Chapter 8

Vale and Aarden sat in their hollowed tree, bored. They had been listening to the battle noises all day. It was exciting to begin with, but now it had lulled them to distraction. Spot had performed all his tricks for them several times, Vale had tried to describe the battle from what he could hear, Aarden had even drawn Vale into a conversation about gardening.
Vale peaked out from the end of the tree regularly. When the Humans had led their ambush with the Dwarves, Vale had told Aarden the battle would soon be over. However, the Goblins had an ambush in place as well. The two sides had set up their battle lines and been slugging it out all day.
The Humans were the superior fighters and, with the Dwarves, had a substantial force. The Goblins however had thousands of warriors. As soon as a unit was defeated, two more came to take its place. The Goblins had threatened to overrun the Human lines several times, but the Humans always seemed to repulse it.
The Durvies had a belief that the wars outside the Wall had continued while they remained isolated from the world. Immediately after crossing through the Wall, Aarden and Vale found a battle.
Vale was itching to join the battle, but he knew they needed to lay low. Aarden was a weak fighter and was handicapped by protecting Spot. He also wanted to wait for Booruck. He had obviously been here before and could help with their current situation. But how was he going to find them hiding in this hollowed out tree.
The sun was beginning to set and Vale peaked out once again. The battle was beginning to die down and the lines were digging in for a night of respite. Vale started to dig in his pack for some food.
“It looks like they’re stopping for the night. We should try to get away while we can.”
Aarden nodded while yawning. Spot had settled down for an afternoon nap and whimpered in his sleep. Vale looked at his exhausted friends and slouched against the wall of the trunk. They didn’t have the energy to make the run tonight.
Vale again stuck his head out from the tree. The battle had almost completely died down and the battle ground had almost returned to a serene mountain field. He searched for a better hiding place. An outcropping of rocks stood on the Human’s right flank. They were isolated behind the Goblin’s lines but had a clear path towards the Humans. Vale sat back down and began sketching the path for Aarden.

* * *

After a short hour of sleep, Vale and Aarden finally left their wooden hideout. They ran crouched through the grass towards the outcropping. Goblin campfires signaled their borders, but Vale remained concerned about sentries.
They finally came upon the stream dividing the field. Vale grabbed Aarden’s shirt and pulled him back to the bushes edging the stream.
Vale crept carefully out into the gently running water. He crouched with his bow drawn and snuck to the opposite shore. He gestured for Aarden and Spot to follow.
Spot scampered noiselessly through the water. Aarden moved through the water slowly, but felt something brush against his leg. He bent over and felt for something, but couldn’t feel anything. Suddenly, a fire arrow shot over him, lighting up the stream. Aarden saw blood running through the stream. He froze as he saw it.
“What are you doing,” Vale yelled in a whisper.
Several more fire arrows arced over them as Human soldiers emerged from the bushes all around them. They quickly disarmed Vale and shoved Spot into a sack. Aarden continued to stand frozen in the center of the stream.
“Stand right there,” a large Human knight said. Aarden raised his hands with Vale.
They were quickly surrounded, tied, and gagged. Aarden tried to keep his bearings as he was shoved along, but the darkness soon confused him. He stumbled along behind Vale hearing Spot whining from the sack.