Chapter 256: No Escape Even With Wings
Without losing a single soldier, relying only on dozens of warhorns and thousands of torches, Egger reclaimed Deepwood Motte, which had been occupied by the Ironborn for months. Aside from a few Wildlings who scraped their skin tripping over branches in the dark, there were no casualties. Correspondingly, they hadn't eliminated any enemies either.
Egger was satisfied with this result.
Theoretically, he didn't need to care so much about the mountain clansmen or the New Gift-dwellers; for every one who died in battle, Egger would only have to pay a hefty pension of one gold dragon. Thinking with a bit of spiritual victory logic—that gold dragon would just circulate within the Gift and eventually find its way back to the Night's Watch Logistics Department anyway.
What pained Egger was not the gold coins, but the human lives. The Gift was unlike any other land in the Seven Kingdoms; its current total population was less than forty thousand. Even counting the older children and women, the labor force was only just over ten thousand. The number seemed decent, but as a small society, it truly could not withstand any attrition.
This meant that even though he managed the residents with the lowest average quality in the Seven Kingdoms, he had to cherish them more than any other lord... and not just out of mercy.
To survive the crisis following Mormont's death, he had been forced to harden his heart and sacrifice a tribe, but since then, he would not engage in any meaningless displays of bravado or credit-seeking unless necessary. For Robb Stark, the fact that the Gift-dwellers helped retake Deepwood Motte was already a massive favor; killing a few dozen more Ironborn on top of that wouldn't make the achievement much greater.
The fire in the watchtower stopped spreading once the wildfire burned out, its light turning from green to red. It was quickly extinguished after the New Gift-dwellers entered the castle to join the firefighting efforts. An unexpected boon followed—in their panicked flight, the Ironborn hadn't even dealt with the hostages. Lady Glover emerged from the Godswood supported by her personal maids, while a bruised Maester and a one-legged steward were soon helped or carried out of the cellar.
(No, perhaps it wasn't that they were too panicked to deal with them, but that the enemy commander deliberately left them alive? Perhaps so that the besiegers, having reclaimed an intact castle and saved the living hostages, wouldn't pursue the fleeing Ironborn too relentlessly?)
If that was the case, he might as well grant them a path to live; he and the Ironborn had no deep-seated blood feud, Egger thought.
"Did you catch them... especially that... Asha Greyjoy?" Sybelle Glover's eyes were bloodshot from tears and lack of sleep. She was slightly surprised to see that the commander of the rescue force was not a Stark but a man of the Night's Watch dressed all in black, but she had no intention of questioning it. "My son and daughter were taken back to the Iron Islands. We must have hostages to trade for the heirs of Deepwood Motte!"
"Oh, my Lady..." Hother Umber, who had led his men from Last Hearth to follow Egger, spread his hands. "They've already fled into the Wolfswood. I'm not familiar with this forest; it's hard to give chase."
"Gawen and Erena are in their hands!" it was the scream of a mother.
"If they were in the hands of the thieves fleeing the Motte, I'd lead a chase without a second word," Hother shrugged helplessly. "But as you said, Sybelle—they are in the Iron Islands. Even if we chase, we might not catch them; even if we catch them, we might not capture the Daughter of the Kraken alive; even if we capture her alive, it might not necessarily..."
Egger had originally planned to let the Ironborn go, but hearing Lady Glover's plea, he had to change his mind. Just as a delivery driver hopes for a good customer rating, he now hoped the people he rescued would be completely satisfied. In these extraordinary times, he desperately needed the gratitude of the Northmen to ensure his southward march achieved the best possible outcome.
Since he had come this far, he would help to the end. "Say no more, my Lady. I will personally lead men to bring the captives back for you."
Hother looked back skeptically. "Egger, they won't be stupid enough to stick to the main road."
"I have my ways. If Lord Hother is tired, please find a room to rest... though before that, search the castle thoroughly to ensure no Ironborn are left hiding anywhere."
Lady Glover looked at Egger with gratitude. "That is wonderful. And who might this lord be?"
"Chief Logistics Officer of the Night's Watch, Egger West, my Lady," Egger bowed to her. "But please remember, the Night's Watch takes no part... it was not the Night's Watch Legion that reclaimed Deepwood Motte for you, but a group of helpful Gift-dwellers passing by."
Not every woman was Margaery Tyrell; Sybelle Glover clearly failed to grasp the nuance between the two, but Hother Umber would surely explain it to her. Regardless, this matter would eventually need to be coordinated with Robb Stark; it was too early for deep discussion.
Egger left the two Northern nobles with their strange expressions and walked toward his subordinates. "In what direction did the Ironborn flee?"
"They go south for a bit, then west. Their route is entirely irregular, likely fearing someone is behind them."
"Tell Orell to work hard and keep a close eye on them," Egger nodded. "The rest of you, rest where you stand. Have some water, take a nap... commanders, keep your eyes on your men. Do not touch a single thing; Deepwood Motte is not our loot! Once we've confirmed the direction of the Ironborn's flight, we'll take the main road to get ahead of them!"
"Yes, sir!"
The high tower of Deepwood Motte vanished from sight, and the shouting and horn blasts of the Northern army gradually faded. Asha led over a hundred subordinates south, west, then southwest, adjusting their direction every short distance. The wolf pups have their castle back, and I didn't kill the hostages, she thought. Perhaps they won't hunt us to the end.
She felt she hadn't shaken the pursuit—she was right. But what she didn't know was that by leaving the road to trek through the woods, she hadn't lost her tail; instead, she had only made their own escape more difficult. The thing following them wasn't "human" at all, but an eagle circling hundreds of feet above.
After allowing the Wildlings through the Wall, Egger had forcibly conscripted all the skinchangers among the Free Folk, keeping them and their pets under house arrest in Queenscrown.
These individuals with special abilities—who could communicate with animals, control beasts, and possessed mysterious powers—were once greatly feared and respected beyond the Wall for their mystical aura... but after crossing the Wall, they found that the Night's Watch not only didn't fear them but seemed to understand their abilities perfectly. Coupled with witnessing or hearing of Melisandre's magical power, and the fact that most of their pets were locked in cages in Queenscrown under strict supervision... after trying to act tough a few times and being ignored, and hearing the story of Ser Buckwell slaughtering a whole tribe in half a day, they didn't dare be anything but obedient.
For this expedition south, Egger had brought two skinchangers capable of controlling birds. With the era-crossing advantage of aerial reconnaissance, this small band of Ironborn couldn't escape the palm of the Night's Watch unless they truly sprouted wings.
After fleeing through the woods for nearly half the night, the Ironborn's physical strength was reaching its limit. The weaker ones could no longer keep up. "How much further must we go?"
If they continued like this, people would start falling behind. Asha reluctantly bowed to reality but had no intention of stopping. "Then slow down, but keep moving until we reach the sea or the sun comes up."
It was a shameful rout, but driven by the obsession of going home, the Ironborn gritted their teeth and pressed on. Not following the road meant uneven footing and denser trees; the forest blocked the light of the moon and stars, leaving the ground dark and muddy. Men and horses stumbled or stepped into holes. Soon, a horse broke its front leg; the rider was bruised and battered but still had to slit the animal's throat to stop it from screaming.
Gaining no advantage on horseback, all the riders dismounted.
"We need to light some torches."
"And tell the wolf pups exactly where we are?" Asha cursed, starting to wonder if abandoning the castle had been a mistake. She removed her helmet, brushing back her sweat-soaked hair, offering a plum of hope to her exhausted crew: "Grit your teeth. The Black Wind is waiting for us at the shore!"
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