----------------------------------------
> The King and his command ride to the west flank…
>
>
>
> -
>
> Ireneo Sarkozy
>
> (Born in Faro, Lesia 170NC- Died in Lourmar, Greater Regia 229NC)
>
> Famous Ireneo Sarkozy oil painting. Found in Tiger’s Citadel ‘Art & Exhibits Room’ in Storm’s Rest.
>
> One of a group of four by the mercenary turned painter dealing with the battle at the Lorian Plains.
>
> The others were, ‘Long Farewell’ -Prefect Long’s charge at Holt’s Stable.
>
> ‘The King’s Speech’ –Lucius talking to troops standing on the stone wall.
>
> ‘Honor or Death’, dealing with the aftermath and finally ‘Into Oras Hells embrace’.
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
Lucius Alden,
‘Bloody Tiger’
Lord Lucius Aldenus the third,
Praetor Maximus,
King Lucius III
Lorian Plains | For Regia
Part II
-The feast of Oras-
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
>
> Legionnaire Gillian
>
> Late afternoon of 15th of Primus 194 NC
>
> The road to Islandport, cutting between First Legion’s Camp and Peaceful Pond woods.
>
> III Legio, 4th Cohort, 1st Century, 2nd Maniple entering pilum-range in Testudo formation.
>
>
>
> -
>
>
>
> “STEADY DARN IT! ONE TWO!” Decanus Remus boomed to be heard over the yells and taunts of hundreds of men packed in the fifty meter gap between the cedar trees to their east and the wild undergrowth hiding the walls of the camp to their west. “SHIELDS UP!”
>
> As if one would think to put his chest out, Gillian thought passionately.
>
> People did peek out though, quick glances through the cracks to spot the approaching locked shields of the 1st Cohort.
>
> Soldiers pressed so thick ahead of them you couldn’t breathe at the sight.
>
> “Motherfuckers look fresh as fuck!” Terry yelled hoarsely marching next to him.
>
> “Shite! Pissed down me leg,” added an irate Collins from the back, earning curses from the men following after him.
>
> “Fucking goat’s kin!”
>
> “Hey! Couldn’t hold it and Decanus skipped a break earlier!” Collins protested and then everyone stopped as pilums landed on the first rows right side. Someone getting one that slipped through in the shoulder blade and getting trampled from those that followed when he collapsed.
>
> Blood and dust.
>
> Fear and anger.
>
> Death’s noises and agony’s screams.
>
> The loud clang of spears landing on shields over their heads.
>
> Wood breaking or bones.
>
> “FORWARD! DON’T STALL! TYEUS WATCHES!” Remus barked, Centurion Silvius from somewhere to their right roaring even louder for the rattled 1st Maniple to dress its lines.
>
> “TAIL ROWS DETACH!” Silvius ordered. “LOB PILUMS ON MY WORD!”
>
> Gillian peeked beyond Tarsus’s broad shoulder and the crack where the Scutums met. They were ten meters away. Less than ten.
>
> “LOOSE!” The Centurion barked hoarsely. The ruckus of battle otherworldly.
>
> “BLADES OUT!” Remus snapped not a moment later, the sinister sound of javelins landing on wood or armour crackling in front of them. “FAST STEP!”
>
> Gillian clamped on the drenched in sweat leather-encased sword handle, clenched jaw split open for a moment to whisper a quick prayer.
>
> The next, big Tarsus went down covered in gore and the northern breeze that touched his snarling face smelled of the Canlita Sea, foul sweat and death.
>
> Lucius helps us.
>
>
-
“Silvius made contact!” An aide reported from atop the small watch tower, everyone having field glasses pointed at various spots on the expansive battlefield and runners going back and forth at regular intervals.
Lucius glanced at Ramirus coming down the ladder gliding, hands clasping at the side rails.
“Veturius?” He asked Trupo who gathered all reports and looked through them as fast as he could.
“Nothing yet sire,” Trupo replied. The Tribune was near the road to Lourmar at Falx’s rear in what was the east flank. “Merenda attacked through the farms to reach Celsus but Damian stalled at the barricaded windmill. He reports casualties but that never stopped our Prefect.”
“Can Durio support him?”
“Waits for additional ammo carts to arrive,” Trupo replied. “Merenda wanted to advance while he had light.”
Eh. Don’t risk it too much, Lucius thought worried.
Then again they needed to clear the last part of Mercator’s Inn still in Ligur’s hands. So Antonius had to press forward afore nightfall.
“Silvius doesn’t have the numbers,” Ramirus interrupted his thoughts. “Gaeta and his troops will be there in ten minutes. They’ll try to cut through the woods.”
“Dio’s Century will reinforce the 4th Cohort. Help rotate the men. Joss should join with him. We know Glycia has the numbers in the center,” Lucius replied. “Brevis is also missing a Century to spare another.”
“We could use more artillery with the 1st Cohort,” Trupo advised.
“Durio dispatched Drano and eight Scorpios. We can’t allow Celsus to pull another trick on us,” Lucius argued. “Durio stays put.”
“There’s more artillery gathering behind Glycia’s lines,” Ramirus pointed out.
“Did they fire?”
“Not yet.”
“They moved too fast,” Lucius decided. “They have the same problem we have with the supply wagons and carts. It’s imperative to close with them or they’ll look to plug their gaps in the night.”
“Sir Maximilian found Sorio’s riders in the plains but they keep away from Brevis,” Trupo added looking at his scrolls. “Kaeso moved between Valens and Brevis.”
“I told him to stay in the woods!” Lucius snapped before he could catch himself.
“I’ll see to cite him for disobeying orders sire.”
Lucius breathed out a little frustrated. “Has he issued spears?”
