Interregnum (66 page)

Tythias nodded as Kiva approached them. The general gave a sad little smile. “We can spare an hour for the meal before we do anything.” He winked at the girl. “And he won’t be needed overnight, you know…”

Sathina smiled. “I know, but I’m entitled to worry, general.”

“Of course you are, but there’s nothing on earth’s been made by man can get rid of your husband. He’s been wounded by every type of weapon I could name and probably most of the animals and he’s still here.”

For a moment Sathina’s smile faltered and then she looked back up at the general. “He’ll be fine. Now let’s celebrate.”

“Indeed.” Sarios walked past them and intoned a prayer to various gods before they began. The staff waited patiently for a few minutes until he fell silent and then made their way to the various seats around the heavy wooden table.

The meal began with toasts and jokes and then bread was broken and wine drunk as every man and the few women at the celebration tried their hardest to have a good time, despite the foreboding feeling triggered by the nearby sounds of an army making ready for brutal war.

It was perhaps an hour from sunset when Tythias finally stood and turned his glass upside down. “No more for me now until I return. I don’t think infantry support is necessary, general. This is just a teaser, so I’ll take the cavalry.”

He leaned down and kissed his wife for a long moment before standing straight once more. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Sathina watched as Tythias gave a slight bow to his friends and peers and then turned from the table and strode away toward the stables. Three of the celebratory party, all ex-members of Tythias’ company, stood and adjusted their tunics before following their commander. Despite the Lion Riders having been split up into more useful roles, many of the cavalry officers originated from the that unit.

She sighed and swallowed hard, forcing the tears welling in her eyes to stay there.

“I wish he’d stop saying things like that. Tempting the fates is never good.”

Athas, two seats down the table, reached across where Tythias had been sitting and squeezed her wrist. “It’s alright, Sathina. Kiva here’s the only one the Gods have got it in for.”

It wasn’t exactly a joke, but it certainly turned their thoughts away from Tythias’ immediate danger.

Down at the stables, Tythias prepared his horse as his commanders donned their armour and weapons. The prefect’s plans had been well known by the cavalry since before they’d arrived in the valley and officers were already present in the makeshift stable, while their units were formed and waiting by the front line.

As he and the other commanders finally mounted up in the dusky light with a deep blue-grey sky showing through the cracks between the wooden walls, he smiled at them and hefted his sword.

“Let’s get out there. I want to be out ahead of our front line and see what we’ve got. Then I’ll know how best to hit them.”

There were murmurs of assent from the other officers and the six riders made their way out of the hastily constructed officer’s stable and past the corral that held most of the remaining steeds, down toward the front line at a steady walk. Five units of cavalry milled around close to one of the stockades guarding a crossing of the ditch, waiting for their commanders. Three were light, skirmishing cavalry of the style the Imperial army had traditionally used for harassing the flanks of the enemy, but the other two were equipped after the fashion of the more civilised of the eastern horse tribes; their horses were armoured with chain mail and the riders wore a suit of chain interspersed with steel plates that promised good protection but also extreme weight. They held spears and shields, with their swords attached to the horns of their saddles. All in all, they were the heaviest cavalry Tythias had ever seen fielded within the empire. He’d made the decision to train heavy horse units, but had passed the responsibility itself down to Peris, the best horseman of the Lion Riders, who even now was approaching them and eyeing them critically.

“You!” the officer called out. “Straighten up in that saddle and hold your shield like you might want to use if you daft bastard.”

Tythias smiled. “Officers to me!” he called loudly as he walked his horse across the ditch crossing. Behind him the five unit commanders followed him into the no man’s land, watching the distant lines of the enemy. Peris pulled alongside as they walked their horses and addressed his commander in a low voice.

“You do realise, sir, that you can just tell us where to go and what to do. You don’t actually need to come along. You’re a senior commander and we’re not daft.”

Tythias raised an eyebrow and Peris sighed.

“You’ve a wife back there, sir and you’ve been married less than two hours. Don’t you think you should be with her?”

