Bothach

Thomas knew their composure was wearing thin. He scolded himself for not listening to the other trackers. They told him it's crazy to try to transport humans across the marsh. Especially during spring where the shadows are still long and plenty. But even worse was that he had not trusted his own intuition. The offer of free passage to Cala had just been to good of an offer. Even if the chances were slim. Well, that's what greed gets you in the end. But he wasn't finished yet, he thought to himself gritting his teeth. This is not where his tale would end, not in some unnamed wet hole in the ground.

Thomas looked back to the woman that was accompanying him and noticed that even though she was wearing the brown and green clothes of a tracker and they had been hurrying through mud and over stones, she still had an aura of elegance. Her step safe and her facial expressions composed even though they had only narrowly avoided a group of lesser Dubhair earlier. Although the tracker would never have admitted this out loud, he was impressed by the endurance of this Maith. This was his first – and last he swore to himself – trip he didn't make alone. Most trackers proffered to work in solitude as survival outside of settlements depended on your spend agility and ability to adapt.

He signed her to move faster, she only looked at him in bewilderment and then confusion. Checking his compass he turned around and started rushing forward towards and group of trees that would hopefully give them enough cover to stay undetected. Thomas knew that his retinue could not possibly be able to comprehend Seanchas. But making a sound out here was too dangerous of a risk to take. They were already not as quiet as he would have wanted. Every step she took sounded sharp and loud in his ears. Out here were he wasn't wearing his ear protectors his ears were much more sensitive being able to hear sounds for up to an kilometre but having a source of sound so close by had made it harder to detect dangers to avoid on this trip. He had almost led them right into danger because he was distracted by the sound of breathing and footsteps nearby. Thomas had done what he could before the start of the trip and had tried to teach his companion how to step without making a sound and how to control your breathing to make it blend in with the sound of the wind. But after 2 days of travel her technique was wearing thin.

Only taking short rests to refill their water at a creek or to forage some plants Thomas found along their path. When they reached the group of trees the sky had turned from a bright grey that hurts to look at even though you cant make out where the brightness is coming from to an almost black bubbling mass of clouds. They started to set up their tent next to a fallen tree that should provide some cover for the night from rain and wind. The small and very flat triangular tent was a way trackers had invented to sleep undetected from any dangers that might beset the during the night. It was covered in green and brown synthetic leaves and moss that made it look like a part of the forest floor. Even though this meant you couldn't stand in it because of its flat shape it made for a perfect hiding spot for anyone that was daring enough to try to spend the night out here. As they laid next to each other in the tent trying to sleep, a thought came into his head: What if this trip was never meant to reach its destination. He looked over to her lying next to him. Her eyes were closed and breathing steady and she had probably already fallen asleep. Thomas had of course heard the rumours of a Maith threatening the throne. An unknown secret child of the former king that had passed last summer. Of course the current king the brother of the deceased previous one, was quite upset because of this. According to one of the trackers Thomas had met there had been several assassination attempts on this unknown heir. And now he had been tasked transporting a noble Maith to the capital without any escort or over the sea. that seemed like a very unlikely course of action. Unless the supporters of this new heir were very desperate and out of options or this was a quest that had been doomed by the start.

The next morning the air was arid and heavy. Thomas suspected there would fog hanging over the hills of the steppe separated the forest they had spent the night in and the capital. They might make it yet. this last strip was especially dangerous because there was nothing to obstruct the view of possible assailants that might try to get the drop on them. Thomas worried that their problems would only start once they reached the city. He wanted to stay in the city as shortly as possible. As so many of his tracker colleagues Thomas couldn't remain stationary for to long. That feeling of being trapped in an iron sarcophagus weighing on him down after a few days.

They ate a few dried berries, some mushrooms Thomas had foraged and crackers to prepare for the last part of their journey. Thomas noticed that before eating the woman had lowered her head for a short prayer to her god. He didn't know much about the elemental gods that were worshipped in the south of Bothach. He shrugged and thought to himself while eating that he didn't mind the gods if they had gifted them with fog to conceal their movements. As he started to secure the tent to his backpack making sure that no lose parts could move and produce unwanted sounds he perked up as he heard three distinct pairs of feet walking into their direction.

Almost instictively the Tracker slipped into the undergrowth towards the opposite direction the footsteps were coming from. As he slowly started to circle the clearing they had chosen for their camp, he made sure to keep enough shrubbery and trees between him and the clearing. Thomas knew that the chances of them encountering an Iarann patrol this close to the Capitol and the chance of them having an dùisgte with them were slim but he wouldn't take any chances. Not after all the close calls and obstacles they had mastered.

