Caius heard it first—the sound of hooves approaching them as they rode down the grassy path. It was past noon, and they had turned up empty again. They had made even worse progress than the day before, and something else that bothered him was that there were almost no more bandit attacks. Not a single one since he arrived.
He slowed his horse, and Prince Rylen stared at him oddly. He also slowed down so he wouldn't pass the crown prince.
"Your Grace," Prince Rylen called.
Caius turned his gaze to his back, and sure enough, a horse was approaching them at high speed. Rylen followed Caius's gaze, and the men with him stopped.
They were about five in number, while the rest of the men had been divided into two groups and sent to other sides of the town. However, the fact that he hadn't heard anything meant they had also been fruitless.