The prefect smiled. “I will be shortly, but I’m not passing up the opportunity to find out what we’re up against.” He squinted into the distance. “I see they’re still not properly set up. We know what their army comprised a few days ago, but they may have picked up others now. They’ve passed the lands of several of his allies now. I want to have a look at the rear ranks that are still arriving.”

With a smile, he turned to Peris. “Here’s a chance to test the mettle of the heavy cavalry. Peris and Crucio, take your two units to the right hand side of the valley. I want you to make your way right to the slope at the other side and then make a charge against the end of their line. Hit ‘em really hard. I want you to frighten the shit out of them and draw all attention there. Once you’ve finished your charge, rally and pull back across the field. As soon as you’re a good distance away, turn and do it again. You know what to you’re doing.”

Peris nodded. “I doubt we’ll get three charges in before they’re prepared and the shock’ll have gone.”

“That’s fine,” Tythias nodded. “Try for three if you can. Just keep them busy and give them something to think about. Meantime, the rest of us are heading up over this hill on the left hand side and we’re going to go round and hit them from the back. I want to see the support that’s coming up now and harass them a little.”

Peris squared his shoulders and peered across to the enemy’s left flank. I’ll give it ten minutes once we’re over there before we charge. We don’t want to go too early or our attack’ll be over before you even reach position.”

The prefect nodded and, turning his horse, led the light cavalry along the line behind the front ranks of men, heading for a farm house low on the slopes of the valley side where they could enter an orchard and cross the brow of the hill relatively unobtrusively. Peris watched him go and then nodded to his fellow officer.

“Well, Crucio. Time we went too, eh?.”

Tythias frowned. From their vantage point on the lowest slope of the hill among sparse fruit trees, he could see everything that was happening at the rear of the enemy force. Something was wrong here. They must have already fielded half as many men again as Darius’ army, and yet there were still long columns of troops coming in. More than that, there were huge wagons bearing catapults and bolt throwers being escorted by strange unidentifiable low-grade infantry. Where had all these extra men and machines come from?

He grunted and strained to see back across the field. The heavy cavalry were in position and waiting. Any minute now they’d charge and Tythias would be able to move his skirmishers down past the other flank without drawing all their men back from the front. He turned his gaze back to the columns coming up from the west and that was when the banner finally appeared among riders behind the siege machines. The column seemed to be a full army in itself, with a cavalry unit at the front, already past their position and taking their place among Velutio’s lines. Behind them an infantry unit in black were getting into position, followed by the cart bearing their massive weapons, surrounded by light infantry. Behind them in turn came units of musicians and standard bearers light with burning torches or lanterns on short poles. And there, behind the musicians came the black banners bearing a Golden crown and two rearing horses flying over a covered black wagon draped with gold and black curtains. The banner of a Pelasian lord, the Satrap of Siszthad. He must be the usurper that had taken Prince Ashar’s family’s heads. And now the bastard was marching with Velutio. Surrounding the wagon were a number of over-dressed but under protected glittery guards. More courtiers followed the wagon in their own palanquins and chairs, beyond which the Pelasian infantry swarmed.

Tythias glanced back over his shoulder and spotted the two heavy cavalry units of Crucio and Peris hurtling across the field toward Velutio’s army. This was it; time to go.

“Ok.” He called out to his men. “We’ve got one small chance to do something really useful here, boys. Some of those units are carrying torches and lanterns against the dark. We need to take them out and use those torches on the war machines. I don’t care how you do it, but burn as many of those bastards to the ground as you can. They won’t have enough water with them while they march to put them out. Stay in groups and don’t get too split up. We’re going to be short on time here.”

He turned again to face the siege engines. “Go, lads, go!”

The skirmishing units charged wildly, disregarding any ideal of formation other than staying in small groups, through the loosely planted orchard and down onto the flat turf. Shouts of alarm went up from some of the footmen who were now clearly of Pelasian origin. The bastard Satrap had brought the war machines with him. The loose formation of footmen tried to pull themselves into an ordered line, but they had not been expecting an attack from the rear and were truly unprepared for the ferocity of Tythias’ cavalry. Spears lunged and stabbed as three hundred horsemen rushed a thin line of defenders. After a couple of thrusts with their spears, swords were drawn and the cavalry went to work on the simple butchery of their disorganised enemy. Tythias wheeled his horse in the midst of the chaos.