The footsteps had now almost reached the edge of the clearing. Thomas still didn't move into line of sight of any of the three figures. The Maith, he noticed, had now also noticed that something was amiss her eyes darting through the trees trying to find him. Thomas saw her hesitate and then taking cover behind the fallen tree. The tracker was once again impressed by the situational awareness of this high-born lady that had – to his knowledge – never even come close to any confrontation until two days ago, when they left Am Baile Mòr. He readied his knifes that had a matt shine to them, that was close to the colour of a fish scale. Thomas had asked a friend of his to take the shine of the formerly bright reflecting blades. The footsteps almost abruptly halted. And Thomas could hear one of the three sharply inhale. Thomas froze in shock – a Madradh – the worst case scenario. These fanatic bloodhounds knew nothing but the hunt and wouldn't stop until they had finished their quarry. Blessed with the ability to smell humans as much as 1 kilometre and the ability to trace scents, meant that out here the only way out was an open confrontation.

He heard the man he assumed to be the Madradh and the left person of the trio starting to head in his direction. While the remaining figure stepped on the clearing towards the Maith. He couldn't let himself get distracted by his companion. He knew she was armed, he had heard the familiar clattering of a flintlock pistol on their first day of travel. He had told her how to safely secure a firearm so it wouldn't make sounds. She had denied carrying a weapon – of course – but on the second day the clattering was gone. He focussed on the task ahead drowning out everything else. Listening intently, the tracker noticed that next to the almost thundering stomps of the Madradh the steps of their ally were almost completely silent. Not quite the lack of any sound a Lorgaire tracker would leave, where audible signs of presence should be, but still the sounds of a person that had spent most of their live outside city walls. He didn't like his odds. Two trained Iarann soldiers against him that probably hadn't ran for their lives for two days straight.

Thomas knew that his best chance was to surprise them because the directional sense of smell of the Madradh wouldn't be able to tell the exact distance, so they wouldn't know exactly behind which tree he was laying in ambush. He reached down to the satchel hanging from his belt and as silently as possible took out a cluster of mushrooms. These white bulbous looking plants were used to deter wild animals as they produced a vile smelling gas when crushed. Thomas carefully placed the cluster next to his feet and then crushed the bundle under his heel. Almost immediately he could smell the foul odour dring into his nose and he had to suppress a sneeze. Some seconds passed while the two assailants made their way towards them. Then suddenly he heard a cough coming from the Madradh. Thomas hoped that the intense smell would give him enough time to take out either of them.

He readied his blades and lept out from behind his cover. He saw two figures standing next to a tree one of them bent over in agony while the other one was trying to comfort them. Thomas took five quick strides toward them not as silent as he had hoped but the sound was drowned out by the swall of curses coming from the hunched over soldier. Thomas decided to throw one of his knifes at the incapacitated soldier and use his remaining dagger to fight his second assailant. Right as he threw his knife he heard a deafening sound from his left coming from the clearing. His head ringed in throbbing pain as he doubled over. Thomas gritted his teeth as the familiar pain sent waves through his entire body and managed to get himself in a somewhat upward stance. Still dizzy, and ears ringing he looked around searching clumsily for the source of this sudden sound. He jumped as he felt something touch him from behind, with his limbs slow and still not fully under his command he ended up tripping over himself trying to strike the unseen threat behind him. Then he smelt the intense singing burnt stench of gunpowder and realized the person now standing over him was the Maith. Apparently she had fired her weapon at the third attacker and the last of the soldiers had ran off with both of his comrades dead.

Thomas slowly stood up the effects of the gunshot slowly wearing of. He went over to the body of the Madradh to retrieve his blade. As he pulled it from the man's skull he noticed a necklace around the man's neck. This was unusual as Iarann troops vow to free themselves from all glam or and wordly possessions. The necklace was forged out of plain steel and at it's end there was a small piece of iron, polished meticulously so that Thomas could see his own reflection as he bowed down to inspect it. Thomas stared at his own reflection and could help feeling it was off just by a bit. He shook this unnerving feeling wiped the blade clean and went back to the clearing where the Maith was already finishing packing up the tent he had so hastily abandoned.

They left immediately to avoid any forces that might be drawn to the sound of the gunshot. Most of the Dubhair that roamed the marches avoided gunshots, but the problem with using guns out here is that they draw the only really powerful Dubhair towards you and alert tracker highwaymen that are looking to capture incautious trackers and sell them off towards the Iarann empire.

The sky was now a billowing mass of clouds hanging close to the waste in front of the city walls. On the last strip of their journey they would have no protection from the elements or unwanted observers. Thomas was thinking through their next steps, after they would reach the city. His employers had informed him of a side gate, where the guards had been bribed to let them pass to avoid any unwanted attention. Looking at the grey plated walls that were shining in a dull gray, he worried that things would – as per usual – be more complicated than that. He was pulled from his thoughts as he realized that the steps of his companion had come to a sudden stop. He turned around to signal her to keep going, as he froze upon hearing a nearing sound. It sounded like a foreign rhythm of footsteps rushing towards them. Too many to belong to one creature and yet, they had a rhythm to them almost as if they were marching as one in a hurried frantic fashion.

Thomas knew that whatever this was, it was heading straight towards them. Had he really been that deep in thought. He pushed that thought aside, no time. He called out, “Rush towards the city.”, she looked surprised, hearing the sound of his voice after this long. “No time to be subtle, we need to cover a lot of ground fast.” They started running towards the city, but it became increasingly obvious