Nopin told Chaldez that they were some ten days away from Felewith and that the concentration of Murak forces would get heavier the nearer they got to the capital. Redz suggested they make a detour towards the Laifyan border before turning south again. He said he knew the region well. Chaldez said "Then show us the way."
Where possible, the Imperial Horse kept to the forest; where the forest gives way to open country they travelled at night. They saw no one, and Chaldez hoped, were seen by no one. Dan's scouts were unable to detect anyone following them. The countryside, vast areas of it covered by forest, is sparsely populated, and away from the occasional village and off the uneven, pot-holed tracks which connected them there was little evidence of Murak activity.
The ground was now rising, and in a wide scrub-covered clearing where the forest had been burnt a year or so previously, a range of mountainous hills came into view. They were snow-covered and looked formidable. Chaldez asked Redz what they are called, and the guide did his best to hide the fact that he had no idea. "We're farther north than I thought," he said rather weakly.
Chaldez had no intention of doing any mountaineering. "We'll keep them to our right," he said, and Redz smiled with relief. The hills were alien territory to him and he did not relish the responsibility of leading the Imperial Horse through them.
They were still skirting the hills when the forward scouts began to report a much heavier Murak presence. Ahead, they said, lay a river valley with as much traffic passing up and down it as along the Put. Redz supposed that they had reached the Nontock, which he knew to lie between Sair and the Rhanese of Laifya.
The Imperial Horse advanced cautiously while Dan's scouts fanned out on foot. Two of them returned to say that a small convoy of ox-carts with a considerable armed escort was making its way up the valley. Dan and Chaldez rode forward to inspect it from a wooded vantage point. There were three wagons, and they estimated 100 foot soldiers commanded by five or six mounted officers.
"Whatever they've got there," said Dan, "they don't want to lose it."
When the convoy had passed, Chaldez turned his horse and headed back through the trees. After a while he said "We're going to find out what the Muraks think is precious. We attack before nightfall."
Dan beamed.
The prospect of action caused excitement throughout the Imperial Horse. Chaldez chose the point of attack, posted his archers and left the rest to Dan.
The opening volley of arrows caused massive casualties among the unsuspecting Muraks, and the follow-up charge shattered their formation. It was a massacre. Farther up the valley Azrat and a small group of hand-picked archers waited for fleeing survivors; a similar-sized group shot down the handful which attempted to escape back down the valley.
Two of the wagons were found to be carrying newly-forged weapons, and of such high quality that as soon as the assailants recognised it they threw away their own and excitedly helped themselves. The surplus was tipped into the river.
Chaldez placed a guard on the third wagon. He had seen that it contained a number of chests, and it was only when everyone was crowding around it, demanding to know what their prize was that he allowed the coarse coverings to be thrown off and the boxes beneath to be revealed. Inside them were gold and silver coins. When the initial excitement had died down he supervised an equal distribution.
Never had morale in the Imperial Horse been higher.

That evening Dan was elated. "We know now there's a Murak army in those hills we saw; probably the one the Osarians were talking about. If we keep them starved of supplies the Osarians will wipe them out next time."
"We didn't come here to help the Osarians," Chaldez objected. "We're to stop weapons and gold reaching Cregitzig. He's the real danger. When we've defeated him we'll deal with this lot."
"We? You mean Sigmar. You're just one of his lieutenants. It'll be his victory, not ours; not yours. Forget Sigmar! Help the Osarians defeat this Murak army, and then together crush the victor in the east, whether it's Sigmar or Cregitzig. Whoever it is, he'll have been weakened by battle."
Chaldez shook his head. "From the start we knew that our first objective must be to destroy the Muraks, and then think about Sigmar. If we try doing the two things together we'll fail in both. Sigmar is a great general - I know he's a usurper, that he's my enemy, but that doesn't alter the fact that he made Sair as mighty as it had ever been, even under Bedekka. And you've seen the new army he is gathering. Did we ever see such an army in the Empire? You're telling me that a tribal chieftain could defeat such an army? If Cregitzig can, he'd crush the Osarians like ants. But that won't happen. Sigmar will be victorious, and then he'll be unstoppable."
"And where will that leave us?"
"I have faith in my god and my cause. The time will come for me to take my throne."
You and Sigmar worship the same god!"
"Arwarnhi did not choose Sigmar as a supplicant," Chaldez retorted. "He did choose me."
Dan always felt at a disadvantage when Chaldez talked about Arwarnhi. He changed the subject. "Well, at least cover your tracks by leaving me and a small assault unit here at the Nontock. It must be in your long-term interest to help the Osarians against the Muraks. By operating against the Murak supplies I'll draw off man-power, impede their preparations for battle, and cover your movement towards Kroya. Send for me when you're ready."
Chaldez stared him in the face "It's out of the question. We stay together. Anyway, how would I get messages to you? We'd never meet up again. What I will do, though, is cross the Nontock and make the enemy think we're heading into Laifya. Tomorrow get your scouts to find a suitable crossing place - the river didn't look too deep to me."
Dan said "You'll let Azrat carry out some attacks? He's very good, you know . . ."
"Yes, Dan. A bit of assassination, a bit of arson, a bit of banditry is just what I had in mind."
Dan smiled. He knew that if he allowed Azrat a free hand he would have a share of the booty, for Azrat rarely did anything which was not calculated to make him richer; as his mentor and chief, Dan had already done quite well.