Camilla wondered if the risk of being roasted alive had really been that great. Certainly it didn't seem like it worsened her odds of survival. Skaldi, if you could believe that was his name, made enough noise for an entire regiment, making even Ivan seem stealthy. The sailors that had come ashore with them looked to be having the same doubts.

[b]"Careful, I'm not sure they heard you in Sartosa,"[/b] she muttered, loosening her rapier in its scabbard. The glittering hilt had been carefully wrapped in leather strips to conceal its value and she was grateful that it also served the purpose of making her less conspicuous. Ivan Petrovich let out a booming laugh.

[b]"Worry not little dove! No harm will come to you while Ivan Petrovich lives!"[/b] Little dove? Camilla cast a side long at the Kislivite.

[b]"That will be a great comfort to me for about ten seconds, you know, before you are riddled with crossbow bolts or whatever."[/b] The big Kislivite laughed uproariously, as the the quip were the funniest thing he had ever heard. Camilla shared a helpless glance with Cydric.

They had gone maybe half a mile, pushing their way through dense undergrowth towards the growing light of the burning ships, when Skaldi suddenly shouted something in his grating alien tongue and dropped to the ground. Whatever the word was Petrovich instantly dropped to the dirt. One of the sailors staggered back clutching at his belly and there was a sound like the hissing of snakes. Beside Camilla a crossbow bolt buried itself to the fletching in a tree beside her.

Without further preamble a score of men burst from a slight gully. It was difficult to see in the wan light of distant fires, but she could make out men casting aside crossbows and drawing steel. They seemed to be dressed in a motley patchwork of armor and rags, though all carried clean steel weapons. There was a snapping flash as one of them fired a pistol, Camilla didn't see anyone go down. The men charged forth with undulating screams, clearly believing that they would overwhelm the small party in short order.