At last. Gerart looked at the sky, searching for the moon, but did not see it. He looked for a star shining above, but there were none to be seen either. On that dark night the clouds covered the whole firmament and not the least sparkle came through to reach the damp earth. In that blinding darkness the forest rose threateningly like a nightmare monster waiting to devour anyone who dared go into it. Gerart turned cautiously. He could see nothing behind him, but at the same time no one would discover them. “Look for the Nocean watchmen. None of them are to escape alive, or else the mission will fail. And get rid of the bodies,” he whispered to the three officers who followed him. The officers saluted, and a few moments later three dozen men left stealthily to carry out the orders of the Prince of Rogdon. In the blink of an eye they had disappeared, swallowed up by the dense forest and the reigning darkness. Two scouts came back to Gerart.
