[A] Searching for Solitude [Finished]

Adimon knew the other was there before he cleared a throat. Stupid! he repeated to himself. Dealing with another person face to face was the last thing Adimon wanted to do right now; with so little time before the storm, he had wanted to get information from a hidden position. And this had to be a member of Caspian's army, else he would not have dared to challenge Adimon even so indirectly. Well, nothing to do now but to face it head on.

Adimon turned around slowly, as if he little cared who was behind him. In fact, he did care, because he sincerely hoped the being was human. He was NOT in the mood right now to face any of the other unnatural creatures in Caspian's army. Still, he was not afraid. No point in that. Besides, if the person had wanted to kill him right away, it would have done so.

When Adimon was face to face with the other person, he gave an inward sigh of relief. The enemy was human alright. It was a young Telmarine man, like many of the men in Miraz's army, only this one was obviously on Caspian's side. Adimon compressed his lips in distaste. Traitor and fool, to choose Caspian over Miraz!

Still, Adimon said nothing, though he kept his arrow trained at the other's heart. The enemy had only a sword, and there was enough distance between them that Adimon was in little danger. Or at least, he was in little danger as long as they were the only two facing off. Adimon kept his eyes scanning and his ears pealed, but so far he didn't hear anyone else, and if the enemy in front of him tried to yell for help, he would be dead before much sound escaped him. Adimon wasn't the most skilled archer or swordsman, but he was more than proficient, and it would be no trouble to hit a target this close. Still, there was always the danger of someone else stumbling upon them, and that someone else was very likely to be on Caspian's side. It was best to leave before that happened -- after injuring his opponent, of course (killing him seemed unnecessary in this circumstance, but Adimon couldn't leave him to follow or sound the alarm).

Still, Adimon played briefly with the idea of trying to take the enemy as a prisoner. It wasn't often that they stumbled on a human in Caspian's army, especially alone. Yes, this soldier could be very useful to Miraz; even if the soldier was of low rank and didn't know much, Adimon knew Caspian well enough to perceive that a hostage of any rank would be an effective weapon. On the other hand, there was that dratted storm coming, and Adimon did not relish the task of dragging an unwilling prisoner several miles back to the camp in this weather and starting this close from Caspian's camp. The unpleasantness of the task was no factor; Adimon always did what was necessary. But it was just too risky. Still, did the benefits outweigh the risks?

Time for a quick test. "I could kill you right now, traitor," Adimon observed, his voise not menacing but simply matter-of-fact.