There were about forty kilometers left to the "Shelter." The bandits had no targets south of the town they'd been unable to reach, and they rarely ventured there for the simple reason that there was nothing to steal. Therefore, by Pavel's estimates, the trek through the rugged terrain would take about a day and a half and be uneventful. But the adventures didn't think so.
They seemed to appear out of nowhere—neither the alert and sharp-eyed Tolya nor Gronin, who could almost sense danger with his backside, noticed the two armed men sneaking up on them while they were dining on the remains of a hare roasted over the fire. However, there was nothing unusual about this—it was very difficult to see anything in the darkness, and the dim glow of the dying fire provided little light and only dee
