Steppo couldn't have been more proud of his chosen officers as they all huddled behind a line of abandoned outhouses near the stale pond, waiting for the horn blower to cease the call so they could carry out a comprehensible discussion. The five men sitting around him on the slightly damp and far too chilly earth were some of the most active and tenacious members of their organization, but even they were starting to feel the pressure. If one were to observe them carefully, one could spot the telling signs of an insidious worry - Addi's fists were firmly clenched, the twins Mercer and Murg kept on exchanging meaningful glances, Lain's jaw was so tight, Steppo was worried the man might do permanent damage to his teeth, while Dallan had paled to the extent that one could compare him to the white apron he usually wore in his barber shop. Still, they kept themselves as calm as they could, just like Steppo had instructed them to do in such situations.

As soon as relative silence resumed, they all leaned forward and stared expectantly at Steppo, who was now himself having a little trouble controlling his emotions. Twice now he'd had to forcefully clench his hands at his sides to prevent himself from uprooting every blade of grass within reach. He certainly wasn't going to admit it to the others, but a nagging suspicion told him that Garuvv and the others had been right to question this outing and he might have bitten more than he and the troops could chew.

"How many are we talking about?"

"We estimate upwards of two hundred," replied Murg.

To Steppo's right, Addi shuddered violently, and the others stifled their own cries of dismay.

"Declared purpose?" continued Steppo, struggling not to let apprehension enter his voice. If he crumbled, they'd all be finished.

"None that we could explicitly make out," said Lain. Steppo cast an appraising look at the middle-aged vegetable seller turned amateur soldier in his spare time. Despite the dark circles under them, the man's eyes shone bright with determination. "Our group encountered the largest of the force on our way to the meeting point: about a hundred and fifty of them camped throughout the thinning forest to the northern edge of this glade. We therefore had to make a detour to avoid them, at which point we ran into Mercer's group."

"You went with Addi, right?"

Lain nodded, while Addi cleared his throat.

"We're not sure what they're here for, but we immediately assumed they would be hostile to us if encountered."

"Very sensible," commented Steppo. "How did you join the other group?"

"Huvac bird call, just like we practiced," said Mercer.

"Well done." Steppo straightened and turned to focus on him, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Despite the worrying situation, and even should they all be discovered, the Liberty Pies and Pools troops had proved themselves in this improvised campaign. "And how did you end up hiding here?"

"We followed the road to the second glade after we left you by the lodge," recounted Mercer, "then we veered off the path just before reaching the open field, towards the southern end. We sent two reconnaissance teams and the ones who observed the glade itself returned with the information that there appeared to be too many fishing assistants."

"How many is too many?"

"Two dozen."

Steppo's eyes widened and he choked back a groan.

"How is that even remotely believable?" he muttered.

"They might be the vanguard," suggested Dallan, "though there is something to be noted here: the group by the pond didn't appear armed, while the men camping in the north all bore swords and daggers."

"Archers?"

"None that we could see."

"Insignia, coat of arms, any identifying marks?"

"Again, we didn't make out anything," said Addi. "Except for the fact that they were all wearing the same light red uniform."

Steppo wasn't the only one to frown, despite the others having already seen this mysterious foe.

"Red? They're not likely to be on a stealth mission then."

Dallan tilted his head and scratched at his stubble, as he usually did when requiring contemplation.

"I fear we don't know enough to pick a clear winning strategy, Speaker," he said.

"But pick one we must." Steppo straightened, regarding his Chief Officers in turn. "Any suggestions?"

"Divide and conquer," said Dallan, rolling his shoulders and balling his fists suggestively.

Lain cocked an eyebrow at him.

"So we just have to split up?"

"Yes, but the point is to divide the enemy."

"I'm not sure it would work with two hundred people when there's only thirty-five of us."

"Thirty-five?" asked Steppo incredulously. "We were more than forty not that long ago. What happened?"

They all held their breaths until Addi cleared his throat.

"You see..." he began hesitantly. "You might not believe this, Speaker, but there are chickens running amok in the forest, and when we saw them, I just thought... Well, it's free dinner for the entire organization, so I had Naxin lead a team of four to catch as many as they could. I also had Joro and Betap - you know them, they came in the last wave of recruitment - go back and keep an eye on the apprentices and the wagons." He paused to lick dry lips and cast a quick glance at Steppo. "Was I too rash?" he croaked.

