"And if they're waiting for us?" Ulbarich asked quietly. "What will we do then?"
She wasn't wrong, but she wasn't right. There was no right. Bringing in the rest of the men now would only make this situation worse instead of better. Any second now the bandits were going to touch off a panicked rush for freedom, and the ensuing rush was going to bring all of this crashing down around their bleeding heads. The last thing that anyone wanted to do was charge into a knot of orcs while fleeing the bandits. Or vice-versa. This mist, this fog, was making proper judgments impossible. He might as well stand up and start shouting their names to no one and everyone.
A snarl.
"Fine," he replied, terse as all hell. "You're right. Go, now!"
Ulbarich and his party began to backtrack on the instant. Their steps were neither panicked nor hurried. They were, however, steady and at a good clip. No sense in dragging a thing out. That was when it happened. A clatter of bells as the bandits realized precisely what was going on. They were scrambling to free themselves and doing a masterful job of it. Ulbarich, for his part, broke into a run at the first clang of the bell.