The next three days went by in a blur. To be honest, I hadn't been quite sure if we could make it through the hills in the time I had allowed but somehow we managed. More than that, on the third day we were back on the road and set up camp just shy of the toll bridge. Usually a marching army couldn't match the speed of a much smaller group or an individual but we came pretty close. Probably because we didn't waste much time on setting up camp while we were in the hills. The terrain wouldn't have allowed for a proper camp anyway. We cut down a little on the nightly rest as well, making a few breaks along the way during the day instead, especially whenever we encountered one of the obstacles the scouts had picked with the help of the harpies who made their home in this stretch of land.

Well, that was now. The way here had been one fraught with peril, of sorts, and hardships, in a manner of speaking. The first obstacle had seemed harmless enough. We had to ascend a hillside. That sounded easy enough, except, it was a bit to steep to just walk straight up the side of the hill. The ground was a little loose as well. In the end we had to ascend it at an angle and we had to switch back and forth twice until we crested the top of the hill, only to do the same to get back down the other side without causing a landslide that could bury anyone that already made it down. If I had been on my own that would have been trivial enough. Even for a small group it would hardly have been an obstacle at all. Trying to get a small army across that hill without the marching formation breaking up completely was a whole different kettle of fish.

In the end we had to split the column up into five lines that snaked their way up and back down across the hill without getting in each others way. Especially the latter part had been a little tricky. In the end we had managed though. I didn't even have to get involved myself. Instead I had the pleasure of watching on, and catching my breath a little, as Arngard, the human captain of the vanguard organized everything. I was the last one to ascend and ensign the army organize itself neatly back into a single column at the other foot of the hill filled me with a little pride. I had no qualms about admitting that much. This degree of organization did indeed bode well for the rest of our mission.

Sleep had been fleeting that night and not as restful as usual, as the whole army spent the night clumped closely together on one of the less steep hillsides. The evening meal, the only one that day had been served cold, as there were no cooking fires. In the end it hadn't been that bad though. Even hard bread and a cold slice of ham and cheese each with a mug of wine to wash it all down were true delicacies if you were just hungry and exhausted enough. I had slept even less than any of the others, as I wanted to make sure that the night watch was doing its job properly, despite everything. As I made the rounds I found no reason to complain. Once we actually were in enemy held territory a camp like this might just become a common occurrence.

I could only hope we wouldn't have to endure it for too long. Cold nights and cold meals could be detrimental to morale after all, if they become the norm rather than the exception. We would have to stock up on rations as well, either in Caer'agal or Caer'zoth before heading out into the mountains. I probably should be making arrangements with either to provide additional supplies once we set out for real. We could do some foraging in the mountains and in human controlled territory as well but counting on eggs that were not yet hatched or even laid, to supply an army was beyond foolhardy. I would have to make arrangements with people to run that supply train as well, as I didn't want to detach any of my men and women without need. I would need their fighting strength. That would mean dealing with smugglers and maybe even bandits. Well, maybe I could get one or another back on a righteous path that way.

The surprise that Tortho and Quu'za arranged for us the next day had been an interesting one. The scouts led us straight to a gorge. It was too wide to jump, even if not by much. It wasn't terribly deep either. Still it proofed a formidable obstacle. We had some of our light infantry climb down the one side and back up the other to secure a position over there while the captains argued, even if just briefly, about the most sensible course of action. It was the young Yath'zur who decided the argument by suggesting the building of a makeshift bridge. Personally I would have preferred the zip line suggested by one of the sergeants present, the thought alone got me excited, but that solution would have been less than optimal for the cavalry mounts and especially the beasts of burden.

The construction of the bridge had happened pretty fast. The trolls and giants certainly knew what they were doing. Initially I almost expected them to build it from stone. A silly though in hindsight. Instead a few trees were chopped down. Some were used as a whole with only some grooves chopped out of them. Others were split down their length to provide rough boards. That alone would taken most people quite a while. The gigantic workers were finished before too many of the soldiers still on this side of the gorge could catch up with us. Curiously enough no ropes were used in the quick construction project. It was a tongue and groove construction as a whole with some earth sprinkled atop the rough boards to make crossing it easier, especially for the animals.

