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Kaz. All the while his mind raced to figure out how Sarac could have known. The reports General Fernandez had shown him in Kantor would not have been enough evidence for Sarac to commit troops to this desolate area. If they had been discovered in Kantor, the troops would not be blocking the passes, but marching through them.
    A sudden chill ran up Alex’s spine. If Sarac had known about the Children being in the fairy village before the clearing of the sky, then the forces he was expecting from Kalamaar and Kantor would be much closer than he had originally thought. The real threat to the Children could be coming from the south or the west and the men in the passes are meant just to contain them until the others arrive.
    Alex hopped onto Kaz’s back and told the unicorn to fly past the Children’s campsite to the west. The moon was gone from the sky and the land sped by in darkness below him. Alex detected the scent of smoke several miles west of the Children’s campsite and he had Kaz circle the area while he peered down into the darkness. Alex thought he heard something moving and directed Kaz to land near the river, which was far enough away to avoid detection.
    Alex once more made his way towards a suspected enemy camp as silently as he could. The terrain here was much easier to maneuver and Alex quickly found what he was looking for. The horses were easy to spot and numbered around twenty, much less than Alex would have suspected if this was the killing party that was supposed to attack the Children. He circled the entire encampment and could not find any sentries. The Commander obviously did not expect the Children to attack him. Alex thought it was time to eliminate the careless man and his troops before the Children were encircled. Quietly, Alex made his way back to Kaz and headed for the Children’s campsite.
    Alex was a little surprised when Tedi detected his approach to the campsite, still the young Ranger had made the right call. When Alex rode onto the path to give the recognition call, he found he was framed in a crossfire by Arik and Tedi.
    “You young Rangers are learning quickly,” complimented Alex. “Wake Tanya and Fredrik. We have some work to do before morning.”
    The four young Rangers gathered around Alex as he explained the situation. Fredrik was chosen to remain as sentry for the campsite and the other three prepared for battle.
    “Each of us will have five Dark Riders to take care of,” Alex explained, “but they are sleeping and there are no sentries for their camp. As long as you remain calm and place your arrows swiftly and efficiently, we should accomplish this task quickly.”
    “What if we can’t get all five of our targets?” Tedi asked. “Should we stay or leave?”
    “Once we start the attack, we finish it,” Alex declared. “If one of them remains alive, he will report the attack and we will be overrun with Dark Riders. This group must be eliminated without the other groups finding out about it. If you can’t get to all of your targets, just remain calm and kill anyone coming towards you. If I see a problem, I will try to draw them towards me. That will give all of you some breathing room. With arrows coming in from all directions, any resistance they give us will be disorganized. Trust me, this will work.”
    The four Rangers mounted their horses and rode out of camp leaving Fredrik to stand sentry. When they got to within a half-mile of the enemy camp, Alex halted the group and they dismounted. Alex gave final directions to the Rangers and they split up.
    Alex had the farthest to go as he was taking the most westward position. Arik had the north, Tedi the south, and Tanya would get the east. By the time Alex got into position the others would be ready. He found an old log near his position and he stabbed ten arrows into it so they would be available quickly. He nocked his first arrow and gave the prescribed owl call. Three responses came immediately and Alex let his