Seumas rode up alongside him."Found them."
"How far?"
"About five miles north.A small group, twelve men, camped in a narrow stretch of road hemmed in by dense trees on both sides."
"So our friend at the local inn was telling the truth."
"Aye, it seems so.They use that passage to make exchanges, then take any pilfered goods to their leader."
Cormac gritted his teeth and nodded.He and his men had spent the past eight days discreetly gathering information from locals across the burghs, building a picture of who they were dealing with.Now they had a location for the mercenary gang he was to join.He just needed to find a way in without raising too many questions.
"Some of our men are keeping watch over them from the woods.What do ye suggest we do now?"Seumas asked.
"I need to find a way to offer my services to them without looking suspicious."
Just as they were speaking, something caught Cormac's eye on the little-used road below.
He nudged Seumas and gestured toward a covered cart being driven by one man, with another sitting on a bench in the back.
Something about the duo struck him as strange.
"Is it just me, or does that cart look out of place?They seem agitated," Cormac said.
"Aye, I think we need to take a closer look," Seumas replied.
Cormac had not become the Shadow for nothing.He had well-honed instincts and was extremely observant.The cart needed investigating.
He whistled, and before long several of his men emerged slowly from the surrounding woods, hidden and camouflaged amongst the brush.He gestured with hand signals and each man nodded.
Before riding down, Cormac reached up and pulled his signature mask into place – a dark cloth that covered the lower half of his face, marked with a distinctive pattern that had become known across the Highlands.It was the Shadow's calling card, recognized and feared by travelers throughout Scotland.
"Seumas," he said, his voice slightly muffled."I think 'tis time for the Shadow to make an appearance."
Seumas grinned as they rode down the hill toward the cart.
***
CORMAC AND HIS MENhad the cart surrounded within seconds.
The two men barely had time to register what was happening before they were hemmed in on all sides.Horses blocked the road.Armed riders appeared from the trees.
"Stand down!"Cormac commanded, his voice cutting through the sudden chaos.
The effect was immediate.
The driver went rigid, his eyes fixed on Cormac's masked face and the distinctive pattern of cloth covering it.
"No," Bearnas breathed."No, no, no..."
"That's the Shadow's mask," Talorc whispered, his face draining of color."That's...that's him."
"I told ye!"Bearnas hissed."I told ye we should have stayed on the other road.Always with yer greedy schemes—"
"Silence," Cormac said quietly, and the command cut through their bickering.
Bearnas and Talorc obeyed immediately.
"Check the cart," Cormac ordered.