Most of the soldier were ushered across it as they arrived to not slow us down any more than necessary. Having them rushed across took care of another problem as well. It kept them from matching their steps as they pretty much ran across. Otherwise the rushed construction job might have suffered from building up vibrations. I was again the last one to cross the bridge. I wasn't the last one to cross the gorge though. The giants and trolls came across last and they didn't use the bridge. I watched flabbergasted as the giants jumped the gorge in a moderately clear spot while the trolls climbed down and back up on the other side. I probably shouldn't have been surprised but I was. Yath'zur flashed me a smile. “That bridge was for smaller people. Wouldn't want any accidents to happen, right?” I could only nod dumbly. In hindsight I probably could have jumped the gorge as well, with a little speed boost from a Cat's Grace spell.

Oh well, maybe it is for the better that I didn't. Kaele probably would have scolded me for doing something reckless again if I did. I did get to slide down a zip line though on the last day in the hills as we came across a little cliff along our route. Once again I probably could have climbed down, I might have been able to jump from the halfway point, but this way it was more fun. A number of my soldiers seemed to agree, judging by their smiles after the short ride on the rope slide. None of them hollered although I was pretty certain that a few wanted to. I had been tempted for sure as well but this was serious business after all. I received another pleasant surprise as the pack animals accepted the short ride down the slide with their handlers as well.

The real surprise were Tora'pheer and her lancers though. They didn't even dismount as their extraordinarily fleet footed mounts jumped from one foothold along the cliff side to the next until they reached solid ground again. My heart might have missed a few beats but in the end nothing bad happened and the captain of the lancers even took off her helmet to flash me a smile that spoke of great confidence in her women and their mounts. Maybe I should have some words about taking risks with her? Or maybe I wasn't exactly one to talk? Damn, I wanted to go down the cliff side like that myself. Too bad that none of the ibex, not even the largest and strongest ones, were a match for my stature. I was just too damn tall.

Now though we sat around our fires just shy of the troll toll bridge and enjoyed our first warm meals in three long days. Maybe we could allow everyone an extra hour of sleep as well? Just as I was pondering that, one of our guards approached me. “I'm sorry for the disturbance, but one of the trolls from the bridge would like to meet you, my lady.”

I swallowed the sip of hot broth I had just taken from my bowl and motioned for her to bring this guest. I had expected something like this after all. I had not expected the exact guest that came to sit down with us though. It wasn't one of the bridge guards. No, it was one of their venerable shamans. The old man to be exact. “I'm. Relieved. To. See. You. Doing. Well.” The troll's way to talk was jarring. Especially as the old man took a little more time after each word than many of the younger ones who had more contact with other people.

I flashed her a smile. “Only thanks to your efforts. I probably wouldn't have lived to see the capital without you.” The young fire giant captain who ate with us tonight looked up at that, raising one eyebrow. I probably would have to tell that story eventually. But not tonight. I focused on our guest again, motioning to the big cauldron bubbling in our midst. “Would you like something warm?”

The troll just shook his head. “Thank. You. But. No.” He paused briefly. “I. Eat. With. My. Family.” He nodded at the camp in general with a wry smile. “You. Bring. Good. Business.”

That smile was contagious. I couldn't disagree. They certainly would make a killing once we crossed over their bridge tomorrow. “Going to count people and animals before we get ready to cross?”

He shook his head but nodded then as well. “No. Exact. Count.” He paused. “That. Is. For. The. Young. Ones. Tomorrow.” He paused again. “Just. An. Estimate. For. You. So. You. Know. How. Much. Coin. You'll. Need.”

That prompted a laugh from me and the others at the fire as well. He certainly was right. The toll tomorrow wouldn't be something I could pay from my purse. I would need one of the strong chests. Maybe even two.