The Crown of the Conqueror (23 page)

  "That would take another hour, perhaps two to know for sure," said the prince. He turned to Luusin. "We may as well do something. Send half a dozen kolubrids through those woods down there. They should be able to see any army lying in wait once they get to the other side."

  Luusin nodded and headed off towards the kolubrid company, waving to attract the attention of their captain. Soon the scouts were slithering away on their scaled mounts, heading down the blindside of the hill to avoid being seen by the Salphors. Luusin returned to the group.

  "They'll burn lavaleaf torches if there are no enemy," the captain reported. "We should see the smoke from here if the wind doesn't get any stronger."

  Jutaar nodded, pleased with his initiative. It felt good to be doing something, even if that something was only taking a better look at the situation. He wondered what his father would do. Probably attack first and worry about the consequences later, he decided. Jutaar did not like taking risks, and knew it would be better to wait than to commit to something foolish.

  The third hour of Low Watch came and went without event. The small council broke apart, the captains walking amongst their companies and the other legionnaires, joking and passing the time as best they could. Jutaar stayed where he was, sitting and staring at the Salphorian army. He was forced to wonder if he was being tricked. If the Salphors had even more warriors, it made more sense that they would not have shown several thousand of their number on the hill; better to leave just a few hundred as more tempting bait. If that was the case, the Salphors were on the ridge for a purpose, and that could only be to protect something behind them.

  "We are going to attack," Jutaar announced loudly, jumping to his feet. "Stand the legion to arms."

  "Bored of waiting, prince?" Daariun called out from the third company.

  "If the Salphors want to sit on that hill all day, we are going to make sure that they cannot," Jutaar replied. "Second Captains! To me for orders of battle."

  When the company commanders had assembled, Jutaar outlined the plan of attack he had been devising throughout the whole morning. Like the commander that had thought of it, the plan was simple. The right wing of the legion would engage the Salphors directly and hopefully draw them down the ridge on to the centre. The left wing would extend past the Salphors' flank, gain the crest and attack the Salphorian rear from above.

  "The enemy outnumber us," Jutaar warned. "The best way that this will work is for the centre and right to take up position at the base of the ridge. The war engines will move down onto level ground and attack the Salphors. They will have to either withdraw or come to meet us head on, straight onto our spear tips, which will suit us just fine. Either way, the left wing will move up the shallower slope and press their flank. If the Salphors move to head off this attack, the right wing will have to advance around the other side instead. Does everybody understand?"

  There was agreement from all the captains and with no questions to be raised they headed back to their companies. Drums rolled to sound the advance as the legionnaires pushed themselves to their feet, took up spears and shields and fell into rank again. Advancing in formation, the First Magilnadan flowed down the slope towards the enemy as a solid line of bronze.

  The legion had covered the first quarter-mile when Jutaar saw a ruddy smudge in the air, drifting up behind the Salphors. It was the smoke from the scouts, indicating that there were no enemy hiding behind the hill.

  "I knew it was a ruse," Jutaar laughed to his icon bearer, Kaasin. "They would never catch me out with such a simple trick. We will see how clever they think they are."

  Kaasin nodded and smiled but said nothing. Ahead, the Salphorian army was engulfed by a flurry of movement as the warriors gathered in their tribal bands, roused by the Askhan advance. Jutaar could hear crude hunting horns, but they were just blaring randomly, not the pre-arranged signals of the Askhan musicians. Watching the enemy movements carefully, Jutaar concluded that the Salphors were going to hold the ridgeline; they made no attempt to retreat but neither were they coming any closer.

  The advance continued until the legion was a quarter of a mile from the enemy. Here, Jutaar called a halt while the war machines were erected again. All the while, the Salphors seemed content to allow him to organise his battle line and prepare his engines.

  "Idiots," Jutaar said happily to the men around them. "They just wait there, like a rabbit in a snare not realising that the knife is coming down."

  A tremor of words suddenly rippled through the army, seeming to originate from the far right flank.

  "What is happening?" Jutaar called out to Kasod, who was in the company to his right.