“Your grace knows Frostworm. No supplies are safe from him. But they are not much of a Cavalry sire,” the mustached officer noted.
“Sorio doesn’t know that and they can hold their own I reckon against Sorio,” Lucius retorted as he didn’t have time to spare at this point and looked at another approaching fast-galloping rider. His eyes turning at the sky immediately. The day slipping away from them.
> Eighteen plus fourteen.
>
> Day 405.
>
> Ides of Primus.
>
> 1500 to 1600 hours.
>
> ‘Sextus’ (sic. Centurion Silvius) attacked down the road against Primus Pilus Glycia’s 1st and 2nd Centuries but couldn’t break through and thirty minutes in he’d fully rotated the men once already with Glycia still using fresh troops. ‘Percival’ (sic. Captain Gaeta) arrived to pressure his reserves and Glycia moved the 4th Century to block them. The Praetor ordered Spurius Dio’s Century (the 4th of 2nd Cohort) to join with Centurion Joss’ and assist Sextus. But no breakthrough occurred.
-
> The Third Legion attacked across the whole front that afternoon, barely an hour after they had arrived to their initial positions. Due to the distances involved from one flank to the other, not all units locked shields with the enemy at the same time. Centurion Brevis’ 1st Cohort reached the walls of the Castrum and after a brief bombardment from Drano’s crews manning the attached Scorpios, attacked with two Centuries (the 1st and Mede’s 2nd) keeping Mangas’ 3rd (reinforced with the survivors of late Capito’s 4th) in his west flank as a reserve.
>
> Sir Maximilian Valens who had the bulk of the royal knights with him, along the remnants of Long’s cavalry, moved to intercept Sorio’s riders. Centurion Kaeso had abandoned Windbreak Woods and had moved after the knight looking to cover the plains on Brevis’ west flank with his mounted rangers.
>
> Betto defended with two Centuries (not at full strength) and initially kept the attacking forces at bay. Despite his efforts though Brevis managed to scale or break through the walls after about thirty minutes. To assist Brevis, the industrious risk-taker Centurion (of engineers) Drano had lobbed ceramic jugs filled with oil tied on tip-less bolts -he was setting alight just before launch- over the Centurion’s legionnaires’ backs.
>
> Several caused a large fire to start inside the wooden structures and tents making defense difficult for Prefect Betto. (At least two bolts with their lethal cargo fell between Brevis’ own men causing friendly casualties and setting soldiers on fire. The infuriated Primus Pilus had Drano arrested after the battle, tied on a wooden post and whipped within an inch of his life.)
>
> Merenda cut off the forces defending the barricaded windmill and its nearby buildings, advancing a kilometer and a half through the corn fields, managing to scatter Tenor’s soldiers. He reached Celsus fallback position and despite taking appalling casualties closed in on the crews. (The horse-drawn Scorpios had redeployed near the edge of the woods near Peaceful Pond shores. A clear water lake with beautiful beaches.)
>
> In the brief struggle the Prefect took control of the machines and a wounded Celsus surrendered tossing a long dagger down. The exchange between the boastful Prefect and the grizzled engineer famous today mostly due to Merenda’s proclivity to recall his exploits at every feast.
>
> ‘By Allgods, will you stop?’ Celsus had cried out seeing a disheveled Merenda kicking and hammering at his machines like a madman. ‘You sir have no regard for the lives of yer men!’
>
> ‘Even so I have more regard for them than you sir! But it is the revulsion I feel for your constructs that had me hell bent on closing wit you!’ Merenda had replied and had him watch as he smashed a good number of them to pieces.
>
> Merenda advancing through the woods had the informed by retreating troops Memon sent forward Glycia’s reserve 3rd Century to stop him.
>
> On the east flank Falx attacked Regulus’ lines blocking the gap between Peaceful Pond Forest and the woods at Worm Lake, the grassy land good for infantry warfare. Sorex had penetrated the treeline and fought a fierce ranged engagement with the slingers and archers defending it. Men and women kept firing behind trunks then relocated with no real gains by either side for a while.
>
> Mamercus Sorex’s enthusiastic and led by experienced officers’ slingers managed to push the enemy combatants back. Regulus moved half a Century inside the woods near the muddy waters of Worm Lake to prevent them from attacking his shieldwall from the sides but Lepidus marched the 2nd Century east also to counter him.
>
> So the ranged battle turned into a desperate close contact affair in horrible terrain with scores of slingers from both sides taking shots at the engaged infantry. Regulus ordered Crito to advance against Falx to put pressure on Lepidus, since he didn’t want to get locked in the woods and sent a rider to Sir Sylvan Scylla’s cavalry (a mixed force with a good number of scouts amidst the medium Legion riders) to skirt the woods further east and attack Lepidus’ rear.
>
> Sir Sylvan (who didn’t have Sir Rik De Weer’s Scaldingport’s riders assistance this time, the largest heavy cavalry force in the field) moved to flank Lucius but Tribune Veturius who had arrived at the rear with his staff had dispatched Nasica already to patrol the plains. The two forces met in a fierce engagement. Sir Sylvan hit Nasica hard (the Croton officer carried an injury and very tired horses) and he would have won the whole affair but for Sir Gatrell’s still roaming force.
>
> The Sovya nobleman had regrouped after his defeat by the combined Scaldingport and 1st Legion cavalry forces the previous day. His first action that morning had been to send Fallon’s slingers to attack Seneca’s rear and retake the copse they had been expelled out of and the second for his men to follow the clouds of dust raised by Sir Sylvan’s galloping riders.
>
> Despite his heart that had Gatrell worried about the fate of Legatus Sulla he’d lost contact with (the knight had sworn to Lady Redmond to bring him back safe before he departed Asturia), he followed his instincts and went towards the sound of fighting.
