Besides, Gregory was an experienced judge of men, and while this priest seemed meek at the moment, there was obvious hardness beneath the apparently mild exterior.

'I wish I'd never left my monastery to come here and help out,' the priest sighed, finally dropping his gaze. 'We got lost, brothers Valdin, Sigfried and I. We were making for the camp of Baron Moyet, took a wrong turn on the trail and found ourselves behind the Tsurani lines.'

'Only Rangers and elves travel these paths without risk of getting lost, Father,' Gregory offered. 'These woods are treacherous. It is said that at times the forest itself will hide trails and make new ones to lead the unwary astray.'

'Brothers Valdin and Sigfried were captured,' the priest continued, spilling out his story. 'I escaped. I was off the trail, relieving myself, when the Tsurani patrol took them. I ran in the opposite direction after my brothers were dragged away. I was a coward.'

The Natalese Ranger shrugged. 'Some might call it prudence, rather than cowardice. You denied the Tsurani a third prisoner.' The priest still appeared unconvinced.

'There was nothing you could have done for them,' Gregory added with certainty, 'except join them as a captive.'

Corwin seemed slightly more reassured. 'It was foolish of me to have run, you'll agree. Had I been more stealthy I'd not have led them to you. When I saw one of your men hiding off the side of the trail, I just naturally went straight to him.'

Gregory's eyes narrowed. 'Well, if he'd been doing a better job of hiding, you wouldn't have seen him, then, would you?'

'I didn't know they -' he pointed towards the Tsurani corpses littering the field '- were right behind me.'

Gregory nodded.

What should have been a clean, quick ambush incurring minimal loss had turned into a bloodbath. Eighteen men from the Marauders – nearly a quarter of Dennis's command – were dead, and six more were seriously wounded. As it was, the engagement had been a Kingdom victory, but at far greater cost than was necessary.