22

"They'll send more," says Drazha. "Come, Basileios, let us waste no more time."

You nod in agreement and begin walking north. The two of you have not gone more than a hundred yards before you hear a commotion coming from the northern gates of the city. With a thundering of drums and a blaring of horns, the gates start to open.

Drazha curses under her breath. "Surely not another patrol?"

"It's the Tribe of the Black Wolf," you say, as a column of mounted warriors emerge from the gateway, dark furs about their shoulders, banners fluttering and snapping in the wind.

"Do they pursue you, or the Tribe of the Red Bear?" Drazha wonders, as you watch a number of covered wagons leave the gate behind the warriors, surrounded by more lightly equipped horsemen who glide around the flanks of the caravan, watching for any threats or aggressors. "Do they even know we escaped?" she adds.