The convoy departed for Sarai on the morning Batu had promised, with Aušra riding among the wagons and the tribute of six cities following behind her. Once the last carts disappeared down the road, he turned his attention back to the campaign. The army wheeled south before the day was over.
The escort had done its part. Now the larger objective demanded every rider he still held.
The land shifted steadily as the column advanced. The open steppe narrowed into scattered stands of oak, and those gradually thickened into true forest. Trees pressed close against both sides of the road until the army had no choice but to stretch into a long, narrow column instead of the broader formation it preferred.