  The Second Captain shrugged and passed on the question to Daariun, but before anything was shouted back, Jutaar received his answer. Men from every company were turning around and pointing back up the hill. Jutaar craned his neck to look over the men behind and saw something in the air to hotwards; a slim arc of black smoke. It was the trail of a warning arrow, shot by a bellows bow in the rearguard.

  The import of this quickly engulfed the legion; the baggage train was in trouble of some kind. Jutaar chided himself for advancing, leaving the supplies almost two miles behind. Had that been the Salphor ploy all along? He did not panic, even though around him the legionnaires were wildly and loudly speculating on the demise of their baggage.

  "Restore order, captains!" Jutaar bellowed, stepping out of the first company to face the army. He waited for a moment while the chastised legionnaires fell silent. He pointed at Salphors in front of the army. "If we turn back, those crafty bastards are going to come down that hill after us. More than five hundred of your companions guard the baggage. We wait for the report from the rearguard. Until then, you will maintain ranks and be prepared to fight the enemy to our front. Company punishment for the next man to speak out of turn!"

  There was no need to issue further orders; messengers on kolubrids were already guiding their scaled mounts up the hill to see what, if any, enemy was attacking the baggage and to intercept any rider or runner the rearguard were sending with news.

  Jutaar attempted to affect the same air of nonchalance he had seem his father employ in such situations; though he was sure that in the case of Ullsaard his calm disregard was real and not feigned. Though he strove to appear unflustered by this development, Jutaar's stomach churned and his heart raced. It was not fear that caused this reaction, but excitement. Jutaar fought to concentrate, to remember the lessons he had been told and had read in the treatises of the old commanders. He kept telling himself that a rash reaction to events was the worst thing he could do. A real commander assessed the battlefield as it developed, based his decisions on what he knew for sure, and did not overreact.

  The loss of the baggage would be an embarrassment more than a strategic disaster; every legionnaire was required to carry everything he needed for living and war-making. Each had food and fresh water for five days, and amongst the men of each company were more than enough whetstones, spare spear tips and knives, extra sandals and shield straps, and other such tools and supplies of maintenance needed to keep them in fighting shape. Whatever happened, Jutaar was determined that the legion would withdraw in good order, all the way back to Magilnada if needed.

  There seemed to be some confusion amongst the scouts; some were turning back already while others were continuing on back up the hill towards the rearguard. Jutaar could plainly see the riders arguing with each other. It was ill-disciplined behaviour at the best of times and inexcusable during the current circumstance.

  "Council captains, gather on me!" Jutaar called out. Bariilin, Luusin, Daariun and Kasod broke from their companies at a quick jog, quickly converging on their general. "Luusin, go and find out what that scouts think they are doing and report back immediately."

  The Second Captain set off with a quick salute. Jutaar turned his attention back to the Salphors.

  "It doesn't look like they're ready to come and play yet," said Kasod.

  What he said was true. The Salphors stood at the top of the ridge, some of them laughing and pointing at their Askhan foes.

  "If they think this is some kind of joke, they will learn that it is not," said Jutaar. "They are trying to goad us into an attack. We will remain here until the matter with the rearguard is settled."

  There were nods of approval from Daariun and Bariilin, but Kasod looked unconvinced.

  "You think we should attack?" Jutaar snapped at the Second Captain.

  "I think we should do something, prince," replied Kasod. "If the baggage is being attacked, we look like a bunch of prize pricks waiting for the whores, standing here doing nothing."

  "But what can we do?" said Jutaar, pacing in agitation, all thoughts of a calm presentation forgotten. "If the Salphors want us to pull back, we should attack. If they want us attack, we should pull back."

  "Fuck the Salphors," said Kasod, grabbing Jutaar's arm to bring him to a halt. "What do you want to do, prince?"

  "Yes, yes, you are right," said Jutaar, tugging free his arm. "We will continue the attack. The baggage guard will have to look after themselves."

  "Are you sure, prince?" said Daariun. "We have unknown enemies behind us. If they come at us while we are engaged on the ridge, we'll be trapped."

