The sun had barely breached the horizon when Luki stood at the edge of the camp, eyes fixed on the fading hoofprints in the dewy grass. The forest on their left was quiet now—eerily so, as if it too held its breath. The embers of the fire still glowed behind him, but the heat of his fury had long since surpassed their warmth.
The scent of the leaves drenched by the droplets of the morning dew clung to the air. He exhaled slowly.
"They have a night's head start, but they couldn't be traveling the entire night," his deputy muttered, adjusting the straps of his leather armor.
"They left traces," Luki said coldly. "That means they were rushed. Good! Desperation makes people sloppy."
In the distance, he saw the dust rising in the air. His reinforcements had arrived!
And with them—the horses!