>
> Sir Sylvan was caught as he swung wide to attack the mauled men of Nasica by the charging Sir Gatrell. (The Croton officer had been wounded again speared through the left knee. The weapon had gone right through flesh and bone then killed another horse under him.) Despite reacting to the onrushing threat as best as he could, given the circumstances, the Sabretooth knight was quickly overwhelmed and perished when a lance disemboweled him.
>
> Almost a hundred and fifty riders were killed in less than ten minutes, until Sir Gatrell stopped the blood-craving allied forces from exacting revenge on their shattered enemies striking down one of his own lieutenants.
>
> ‘What madness is this? I wasn’t raised a savage,’ the knight from Yepehir declared to both Northmen and Lorians surrounding him, standing straight on his impressive war-horse. ‘Allgods as me witness, I shan’t become one afore this is all over. I intent to return home with me head held high!’
>
>
Lucius stared nervously at the black smoke covering the burning 1st Legion camp, part of the walls engulfed in the fiery inferno. A fast galloping rider reached his staff two hundred meters behind him. Lucius had moved to the edge of the copse to better see Brevis’ struggle, so the messenger was immediately dispatched towards the King and the dozen knights near him accompanied by one of Trupo’s aides.
Lucius had already sent a rider to Brevis looking for a report on how the advance inside the burning camp was unfolding but this rider had come from the rear.
“Nasica stopped Ligur’s cavalry on the east flank near Worm Lake Woods your grace,” the aide reported jumping from the horse to bring him the missive. Lucius read it quickly and stared at the dust-covered young messenger.
“Sir Gatrell was present?”
“Saved the day my lord.”
“Can he attack Regulus before we lose the light?”
“The horses are spent, but he’ll make an attempt my lord,” the young Northman replied.
“Veturius is looking to address the matter sir,” the aide added.
“The Tribune needs to pay attention on Merenda’s front as well,” Lucius noted.
“Prefect Draco is there also sir. Merenda has secured the lake and asked for permission to attack between Memon and Crito through the woods.”
“When was this?”
“Ten minutes. Twenty,” the aide grimaced. “Ramirus was about to ride to you sir. Prefect Trupo is informed.”
“Move the headquarters forward,” Lucius decided. “Have Drano’s engineers built something at the edge of the camp.”
“Drano has been arrested sir.”
“On what reason?”
“He fired on Brevis’ troops by mistake.”
Good grief. Not again.
“Release him. Get this done immediately,” Lucius snapped. “Get back and tell Ramirus I want that report on Merenda’s request. Move for goodness sake! The Prefect might go ahead anyway if we stall this further! We are losing the light!”
The messenger turned his horse around to gallop away but Lucius stopped him.
“Halt!” He boomed and the messenger pulled at the reins of his neighing horse to stop. “Can Sir Gatrell contact Sula?”
“That’s more than an hour of ride my lord. The 4th Legion has retreated deep inside the East Coast Woods. Might take more than that.”
The important detail here is that the 4th is still intact.
“Get the order to Sir Gatrell. Sula would have left men near the periphery. I don’t care about him reaching the Legatus now but I want Sula knowing we’re here by the morrow! He has the whole night to get the message across! Make it happen!”
“What would your orders be my lord?” The chastised messenger croaked nervously.
“Get his arse out of the woods,” Lucius retorted gruffly. “The King has Ligur engaged from west to east ten kilometers south of the road to Islandport. We need assistance. He’s to do all that can be done.”
If he’s still breathing that would lit a fire under the prideful Nonus.
Ligur has all his forces engaged, he thought as every unit of the 1st Legion had been seen in the battlefield.
-
> But the Legatus of the first had one more card available, despite all the repeated setbacks he’d suffered since that morning. The messenger in his haste to reach Lucius and the pressed for time Sir Gatrell that had just won a great victory had neglected to report the presence of the elusive Scaldingport’s knights that had licked his force the previous day. The stronger Cavalry force present on the battlefield and one of Kalhta’s hardest-hitting professional riders roamed free from detection in the rear of Ligur’s positions.
>
> The problem was while the card was available, it wasn’t his to use.
-
> Centurion Mede
>
> III Legio, 1st Cohort, 2nd Century
>
> Battle of the Legio Camp
>
>
>
> With a crackling sound the largest of the barracks collapsed behind them, a plume of black smoke rising twenty meters high and then the soft cold breeze blew that dark cloud over the first row of soldiers. Mede could taste the burned timber on his teeth.
>
> “SURUS!” He bellowed hoarsely seeing a whole lot of hostiles retreating through the open north gates of the camp. The two Scorpios located on the wooden towers on each side also visible beyond the smoke veil.
>
> The first bolt already flying wildly over their heads.
>
> “FOLK ARE A-BURNING FUCK’S SAKE!” Surus protested from somewhere at the back. The Decanus had received nasty burns to half his body at Oldfort and carried a certain sensitivity to big fires in general. Seeing people turning to walking torches had brought it all back.
>
> Mede missed the ability to smile using all his mouth and seeing from both eyes so he could sort of sympathize with the Decanus to an extent.
>
> “Noted!” Mede snapped turning his head to spot the shaken Decanus. He then ducked on instinct seeing Donlon ducking whilst grabbing a blinking Tertius’ shoulder to bring him down. Another bolt whistling angry somewhere above them. It landed amidst the back rows with a sinister thud and a gut-wrenching yelp.
>
> Turd broiling in soup!
>
> “SHITE!” Someone recoiled in horror.
>
> “IT WENT THROUGH TODD!” A younger legionnaire cried out.
>
> “Leave him!” Decanus Bibulous grunted. “Keep marching forward! Shields up!”