  Jutaar cleared his throat.

  "All right," he said. "The most prudent stance will be to withdraw back to where we were and provide support for the rearguard. However, we will be prepared to turn if the Salphors come off the ridge."

  A shout from a returning Luusin broke the deliberations. The Second Captain was approaching at a full run, helmet crest flapping madly. As he reached Jutaar, he flopped to one knee, fighting for breath.

  "It's the Second," he managed between gasps. "Coming up from dawnwards."

  "Well, that's all right," laughed Daariun. He nodded towards the Salphorian army. "That lot are fucked now. I bet they weren't expecting two legions."

  "Nor should they be," said Jutaar. He pulled Luusin to his feet. "You are sure it is the Second Magilnadan? From Dawnwards?"

  "Yes, prince," said Luusin. "Blue and black shields, with Anglhan's stupid silver bosses on them. Pretty much following in our footsteps."

  "But they should already be at Arundonda, ahead of us," said Jutaar. He looked at his captains, bewildered by the news. "What are they doing here?"

  "Delayed, maybe?" suggested Daariun.

  "No, they were wintered more than fifty miles hotwards of where we were," said Kasod. "There's no reason they should be behind us, and certainly not with the orders they were given."

  "They must have received new orders," said Jutaar. "But orders from whom?"

  "Prince!" Luusin burst out having regained his breath, drowning out Kasod's reply. "They are marching on the rearguard. They're not just following us. They look like they're going to attack!"

  "Well, that's clearly nonsense," said Daariun. "Why would they do that?"

  "Anglhan," said Kasod. "Prince, where did our orders come from?"

  "From the king," Jutaar replied, confused by the question. "Who else would have sent them?"

  "From the king himself? Directly?"

  "Well, no, not directly. They came in a letter, via royal courier." Jutaar swallowed hard, the implication of what he had just said sinking in. "You mean they were forged?"

  "Yes," snapped Kasod. The Second Captain darted a look over his shoulder at the legion. In the absence of orders, they milled around, uncertain and restless. Several companies had broken up, some soldiers looking back towards the rearguard, others keeping an eye on the Salphors. "We have to get out of here. It isn't safe!"

  The captains degenerated into a hushed, snarled argument. Jutaar was at a loss to say anything. He still found the situation highly unlikely. If Anglhan wanted Jutaar dead, there were other ways to achieve it. Even the pretence of having him slain by the Salphors was dubious, considering the cost and damage of setting two legions against each other. Jutaar could not figure out what was to be gained by pitching the two Magilnadan armies into battle with one another.

  An answer trickled slowly into his mind, bringing with it a chill feeling in his gut. Jutaar stared at his army with suspicion. Some of the captains had left their companies and were gathered in their own group. They occasionally cast glances at their commander and his council.

  "Captains, return to your companies," said Kasod, noticing the same. "Prince, we have to withdraw now."

  "You are not in command," said Jutaar. "I am your general and prince."

  "We don't have time for this," said Kasod. He turned on his fellow captains. "Anglhan has paid off the Magilnadans. Look at them! They're going to turn on us."

  In fact, the Magilnadan officers were returning to their companies, calling them to order. Looking back to dawnwards Jutaar could see thicker smoke rising from where the rearguard had been; they had either destroyed the supplies or the other legion had reached the baggage train. On the ridge to the front, the Salphors had also seen this and obviously knew what it meant. Horns clamoured again and the tribal warriors stirred themselves, picking up shields and spears in readiness for battle.

  "First through Fifth companies, assemble on your prince!" Kasod bellowed, running back to his men. The other Second Captains scattered, repeating the order, leaving Jutaar standing on his own in front of the army.

  The prince hesitated, unsure what to do. He was wrenched from his indecision by the jangle of armour as the first company gathered around him. The legion was quickly splitting as both sides realised what was about to happen; the Magilnadans formed a tight line slightly further up the gentle slope while Kasod and the other loyal captains set their companies in a solid block around Jutaar.