“Stop fucking around and get those torches!”

As his men made for the flickering lights, Tythias looked around. The only units within the column bearing torches were musicians, flag and standard bearers and senior men in gaudy golden silk costumes. That made their targets easier to identify. The prefect grinned and watched five of his men dispatch the last defenders in front of a huge catapult. He waved to one. “Get this thing burned. You four… come with me.”

Turning, now flanked by four of his men, Tythias rode along the column, past a small unit of drummers who were being brutalised for the sake of the lanterns their unit carried, and toward the flags he’d seen. From this viewpoint, the road down the valley was visible and the rear ranks of the Pelasian contingent were arriving; perhaps two thousand heavy infantry in all. “We’d best get out of here before they reach us,” he called.

The three charged toward the large, black wagon surrounded by guards in black and gold with some variety of feathery headdress. Grinning, Tythias leaned in his saddle. “You four keep them busy. I’m going to have a look inside that thing.”

Trusting his men to do their job, Tythias looked around for other men nearby and, spotting a group of riders pouring lit oil onto a bolt thrower, called “over here!” He rode for the black wagon and reined in, his sword ready. A guard with a gold-burnished breastplate leaped down from the rear of the wagon, bearing a curved knife and attempting to unhorse the prefect. Bracing himself, Tythias swung his sword up in a wide arc. The blade caught the falling man on the hip and sliced diagonally up across his abdomen. The body crashed into him and the man, still alive though barely so, drove in the knife he held as he fell. Tythias grunted in pain as the blade dug deep into his thigh. The body fell past him then to the floor, bleeding out its life, while the dying guard clung on to the hilt, dragged alongside Tythias’ horse. The prefect scowled and wrenched the knife from his leg, watching the Pelasian crash to the ground and thrash painfully. Reaching up, he ripped the silky black curtains aside.

The Satrap of Siszthad was a corpulent man with an oily complexion and small, dark, piggy eyes. His scalp was shaved barring the topknot and his clothing was as ostentatious as Tythias could ever imagine. Gold and silver silk adorned with jewels and peacock feathers threatened to make the prefect laugh out loud. He leaned into the doorway.

“You can either come with me, or I can skewer you and take you anyway. The choice is yours.”

The Satrap stared at him and then screamed “Guards!” in a surprisingly falsetto voice.

“Ok. Have it your way.”

Tythias stuck his sword, point first, in the wooden side of the wagon and, reaching inside, delivered a powerful punch to the portly man’s face. There was a distinct crunch as the Satrap’s nose broke beneath the blow and, in a spray of blood, the man blacked out. The prefect looked around urgently. Men were rushing up from behind and, ahead, wooden carts on fire had brought the column to a halt. The defenders were rallying properly now and in minutes the light cavalry would be in serious trouble. Only one of the four men that had come with him was still in his saddle, desperately fighting off two guards at the front of the vehicle, though other riders, having finished their work, were bearing down on the Satrap’s wagon.

“To me!” the prefect cried, aware that the cavalry were fragmenting into small melees and would soon be too dispersed to deal with an orderly retreat.

Reaching out, Tythias grasped the saddle of one of the fallen riders and guided the horse clumsily closer to the wagon. Reaching inside and grunting with the sheer effort, he hauled the corpulent unconscious body of the Pelasian usurper out of his seat and to the door of the vehicle. Several more horsemen appeared as if from nowhere and help him heave the ruler’s figure out and onto the horse. With a last glance around him, Tythias called “Fall back! Back to our lines!”

Slapping the over-burdened horse on the rump, he launched back along the lowest level of the slope toward their front lines. Members of the three cavalry units pulled back in alongside him as they rode. There were fewer survivors than he’d hoped to see. The action had at the very least halved their numbers, but the damage they’d caused Velutio was incomparable. The loss of his Pelasian ally, his siege engines and a number of dead infantry, compared with the thinning of the Imperial cavalry? Tythias smiled across and down at the slumbering heap laid uncomfortably across a four-horned saddle.