>
> “Todd had his shield up Decanus!” The legionnaire protested irate. “It’s nailed to his bloody chest!”
>
> Well, fuck it.
>
> “Surus get the men sprinting towards the gates!” Mede roared after Donlon slapped his shoulder with the flat of his blade to bring him back to the present.
>
> “Can’t see shit sir! Whole place is on fire!”
>
> But Mede’s capacity to sympathize with him had run out.
>
> “I don’t care! MOVE YE CUNTS!” Mede barked and shoved a cursing Donlon forward, then kicked a slow-moving Tertius. Felix and Dee running after them in the blind stooped behind their shields. “BIBULUS YOU TOO! Anyone wit a spare pilum volunteers to attack the fucking machine afore he finds the range!” Mede added starting after the legionnaires, spotting Brevis and the standard bearer Maro carrying the 1st Cohort’s colors marching over his left shoulder. A square red banner on a staff shaped like a spear with an oak tree in gold depicted on it, for its first commander Galio Veturius. It drew the interest of those manning the Scorpios though which was good for them and bad for the Primus Pilus.
>
> Damn it.
>
> “Pick that pilum up you little shit!” A heavy-breathing Bibulous boomed accusingly. “I saw ye tossing it away!”
>
> “Apologies Decanus,” a man griped unhappy he got caught. “It slipped through me fingers!”
>
> “That’s ten lashes for yer arse!” A disgusted Bibulous growled amidst the chaos.
>
> Mede trotted towards the gates, the 2nd Century moving fast after him and an officer overseeing the withdrawal of the enemy legionnaires turned around when he saw them approaching. He barked for a file of soldiers to halt and block their advance.
>
> Some of them carried javelins on their backs.
>
> Motherfucker.
>
> “INCOMING PILUMS!” Mede barked and raised his shield, hobnailed boots digging in the soft ground when he stopped abruptly.
>
> Dee’s brains splashed him in the face, the Northman officer’s sole eye losing its sight momentarily. The poor legionnaire got javelined through the forehead he thought initially but it was just a group of sneaky slingers firing from behind a burning warehouse that had nailed him. A lead shot splintering the top of Mede’s shield before the stunned Centurion violently returned to his senses.
>
> “Donlon!” He growled turning to head for the building’s corner. An enemy running out at that moment and firing his slingshot from almost point blank range. Mede grunted angling his shield, the lead shot opening a small round hole and lodging on his right shoulder, denting the armour. Cut his breath short but he managed to run without it and hacked at the retreating man’s back severing his spine.
>
> To his left Surus and the 1st Maniple attacked the gates, the Scorpios angled low to fire down on them. An iron bolt skewering a legionnaire to the ground entering from the top of the left shoulder shattering the clavicle bone and exiting out of his balls. He emptied out like a torn sack, steamy hot blood and fouled entrails splashing between his shuddering legs.
>
> Mede parried a long dagger aside, his right eye swollen and red from the toxic fumes and caught another slingshot with his shield. The latter staying stuck as it only half-penetrated. He shoved a foot of blade in the slinger’s chest, heaved it sideways breaking the sternum and ruining the lungs. He pulled his arm back, gore raining on him and slashed at the officer, a Centurion, but he blocked his blade with a snap of his sword.
>
> Mede hated well-trained motherfuckers.
>
> Mede sidestepped to defend with his shield, the sword’s tip making a crackling sound when it sunk on the weakened wood, the whole rotten thing coming apart the next moment. He grunted, almost lost his footing when the officer yanked his sword out and the momentum took him forward in a half-hearted dive.
>
> He remembered to lower his helm at the last moment and caught the officer right at the protruding jaw with the conned top of it, smashing most of his teeth away. The middle aged man stumbled back rattled and a howling like an extinct northern great-wolf Mede hacked him across his mauled face. The blade connected with a bang splintering the front part of the officer’s cranium.
>
> Mede had almost dislocated his own shoulder in the attempt.
>
> “Eh,” he cursed putting a muddy boot on the slain man’s chest to dislodge the bloody sword from his butchered face.
>
> Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
>
> “The Primus Pilus sire!” Donlon roared and a snarling gore-covered Mede snapped his neck towards the legionnaire.
>
> “He dead?” He growled hoarsely.
>
> “Wants a word! He sounded the whistle!”
>
> Mede couldn’t hear a fucking thing other than the dull sounds of burning wood, mixed in with men fighting and dying.
>
> “You have a lead shot lodged on yer helm sir! Above the temple!” Donlon explained and used a dagger to pry it away. Something leaking down the right side of his head and his ears popping.
>
> “How bad is it?”
>
> “Surface scratch I reckon. Deep scratch. Touched the bone but nothing serious sir!”
>
> “The fuck ye know?” Mede cursed incredulous and put a finger in the hole with a wince of pain.
>
> “Ahm… I can see the bone?” Donlon replied.
>
> Mede had just figured that out himself.
>
> “Tell Bibulous to hold the gates—” he started gruffly but he never got the chance to finish.
>
> “The Decanus was killed sir. Pilum in the throat.”
>
> Allhells.
>
> “Tell Surus to hold the gates while I talk with the Primus Pilus!”
>
> “Aye sir,” Donlon agreed. “He’s coming here.”
>
> Mede blinked his swollen eye frustrated and realized his arms were shaking.
>
> Gods darn it, he cursed and cough half a lung out.
>
> “Sir?”
>
> “I heard ye!” Mede blasted him irate trying to spot the familiar sturdy figure of the approaching Brevis. The senior Centurion was actually trotting energetically towards them.
>
> In all the weird shit one sees in a battlefield this had stricken Mede as the most peculiar.
>
>
>
> “Betto retreats,” Brevis told him without hesitation. “Ye have to march after him.”
