my way, but focused on the dust heading down the mountain. Thankfully Tuana rode to the side, so she could see ahead, inadvertently allowing me to see clearer behind.

  "Now!" Hollered Johann. "Juniper, put down the baby and take the reins!"

  The carriage lurched picking up speed. With farsight I saw donkey or mule mounted orcs, rounding the fork, coming after us. Two had horses, upon seeing us, the two orcs started whipping hard. Not within range yet of this crossbow.

  Beside me, Juniper placed the baby within an armoured cot/pod, closing the padded and ventilated lid.

  Up ahead Isabelle fired from horseback, the arrows struck the bushes. Nothing moved.

  "STAY ON THE TRACK!!" Screamed Emelia, spotting suspicious mounds and the tips of spikes— buried caltrops! A disgusting, utterly inhumane weapon- treaties among many kingdoms had banned their use. Placed just the other side of the bushes, where we had aimed to pass. The carriage had started to veer right, now it course corrected. Johann slowed as did the chariot.

  Emelia galloped ahead to inspect the line, she fired a crossbow bolt at the line as she approached— nothing. She dismounted before her horse had even fully stopped, kicking the line to uncover its secrets.

  "A shallow trench of oil, containers covered in old sheets behind the fake bushes, it's mostly for show!" She shouted to us, jumping back onto her horse.

  "Ahead, Right!" Shouted Isabelle, as orcs emerged from the woods in that direction.

  We started going full speed again. Meanwhile at the back, the horseback orcs were catching up.

  Flaming arrows struck a couple containers as we neared. Too late, we had already passed over the dug out, and roughly covered line, whatever dirty oil they had used was slow to ignite. The barrels ignited, but didn't explode till they were well within my view.

  Boom! ... Boom!

  Both barrels exploded, the line too erupted, showcasing the brilliance of orc timing. The tactics however... they were something new. Johan was shooting arrows, as was Isabelle.

  I heard clicking from behind me.

  Tack-tack-tack-tack-tack!

  Gaston was firing. I saw Tuana start throwing flaming hammer constructs, I could almost make out Ilmarinen's form shimmering, overlaying hers.

  The horseback orcs from behind us jumped the flaming line. I focused, controlling my breathing, I took aim, adding dark magic poison to the bolt. Holding my breath for a moment I squeezed the trigger.

  The closest orc took the bolt centre mass, a beat later starting to slow.

  I started cranking the mechanism to reset the string.

  "RARRR!" Roared Anabelle, cleaving through an orc stupid enough to have been in the way of her glaive. The carriage jumped and crashed back down, slightly winding me, as the orcs body passed underneath.

  Tack-tack-tack-tack-tack!

  I could hear screams and wails of struck orcs. Orc archers struck the canopy of the carriage, over the sound of death and carnage, the baby was crying.

  I steadied myself and took aim at the second horse rider, headed straight for an unaware Tuana. She was still throwing out fiery hammers. Close enough, there was no need for fancy sniping. My bolt struck the orc in the throat.

  The bolt whizzing past her, made Tuana glance my way, then behind her. We both witnessed the orc crash off his horse. The first orc I'd struck is dead, slumped on his now stopped horse.

  Tunnel vision to rear fading, I became aware of orcish shouts of retreat. They clearly weren't expecting an insane crossbow repeater, flaming hammers and a pissed off mother charging them from a chariot with a brutal glaive.

  The carriage was jostled, running over a limb. Tuana's horse jumped the orc that Amanda had eviscerated.

  Neighhhh!

  We were suddenly losing speed. Thankfully already past the ambush point. One of the faster mules was catching up.

  "Juniper, heal the horse!" Commanded Johann, snatching the reins. Fuck, Juniper is not one for this kind of action.

  "I-I can't!" Cried Juniper, paralysed by fear.

  I tuned out the back and forth, aiming for mule riding orc. My bolt struck him off center. My bolt had alerted Tuana, who glanced back. She slowed her horse.

  The orc, trying to pull the bolt out, was caught off guard. Tuana whacked him in the head with her hammer. I started getting up, as the orc tumbled behind his mule, which carried on without him. Tuana sped back up.

  "I got this!" I said bursting from the front of the carriage. Crouching, I stepped straight onto the left horse's arse, before seating myself on it's back. I clamped my legs while grabbing a harness with my left hand. Leaning toward the wobbling right horse, I slapped its flank and blasted healing magic. The other side the arrow popped out and the wound healed, Juniper fired a spell from behind, perhaps to perk up the horse? Because it did. We regained speed.

  . . .

  "Take the chariot horses first, upon their return, we'll swap them onto the carriage. Once a horse has had it's fill of water, give it a couple handfuls of barely. We need to get moving as soon as possible." Directed Johann.

  "This mule followed us." Said Tuana pointing to the mule, which had indeed followed us.

  "I can butcher it?" I suggested, instantly getting horrified looks from Tuana and Isabelle— wrong thing to say?

  "Noo! We should take better care of it than the orcs did!" Shouted Isabelle, Tuana nodding, clearly having been about to say something similar.

  "It's young and in good shape, we'll take it." States Johann.

  A little older than I would be, Johann had earned my respect. I'd seen him be firm but fair with his children, plus he was as good at strategising as me. He balanced well with Emelia.

  Emelia was much like Isabelle, quick to charge ahead. She was quick in horse riding, reflexes and intellect. Though at times it took Johann's more measured approach, to rein her in.

  We'd stopped on the other side of a river. Having crossed a bridge, built either by humans that understandably didn't wish to stay in the area too long, or orcs. It was only still around thanks only to the thickness of material used. It was decaying, starting to bow in the middle and ugly, but did the job. Gaston placed a pack of explosives just under the bridge, trailing a wire to a detonator beside us.

  After the tense rest stop, needed by humans and horses alike, Gaston grabbed the explosives back, hastily throwing them and himself into the carriage as it started rolling. We set off in to the late afternoon...

  . . .

  The light was fading when we stopped. The feeling we were being watched was back.