Sitting down, Lord Tolan considered the possibilities for a moment, and his eyes flashed as bright as his sudden grin. "And what if we were to return the child to her people before the orc army reached the Forest of Macul?""Then the Swan Mays would enter the war on our side and, with our combined might, we would be able to give the Orcs a run for their money! At the very least, we could delay them and bog them down on the King's Highway until my friends could find the other pieces of the Staff of Yarfell!" concluded the Swordsman with a smile.
"We'll be fighting for time, Lord Tolan!" added Sterling bravely, "But I have to confess and tell you that I've already mapped out a plan of attack against Venger's army. My plan will take most of my men to execute it! I'll leave 50 warriors behind to guard the approaches to the city of Yarfell including five soldiers who will serve as a liaision retinue between your Princess or you--depending upon whether or not you take me up on my suggestions--and I. I would be extremely hard-pressed to spare anyone."
Sighing a little, the Dark Elf said, "Plus, we would have to march through Wood Elven territory to get there, and you can easily understand our predicament in trying to pull THAT off! Wood Elves are the masters of the ambush! Chances are, they would cut my men apart before they walked ten feet into the Forest of Macul!
Pondering the problem, Sterling concluded, "All in all, you would have to find a group of Rangers, Wood Elves or High Elves of some sort to bring the child to the Swan Mays. While it can be done, it will not be an easy trek by any stretch of the imagination! I wish I could do more to help you other than plotting and scheming with you, but I don't want my men to commit suicide and end up as Drow pin cushions either! "
A Point To Ponder