>
> “I got that… where is the rest of the Cohort be going sir?” A grimacing Mede retorted.
>
> “We might have Cavalry trouble on our flank again,” Brevis informed him casually.
>
> “Might?”
>
> “According to Kaeso for sure,” Brevis replied appearing unruffled and then sucked air in deeply, taking a lot of the toxic fumes in. Didn’t seem fazed from that also. “We just have to keep an open eye on them. Simple as that.”
>
> Ye heard that phrase in the army ye better be on high alert.
>
> Fer sure.
>
> “Not much day left sir,” Mede tried to reason with the Primus Pilus. “Might be difficult to spot them in the semi-darkness.”
>
> Brevis let out an angry snort. “You’ll just gawk about a bit more lad. Keep yer eyes open,” he glanced at Mede’s sole red-rimmed eye numbly and scrunched his weather-beaten face. “Eh. We can’t allow Betto to disengage. That’s it really. He might strike at Silvius. So you’ll march after him Mede,” he added with finality.
>
> “Is Silvius winning in the center?”
>
> “We are the only ones moving forward at this point in time.” The ‘time’ being half an hour ago per usual. At least. “The other fronts are more complicated and not of our concern unless orders arrive in a timely manner.”
>
> That discrepancy in time glossed over quickly.
>
> “Right.”
>
> Brevis stared at the men going out of the gates. “If Ligur angles your way or you spot machines approaching, fall back,” he told him. “I sent a runner to the Praetor so we’ll know more soon.”
>
> May the good Praetor shield us.
>
> “If we step out of the camp we’ll be in the open plains sir,” Mede noted puffing out.
>
> Brevis nodded looking at him intently and then turned around to march away without any more words.
>
> “What was that about cavalry?” Donlon asked curious as he’d lingered near them.
>
> “Nothing to worry about,” Mede retorted raspingly, his head hurting as if someone had hammered an iron nail in his brains. “Let’s get out of his hellhole soldier.”
-
> Regulus informed Ligur he’d lost cavalry support on his east flank and that he’d attempt to defend on two fronts if possible. He pulled his men out of the woods, leaving the slingers skirmishing with Sorex and Lepidus. Crito, who was holding on against Falx and Sepofa in the gap, was ordered to prepare for a retreat towards the road skirting around Peaceful Pond forest. In order to do that they needed to keep Merenda from advancing through the sister forest and they were helped in that because the Prefect stalled to regroup his battered Centuries while helping Vala clear the windmill area from Tenor’s cut off defenders.
>
> Ligur who was holding the center but was slowly losing both his flanks due to lack of reinforcements, signaled Sorio to assist Betto who was trying to retreat towards friendly lines. Sorio approached the coming out of the burning camp 1st Cohort but hesitated seeing the area patrolled by enemy riders. Sir Maximilian Valens spotted him loitering near the infantry and charged with his cavalry scattering Sorio’s riders. The experienced Aldenfort equestrian instructor regrouped keeping most of his command intact but Sir Valens hunted him in circles around the plains with the sun slowly dipping on the sky.
>
> Sometime before the cavalry engagement on Lucius’ west flank started Sir Rik De Weer’s three hundred strong Crows (Most of them from Forestfort and Timberville, split in three large groups under Rik himself, his friend Sir Rudi Varenhorst of Forestfort and Sir Adrian Hakker of Toefort) that were returning to its starting point got intercepted by a courier with two sets of orders. The older by the King himself informing them that Sir Turner had been dispatched with the second platoon of the royal guard early that morning and the fresher mandate from Ligur that urged him to cover Sorio’s advance until reinforcements arrived.
>
> Sir Rik discussed with his aides on what to do. They were inclined to follow the King’s wishes but Sir Turner had given no sign that he was anywhere close to Islandport which was peculiar given the hours that had passed since the morning. Marching on good road Sir Turner should have arrived in the city port already.
>
> The one-eyed Sir Rik –a well-known tourney champion- ordered Sir Adrian Hakker to ride north towards the city and the road from Tenor to investigate. He intended to stall on the plains to rest their horses for a while until Sir Hakker returned with news, but under pressure from his friend Rudi, Rik yielded and allowed the former to ride south with his group towards Sorio after the young knight promised to keep himself out of trouble.
>
> Seneca who had pulled his men away from East Coast Woods to regroup near the road and prepare a force to send towards Ligur, attempted to contact Lord Scylla that morning per the Legatus’ orders but Commander Betto who was stationed at the rear nearer to the city reported he’d received no missives for hours from Scylla. The only piece of news he relayed was that Trifer’s machines had passed by his reserves and were heading towards his kin Prefect Betto hours ago. Seneca ordered the Alden Commander to find out what happened to Lord Scylla during the night and he sent a rider to a pressured Ligur that the machines must have reached Prefect Betto by now.
>
> But they hadn’t.
>
> Trifer was nowhere to be seen. Ligur sensing that something was seriously wrong dispatched one of his aides back towards Islandport to find out what was going on and ordered Slaurus to halt setting up his machines.
>
> Commander Betto moved a platoon of his Alden regulars near the edges of city to make contact with Lord Scylla and repositioned the rest of his force marching some of his men into the farmland. While he was busy with that Manfred’s group of warriors returning from the destroyed hospital camp fell on the platoon of infantry the younger Betto had left behind and attacked without a second thought. In the chaos of the sudden rear attack in the middle of the day all cohesiveness was lost and the platoon got wiped out.
>
> Manfred smelling blood pushed forward following the road (he was supposed to wait for O’ Leary’s men to reinforce him but the Captain was late since he’d fought and won a brutal engagement against Sir Turner earlier that day that had spilled into the nearby woods) and attacked Betto’s headquarters.