Steppo forced himself to stifle a sigh and relax. These men were already under enough pressure without him adopting the role of unyielding commander.

"No, Addi, that's perfectly reasonable," he managed. "Even at full strength we don't have the numbers for a direct confrontation. So what do we do?"

"Poison their water supply," offered Mercer.

"I agree with Dallan," said Murg, nodding slowly. "We must divide and conquer."

"Conquer what?" asked Lain. "We don't even know why they're here."

"And that is the main issue," said Steppo, bracing his hands on his knees and leaning forward. "As of right now, we can make no reasonable assumptions about their goals. However, we do know our own purpose in coming here. Do you remember what this expedition was initially framed as?"

"Reconnaissance and observation," answered Addi.

"Precisely," agreed Steppo.

"Well, mission accomplished," said Lain drily. "We've spotted them. Now what?"

"We take this as the golden opportunity it is for further training," continued Steppo. "It's very likely that they're here for a similar reason, since the army is known to conduct several exercises on royal estates a few times a year." He paused to gesture at the surrounding forest, careful to avoid drawing notice to the outhouses at his back. The place for this impromptu meeting had been chosen for expedience rather than convenience, and they could all breathe in peace as long as the wind didn't turn. Nevertheless, they should probably reach their conclusions sooner rather than later. "Imagine this was an actual force standing between us and the corrupt government," he went on, "the last hurdle we had to overcome in order to secure our freedom, but after a brutal fight, we suffered several casualties and cannot go up against them in a straightforward fashion. What do we need first of all?"

"Information," replied Lain. "We've made a reasonable guess regarding their numbers, but we still don't know what they intend to do."

"We should infiltrate their main camp," suggested Addi.

Steppo nodded, once again beaming with pride.

"Agreed. And how are we to do that?"

"Nab a few of their weakest soldiers," said Murg, "get our hands on their uniforms and walk right into their camp as if we belonged there."

"And then we contaminate their water supply," insisted Mercer.

"Maybe they brought their own water," countered his brother.

"You think they had the foresight to do that when they chose to wear red uniforms in a forest in spring?"

"Light red. It still stands out, but it's not that egregious."

"Maybe they don't have any water," suggested Addi.

Steppo lifted his arms in an appeasing motion.

"How about this:" he said, "we execute the first part we agreed on, and then adapt as we see fit. A few of us will infiltrate the camp after we get the uniforms, then report on their intentions."

"We need the uniforms first," grumbled Dallan.

Steppo clapped his hands, startling the others.

"Then I propose a contest, following your divide and conquer idea." He inhaled deeply, relishing the unwavering attention of his colleagues. "We split into multiple squads with a maximum of four men in each, then we all compete to see who can get to these soldiers. We should ideally isolate them first so we don't have to deal with larger groups. The first three squads to bring in at least one uniform win."

"What do they win?" asked Mercer, eyes already glittering with anticipation.

"We're a bit tight on the budget at the moment, so they'll have to make do with bragging rights."

"What about the chickens?" asked Addi plaintively. "Mother always said that if you see food-"

"That's not food, Addi," argued Murg. "They're living, breathing animals who also happen to be masters at getting away from you when you want to catch them."

"That's still food, just in earlier stages."

Steppo reached out to pat the younger man on the shoulder.

"You've already got a squad in charge of that mission, so trust them to see it through. The rest of us will focus on our tasks. We need to keep a few men as lookouts at the main camp, as well as the smaller group near the trout stream. Lain, you and I will set up the temporary headquarters at the halfway point of the glade's western side, where the rest of you will have to bring the uniforms and intelligence reports."

"And here I was, growing fond of this particular spot," muttered Murg.

"Go back to your groups and brief the troops," instructed Steppo. "Speed is a deciding factor, since we don't know when the enemy will move again, but don't forget that execution is essential: we cannot allow ourselves to get caught. Don't forget there will be actual hunters in the forest now that the event's officially begun."

"Don't worry, Speaker, we won't make mistakes," said Addi, now sporting a contagious grin.

Steppo nodded at him, then at each of the other men in turn.

"I trust you will do your very best."

Whether that remark extended to himself remained to be seen, because somehow, for better or worse, this whole debacle had just turned real.