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Finally Sir Adimon Tescar was able to get away from the noise and squabbling of those at camp! Miraz was busy giving orders to his generals, and would not need his secretary for quite some time. Since all of Adimon's other tasks were done for the day, he decided he would go out and see if he could gather any useful information about Caspian's army. It was, indeed, partially an excuse to be alone, but it was also true that the excursion was necessary, for they had no clue what Caspian planned next.

What they really needed was a spy inside Caspian's camp. Unfortunately, no one was volunteering -- all kinds of stories were circulating about the monsters and creatures that were on the prince's side. Adimon didn't like the thought of spending time with the so-called "Old Narnians" either, but he would have gone and pretended to sympathize with them himself if necessary. Unfortunately, he couldn't; Caspian would recognize him right away. It irked him that so far, only those who could be recognized by Caspian would be willing to take on such an assignment. What a cowardly, superstitious, and lazy army they had! Therefore, Miraz had to make do with outside scouts and spies.

Adimon was one of the best Telmarine spies, though he couldn't often be spared to perform the duty himself. Now, however, he had the chance, and so he set out towards Caspian's camp. He had no real plan of action in mind, but often the best information came when you weren't directly looking for it. Whether or not he gathered any useful knowledge, however, this foray would be short. A massive storm was coming; he could feel it. It was getting darker, and the air was heavy and static. Few animals were in sight. A storm like the one that must be coming could do a good deal of damage. It would be rough on the camp, though they had already done all they could to prepare. Miraz himself would be going back to the castle to weather the storm after he finished with his generals and Adimon must be back at camp before the king left. Adimon would get any last minute orders from the king then, and while the king left he would stay at the camp as the King's Voice.

Just then, a loud clap of thunder burst through the forest. Startled, Adimon stumbled on a root in front of him. He caught himself before he fell, but the noise he made while regaining his balance would have alerted anyone in the area that he was near. Stupid!, he berated himself as he pulled out his bow, just in case. You knew a storm was coming. You should have expected that! You're only a mile away from Caspian's camp; you can't afford to make mistakes now! Perhaps he should head back to camp, though this excursion had been useless so far. He was obviously not on his guard as he should be, and this storm was coming quicker than he expected.

Cross was heading back to camp slowly but taking a much longer route than usual. He was trying to see how much worse the storm would progress until he reached Aslan's How. He was at first a way bit off on his own but now he was close enough at camp to be comfortable.

The sudden disruption that thunder wielded caused Cross to jump a bit. He wasn't accustomed to storms himself but there was no avoiding this. He couldn't help but notice, however, that someone wasn't far off. He didn't know whether it was friend or foe but in weather such as this he wouldn't expect a Telmarine to be near the camp. It was utter foolishness with the weather like this; he could get himself killed or worse, stuck in the mud until he drowned if the waters ever got high enough. Unlikely that would occur though, Cross not wearing much but pants, a belt, and his sword tucked away in its sheath. He began to make his way rather quietly to where the sound came from.

He wasn't in any mood to start a fight if it did turn out to be a Telmarine, whether it be capturing him or scaring him off he did not know yet. He thought it wise though to not take any prisoners with the turn out of the weather, so thus he decided his mind. A good scare indeed was what thrilled him to the bone, he's been anxious for something like this to happen and at last something came his way.

He snuck by the bushes behind some birch trees and slowly made his way closer. There was someone there alright but still not in view. He thought it silly to not have brought his shield along to his morning workout routine as usual but he felt like traveling light that day. This was the last time he would accommodate himself in exchange for paying the price of increased potential harm though.

At last, creeping forward he saw him, this was no Old Narnian, this was a Telmarine. Cross was not intending any harm but having a spy so close to camp he felt something should be done.
Slowly he slid his sword out of his sheath, the Telmarine was cautious as he held his bow with a threatening look. He must have known he gave away his position; Cross believed it was time for a little bit of fun, a little bit of tension, no sense in battling with this storm though so he knew he would have to be wise and quick with what he says and does.

One problem, the Telmarine had a bow and Cross had no shield. Not a smart move, unless he had him believe he was not alone...

He slowly arose from the bush, sword in his hands and pointed towards the Telmarine. He stood behind him though, which gave him the advantage.
He had not yet been seen but being as quiet as he could he felt that somehow he gave away his position.

He cleared his throat roughly, "Ahem...."

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.

Cross knew he had to do this quick; time was evidently not in their favour.
"Yes, you could very well kill me...and I could've killed you while your back was turned." Cross grinned, he wasn't very fond of the term 'traitor' but he knew he was fighting for the right side, there wasn't going to be anyway he would return ever since the execution of his parents.