>
> It must be noted here that while O’ Leary denied knowing the fate of Sir Turner, there is strong suspicion and rumors circulating since then that the knight from Novesium and his men were killed in an ambush near the remote back roads of Mandarin Forest when he approached a group of Pascor marines guarding the moored fleet or more accurately upon discovering it.
>
> Duke Dolf denies until this day that any soldiers from Pascor ever set foot in the woods or were involved in the whole affair.
>
> All that aside the Alden soldiers marching towards the city were notified that something was happening and alarms were sounded as different units tried to warn one another. Betto’s force pivoted and marched back towards their camp by the road but the piecemeal arriving forces were shocked by the brutality of the attacking Northmen that had leaped at the opportunity to make a name for themselves killing as many people as they could.
>
> As fast as it was possible.
>
> Sir Adrian Hakker who was scouring the nearby area for any sign of the approaching Sir Turner spotted the brouhaha and turned towards Manfred’s warriors, now busy defending against the returning Alden troops. The confused knight watched in shock the violence and carnage the Northmen had delivered and thinking this was a raiding warband ordered his men-at-arms to charge them.
>
> Manfred’s warriors got mauled caught by surprise and half his force was wiped out in minutes, the named warrior himself killed by a lance that punctured his right eye. The second in command Ludolf led the rest into a desperate fighting retreat towards the woods but Sir Hakker gave up pursuing them since the disorganized masses of Alden soldiers didn’t allow him to regroup fast enough.
>
> The reason was that Commander Betto had been killed in the assault.
>
>
-
> Eighteen plus fourteen.
>
> Day 405.
>
> Ides of Primus.
>
> 1600 to 1630 hours.
>
> Sir Valens messaged that he’s engaging Sorio’s cavalry in the field. Brevis’ flank is under threat and he is ordered to halt his advance. The Praetor is much worried. Lepidus pushed Regulus out of the woods but he’s too spread out to proceed. Silvius and Gaeta had to disengage due to losses and fatigue. Merenda needs to reinforce the center but the Prefect insists the 2nd has to attack across Peaceful Pond and cut Regulus’ retreat off. Big debate during the general’s staff meeting.
>
>
“There’s our brave Sir Valens,” Ramirus said looking through the field glasses. Lucius twisted on the saddle nervously. Nightsilver let out a loud snort in protest and then stooped his big head to continue munching on the rich grass again.
“Sirio, where’s Trupo?” Lucius asked.
“He just finished dictating the war diary sir,” Sirio replied. “Prefect Draco insists they can reinforce Silvius in less than an hour. Most of the officers stayed back to debate the matter your grace.”
“It’s a moot point,” Lucius said tiredly. “By the time Merenda moves the 2nd in position we’ll have no light.”
If we don’t lose today.
Victory will come on the morrow.
“Then perhaps he must be allowed to press into the woods?” Lucius looked at the skittish officer. Sirio blushed. “My Lord,” he continued his voice rising at a high pitch afore coming back down. “He could continue advancing during the night, reach the edge of it like he insists.”
“The locals tell me there’s no path through the woods,” Lucius explained. “This isn’t a whim or another Lourmar. It can’t be done and I can’t have Merenda wandering the wilderness in the blind Sirio. Tell Trupo to issue the order. Merenda will assist Falx and they’ll push Regulus back. We’ll advance from the east where we have advantage and safe flanks.”
“As you wish your grace,” Sirio replied and turned his horse around after failing a couple of times. Lucius pressed his mouth tight at the man’s clumsiness and raised the field glasses on his eyes to examine the battlefield. He tried to locate Sir Valens horses and saw the two galloping columns swing towards them again with the knight halving the distance.
“He’ll catch them again sire,” Ramirus who was glued on the engagement reported.
“Mmm,” Lucius murmured. He lowered the field glasses to glance at Sir Valgus and Sir Rhesus. The first knight was from Cartagen, the other from Two-Rivers Castle.
“Sir Valens has this your grace,’ Sir Valgus assured him.
The man is a royal knight not a cavalry commander. I don’t doubt his skill, Lucius thought. But Sorio is an experienced officer, a leader of horsemen in battle. It takes time to learn that.
Lucius raised the field glasses to his eyes again and looked through them.
“Men are going down,” Ramirus continued reporting in real time, while Lucius watched the two groups clash four hundred meters away in silence. He’d ridden to the edge of Windbreak Woods to better observe the event. “Sorio is outmanned and on tired horses. I can’t even fathom why he made another attempt.”
Lucius witnessed smaller groups of riders splitting to charge at each other, others fighting stationary from their saddles using spears or swords. He turned the field-glasses eastwards to locate Brevis’ flank-guarding Century. Mangas 3rd.
He spotted the banners of the Nord officer about three hundred meters away probably watching the engagement as well and between them but somewhat to their rear, Kaeso’s large group of mounted rangers that had stopped to observe from their saddles. Dosser standing next to him. Lucius spotted the one-armed officer on his bay horse and blue saddle watching with his field glasses like he did and a half-smile formed on the King’s tensed mouth.
“Valens is going to rout them a second time,” Ramirus reported. “That’s a huge blunder by Sorio.”
Lucius smile had turned into a grimace. Kaeso wasn’t looking towards Valens’ scrap with Sorio but further northeast on the expansive plains. He turned his field glasses that way, a thick puff of dust raised over the burned from cold pale grass and very brittle bushes. Not as much dust as in the summer months but still enough to spot from a distance, because a lot of horses were heading towards the embattled groups. Familiar black and grey triangular banners appeared over the approaching horsemen. Kaltha banners. Lucius had seen them for the last time many years back, strangely enough not in a battlefield but in a summer festival of all places.
