Night came fast and the road swallowed the last of the light quickly. The trees on both sides stood tall and dark and completely calm, closing the path in from both directions exactly the way Nick had described. There was no space to turn, no room to run, and no way in or out except straight through. They were already in position before the sound came.
Nick was ahead, her eyes fixed on the road. Sean stayed at the back in the shadows, invisible and patient. Alaric stood to the side with his blade already in his hand, his body loose and ready. Silas stayed near the center of the path, watching the bend where the wagons would have to slow down.
Nobody spoke because nobody needed to. Then the sound came. Wheels first, slow and heavy, grinding against the dirt road with the particular sound of a loaded wagon that has been moving for a long time. Then footsteps, steady and close together, the rhythm of men who were not expecting trouble on a road they had used a dozen times before.