"Now, now, we know an arrow can be quite dangerous, likewise the wrong choice of words." He glanced at the clouds and returned his view to the Telmarine.

"There's a fierce storm starting, it would be unwise for either of us to engage in any sort of fight. Looking upon the situation, however, I could let you walk away freely without notifying the others of your presence, until you're at a safe distance. Not what you'd expect to hear from your enemy, but if say, you were to harm me...I would have enough breath left in me to severely harm you."
He was trying to be careful with his words. Kindness was not something he commonly offered his enemy but he would hate it if anyone were to get stuck in this weather.
"We don't have much time, either you strike and prepare for the worst or you walk freely without a scratch. It would not be pleasant if one of Caspian's men were to come across while you still decide your move."

Cross lowered his sword and held it in a non-threatening manner as he slowly backed into the bushes and waited. If the enemy would strike it would be through the bushes, not much of a buffer zone but it was better than not having a shield.

"It's now up to you oh servant of the pathetic King Miraz?"

For someone in his adversary's position, those were brave words, though Adimon suspected the man was too young and cocky to believe that anything bad really could happen to him. He begun by saying that he could have killed Adimon while his back was turned, which wouldn't really have been quite likely if the man's only weapon was his sword, as Adimon suspected. True, Adimon had only brought his bow and a few well placed knives -- one at his belt, three others hidden elsewhere on his body -- for on his current mission a sword would have only slowed him down (of course, Adimon had not counted on his own stupidity in being discovered). But Adimon's weapons could kill at a distance, and he had realized the other was there well before he was close enough to use the sword.

The enemy then even had the audacity to offer to let Adimon go, as if it wasn't really Adimon who had the upper hand. Still, Adimon listened. This close to Caspian's camp, the offer was a good one, no matter how it was phrased. Adimon suspected by now that the soldier would not be captured easily, and while Adimon could injure him enough that he wouldn't be able to protest, that would mean dragging him miles through the forest when a storm was on the way.

No, it was best for Adimon to make his exit now. However, he didn't completely trust the traitor's word. Best to go with his original plan and injure the soldier just enough to ensure his own escape. He waited while the young man in front of him ended his speech with a feeble excuse for an insult. "Pathetic"? Adimon wanted to laugh, but did not change expression. Instead, he answered the young man cooly. "I think I will leave. But unfortunately, I must be sure that you really will not send the alarm. It is true we are a mile from your camp, and there are likely few close enough to hear you. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry."

With that, Adimon pulled up his bow, aiming at his adversary's head, and let loose an arrow. At this range, it should knock the young man over, and would hopefully either render him unconscious or knock out his breath just long enough for Adimon to get the lead he needed. Or at least, that was the plan. Instead, just as Adimon let the arrow fly, there was a blinding flash of light and an ear-splitting rumble. The arrow flew just off target as a pine tree nearby exploded.

Adimon had no chance to react. Splintered wood burst out in every direction, bruising and stinging as it made contact with human flesh. Then a small branch flew towards him, made contact with his head, and there was only blackness.

Cross saw he was at no position to defend himself against an arrow aimed for him. He prepared for the worst until a sudden flash of light blinded him with a quick crack of thunder that left him slightly deaf for a few moments.

Regaining his stability he realized the arrow had missed, it was far behind him and no where close. Looking back he realized the Telmarine was on the ground, clearly knocked out but he didn't know by what. Looking around carefully he noticed a pine tree, well what remained of it. It had exploded by the sudden touch of lightning, a strike so close he wondered how it didn't hit them instead.

It seemed a branch may have knocked him out as it lay slightly over him; it was either that or the lightning strike itself. He wasn't dead, that was for sure as he still noticed the enemy breathing but non-responsive he remained.

"Just great, no sense leaving him here to die in this storm. If I do someone else may notice and decide to kill him..." He thought hard to himself; perhaps Caspian would be much kinder as to help him in this time of need.
Putting his sword back into his sheath he realized a drop of blood drip from his cheek.
'The arrow must've skinned my face...' he thought, not a serious cut, nothing to be concerned of anyways.

Cross knelt beside the Telmarine and tried to snap his bow, after much efforts he gave up seeing it clearly was not going to break. It was strong and durable, no honour in removing his weaponry but to be safe it should be removed and out of sight in case he awakens.
He held the bow as he dragged the soldier towards the camp, best to hide him close-by first or else someone may try to kill him. He knew how, the bushes always served as good hiding places, thus he would use that.

What a good deed he was doing he thought; I wonder how Caspian will respond though. He is the enemy after all...