A tourney.
‘There’s a hodge-podge of young horny knights from all over the three kingdoms,’ Lord Ruud had commented sharply a decade ago. ‘Enough sweaty cunt about to make yer head spin and they’re ready to use the wrong sword for the event. Bunch of fools and hotheads that know fuck all about life he-he, right De Braal? Why, look at Sir Mael’s sour face. He’s taken insult for the Order or some shite. Excuse me tongue good Sir, I’ve partaken to the King’s wine early.’
“There are Crows in the field,” an alarmed Lucius grunted and turned his eyes on Sir Valens.
“Birds of prey perchance my lord?” A perturbed Sir Valgus queried from his horse furrowing his brows.
“Raise a flag,” an angry Lucius snapped at Ramirus and looked about for an aide. “We need to warn Valens to disengage. SEND FOR A RUNNER DAMN IT!” He cursed to get his numb entourage moving.
-
> Sir Rudi Varenhorst who was riding way ahead of Sir Rik spotted Sorio’s 1st Legion banners in the open plains and headed that way to give assistance. At about the same time Optio Sorio who had lost half his lancers trying to dodge the knights of Sir Valens and Decurion Davy’s cavalry, ordered a bugler to sound the retreat and pulled away.
>
> Seeing the Crows galloping their way Sorio changed his mind and roped the determined to finish him off pursuers towards the approaching large host of men and horses. It is hotly debated today whether the generally considered one of the most skilled equestrians of his time knew of the Crows arrival and tried to obscure the fact for as long as he could or this was just a matter of auspicious timing and quick-thinking on his part.
>
> Sir Varenhorst ordered his well-trained men to charge with lances on the onrushing knights of Sir Valens, Sorio’s cavalry veering left and right out of the Crows way. The two groups met in a vicious clash, Davy’s exhausted force suffering greatly those first moments. Sir Valens found himself encircled by similarly armoured men-at-arms that quickly switched to long axes and maces to engage his knights. Sorio’s two wings (around forty remaining lancers) switched to swords as well and returned to surround Lucius Cavalry with the King watching horrified from a distance.
>
> While it was impossible for those present to understand what was happening the King appeared to guess the outcome and within twenty minutes his fears were confirmed. An injured Davy (he’d been slashed across the face losing his nose) did manage to break away with the remaining royal knights staying to safeguard the seriously injured Sir Maximilian (he had been smashed upon the head with a heavy spiked mace by a man called Hunze, son of a rich sheep farmer from Rusted. The blow cracking his skull and spilling his brains down his face when the helm was removed) and they fell one after the other.
>
> Lucius, who had dispatched a runner to Brevis already, knew he had no force available to counter the Crows in the event they won the fight and it was obvious Sir Valens had missed his signals to withdraw. Kaeso’s rangers who were closer to the heavy cavalry brawl took it upon themselves to try, the moment the first survivors galloped past them towards the King’s position.
>
> Then Decanus Dosser who was present from start to finish for the ride ‘into Oras embrace’ revealed after the battle that Kaeso ordered the lightly armoured men (around a hundred at the time, with a lot of young recruits amongst them, although more than half were veterans of the King’s northern and southern campaigns. The best ranger unit on Jelin without a doubt) to equip themselves with war spears and follow him.
>
> While the Centurion tried to galvanize his men, back in the Crows ranks Sir Varenhorst quarreled with an irate Optio Sorio who wanted them to charge on Mangas 3rd Century and collapse Brevis west flank. Rudi had been rattled seeing so many knights killed in the engagement and refused to ‘spill any more blood with the sun about to set or until Lord Rik reaches us!’
>
> An incensed Sorio had turned his men around, borrowing lances from the sober Crows and ordered the final charge of his career against Mangas 3rd Century. With time and light slipping away he wanted to provide Prefect Betto with enough time to disengage and allow Ligur to regroup for the next day.
>
> Half-way (around a hundred and fifty meters) from Centurion Mangas’ scrambling to defend against horses lines Kaeso’s rangers cut him off and his lancers turned to meet the new threat that galloped against them. While at any other time or day, Kaeso would have been destroyed facing experienced medium cavalry that afternoon his equally battle-hardened rangers had the advantage of spirit and fresher horses.
>
> Sorio’s lancers were completely worn out after days of heavy fighting and with mounts just about to collapse or die on their feet. Kaeso won the engagement. Sorio was killed in the first thirty seconds, his body trampled by at least thirty horses and broken apart completely which made it impossible to recognize him afterwards. His cracked saber and mangled pair of riding boots can be seen today in a glass case in the Aldenfort’s equestrian school. No one from his party survived.
>
> Kaeso came out of the engagement with only twenty casualties (seventeen killed and three maimed) which was unfortunate perhaps in retrospect. With the sun slowly retreating behind Lake’s Watch to the west, the stubborn officer decided to remove the last threat from the field under the dimming light. The loitering two hundred meters away host of Crows were debating whether to retreat towards Sir Rik De Weer or wait for the knight to come to them.
>
> Sir Rik had started towards Sir Varenhorst fearing his men might get tangled up in a fight he had been instructed by his father to avoid. Sir Adrian Hakker was late and logic dictated to head where he was needed the most. Sir Hakker was moving towards Sir Rik already of course, bringing troubling news from the rear.
>
> ‘Oras heeds not of noble cunts or fancy lineage!’ Kaeso had bellowed to his drunk at their stunning victory comrades. ‘Let history debate good from bad whilst we end the campaign today! Send the birds of night into the Black One’s embrace!’
-
“Holly shit,” Ramirus croaked in disbelief. “I think Kaeso won the fight sire!”
A relieved Lucius nodded and rode to Sir Valgus. The other knights gathered around him.
