"Stop!" Ruacht yells out "Do not get up, Ros. Nor you either, Carraig's Son. This stops now! Yield! You know that you have scorned me, and that this did not need to happen. It is your own fault that you lie here as you are, but nothing more should come of it if you relent. We are no enemies of yours to stalk and ambush in the night. Agreed?"
The young warriors look around, both recovering from the explosion of action against them. They look around to see four veteran warriors standing around them waiting for their response. Though frustrated, soon they both accept their defeat in silence. They look at Ruacht and grimace.
"Alright, now stand up, you bulls. Help your fellows."
The Danneins stand up slowly and assist their companions who both received the worst of the thrashing. Eventually all four of them stand upright, doing a good job at ignoring their injuries. They were bested, they do not like it, but they remain proud and convey their readiness as they look at Ruacht and the others eye to eye again.
"Now I told Riocard that no one was to follow nor stand watch over our group at the longhouse. Agreements have already been made about this. Tell me, why did you come along behind us, stalking us like deer? You speak, Ceadech."
After hesitation, the young Dannein, the point man who Ruacht had hurt so badly with his club and the shield, speaks up. "If there was an agreement as you say, Riocard must disregard it. It was he who told us to follow you and stand watch over you at the longhouse."
Ruacht stands looking at the boy for a time, showing no signal as to how he takes the information he just heard. Similar the boy looks at him steadily, offering no more words or expression for a time before continuing. "If you release us back to the forest, we will loop around by another route unknown to you so that we can survey The Capcaun's hold," Ceadech says, looking Ruacht in the eye. "We will seek to avoid your sentries. If they fight us, we will fight back as possible but fall back into the night and continue our watch where we can. If you want us to fail at our charge, corsair, then you must stun all of us until we cannot rise. Either that or slay us. If that is what must be done, then give us our weapons so that we can stand rightly against your assault."
Ruacht meets the gaze of the young warrior for a long, long stare. Kray, Talius, and Thorn actually wonder if Ruacht will tell the boys to take up their weapons, launching an inevitable death match there on the trail, and one that would only have one ending: all of the young Dannein warriors bleeding to death on the muddy grass.
"You will get no time with the whores." Ruacht says to the boy, breaking the silence.
Ceadech tries to hold a steady look at his adversary, but his confusion breaks through and can be seen in his face.
Ruacht steps out and looks at all of the youths. "Exactly as I say. Do exactly as I say" He paces by all of them and makes eye contact with each. "Either that or by morning you will draw out your weapons and grip them in your hands as you meet that clean death that you seem so anxious to claim."
The boys look on at Ruacht and steal a few glances at one another. "Follow behind us 40 paces." Ruacht says to them. "When we reach clearing at the longhouse, there is a stable to the north. You will set your survey there for the night. That is where you will stay until you leave in the morning at dawn. Food and drink will be sent to you there."
Ruacht goes by Ceadech one more time and meets him face to face. "The north stable is yours for the night. It is a good vantage for report, but that is the only ground where it is safe for you."
After staring at the boys for a bit longer. Ruacht nods at Kray, Talius, and Thorn and then turns again to lead down the trail towards their destination. The chirp and buzz of the swamp is in full sound as the night sets in.
