It was some consolation that their progress was good, for the trail they traversed was wide enough for a large cart, and level, and it became apparent that there had once been a highway through this area; worn paving stones showed clearly from time to time along the center of the trail. Indeed, the reason they were able to wend their way so easily through this country was that this pathway remained, resisting the encroachment of the undergrowth.
But who had built the original road? And if a footpath remained, who was here in this strange country to use it? Birin sent several scouts far ahead, to spy out the land and unmask any threat, should the small exodus blunder into a trap. The chief difficulty of the surrounding lands was that they were all-concealing, to any who wished to remain hidden. And leaving the road to explore the hills was tedious, time-consuming work. Were it not that their lives might be at stake, one would have said that the delay was not worth the risk.
Birin’s caution was soon rewarded, however. It wasn’t long before his scouts returned with word that two trails, one on either side of the road, threaded their way through the hills, out of sight of the road. They were quite obviously designed for ambush. And they were clearly often used and recently maintained. Birin sent several riders ahead to watch these trails. They discovered that Goblins, though few in number, had passed through this region recently. But for what purpose, none could guess.