It was a legitimate fear and one that had been in the back of my mind as well. We had held our own against the raiders in Denu Creek, but that was after an advance warning, and familiar terrain in which to fight. Chances were, we wouldn’t have those advantages on the road. Several townspeople had shown skill with bows, but that was while they were perched on top of buildings. I doubted their accuracy would remain as good while someone charged them with sword in hand, especially if mounted. I know my aim would suffer in a similar set of circumstances and I had years of experience they didn’t. In Denu Creek, most of the casualties from our side occurred after things got up close and ugly. Few knew how to use a weapon properly. Without some of the tricks I had used to hide their lack of ability, the loss of life among our group would be much higher in another confrontation. With that in mind, I had Ira wake everyone up early the next morning since I knew he’d take no lip from anyone who might call him crazy for doing so.