“I want to learn of Sir Valens fate. I ought his father as much,” he told them soberly. That was two of Lord Valens' brave sons that had fallen for his cause. “Davy is unresponsive and his men’s spirit broken. So they are of no help.”
“I’ll head out immediately my lord,” Valgus assured him remarkably calm given the dramatic scenes they had all witnessed. Rhesus and Lurco agreed. “See if I can locate any survivors.”
“Are the Crows retreating?” Lucius asked Ramirus but the LID officer didn’t answer. An aide rode fast to them followed by a mounted Trupo.
“Praetor. Falx reports that Regulus might be retreating towards Ligur,” the mustached officer reported from the saddle.
“Has Sir Gatrell made contact with Regulus at all?”
“He reached Worm Lake but can’t get anything else out of men and animals sir.”
“Eh, we can’t ask more from him at this point,” Lucius agreed and tried to think of a way to outflank Ligur during the night. Will he retreat?
“Ramirus,” he snapped gruffly. “What about the Crows?”
“I think Kaeso charged at them sire,” Ramirus replied tensely.
What?
“Can you see him?”
“It’s difficult to see what’s going on. We lose light fast,” Ramirus grimaced. “I know what I saw. He went straight at them. Cut their lines in half.”
Lucius stood back on the saddle stunned.
“Welp, if he pulls that off I’ll eat my mustache,” Trupo mumbled in disbelief and then added seeing the king’s expression. “Gladly sire.”
“It turned into a bloody melee my lord,” Ramirus reported still trying to make out what was going on.
Lucius closed his eyes for a brief moment.
“Valgus!” He barked the next.
You can’t kill an armoured knight unless you ambush him.
And that only worked for the first couple of minutes. It took thirty minutes for the Crows to bring down Sir Valens and they had almost three times his numbers.
“At your service my lord,” Valgus replied in his cultured palace manner.
“The King will ride out,” Lucius informed him and unsheathed Endariel letting the singing blade rest in front of him on the saddle.
“Sir!” Trupo objected snapping to attention.
“See you keep up,” a grim-faced Lucius told his knights and turned Nightsilver around.
“Sir Valgus stop the King!” Ramirus barked irate at the frowning knight.
Lucius clicked his tongue and Nightsilver started an energetic canter towards the distant battlefield.
Sir Valgus slapped his helm’s cover shut and turned his horse around to gallop after the King without bothering to answer, the rest of the royal knights following after them. With a weary sigh Trupo kicked his legs after slapping the freaked out aides’ arm and the two officers rode fast after the King’s entourage.
-
> Kaeso killed at least one armoured knight as a matter of fact. Stabbed him with Bas Crull’s Imperial shortsword through the face cover slits or through the helm. A famed knight. Sir Rudi Varenhorst himself. The nimble ranger injured a Crow at the end of his charge but lost his lance so he leaped over the saddle like an Eplas Horselord and brought the shocked knight down.
>
> The taken by surprise Crows soon recovered though and after losing ten or twelve of their own pounced on the rangers that had found themselves amongst them. It was a brutal, merciless scrap but the outcome was predetermined. Dosser’s, who got thrashed with a flail in the face losing consciousness, suffering a shattered jaw and torn tongue that forced him to speak like a wounded beast from then on, last memory of Kaeso is of him getting mauled by two enraged men-at-arms still on horseback.
>
> One of the Crows cleaving him between neck and shoulder with a long axe so brutally the shaft broke. Out of about eighty rangers that charged on Sir Rudi’s crows seventy six were killed outright managing to take with them over twenty of their opponents. Of the four that survived, Decanus Slag was missing both arms and the other two named Placus and Goff were maimed grotesquely, with Goff suffering a cracked cranium that forced the Dottore to screw a bronze plate on to keep everything together. They both followed Dosser when the latter was honorably discharged from the Legion a year later. Dosser is rumored to have taken Kaeso’s shortsword with him as a distraught Sorex (he managed to find his slain friend’s half eaten corpse three days later) wanted nothing to do with the ‘accursed weapon’.
>
> In the end the mysterious Kaeso left this realm much as he had lived it, obscured in semi-darkness and with few witnesses over his motives or his untimely demise.
>
> Lucius arrived at the site in the pitch black. He had to stop many times to check on corpses and dead animals littering this part of the plains. With so many cavalry engagements fought in quick succession it wasn’t easy to locate the final battle of the day. Hours later and unable to find either Sir Valens body or Kaeso’s men in the dark, he decided to turn around and try again early the next morning if it was possible. The lights from the Crows that had camped a kilometer away from the battlefield caught his attention and despite the men urging him to return to safety Lucius ventured towards the fires of the large camp.
>
> The men that had survived the Valens' and Kaeso’s fights were in a pensive mood over the loss of many of their friends and Sir Rudi Varenhorst. An hour before Lucius found their camp, Sir Rik De Weer had arrived with his own force and was informed of the tragic news. The Crows lamented over the losses for a while around the then Lord of Forestfort but sobered up quickly as this was their character and after the solemn Rik’s insistence.
>
> Sir Adrian’s force was to reach the Crows camp about ten minutes or thereabouts after the aggrieved King of Regia.
-
The Crow wore heavy chainmail with pieces of plate reinforcing arms, shoulders and torso under his dark grey hemp robes. Most of the men around the fires were dressed similarly. The well-known coat of arms of Scaldingport painted on shields. Some like the familiar one-eyed knight had full plate armour on, the crow engraved in grey on the dark metal.
“Who goes there?” The Crow asked eyeing the mounted figures, black face covered in white beard and his white Issir hair cut short.
“The King of Regia,” Lucius replied hoarsely and the Crows sitting by the fire closest to them turned their heads around. Several others standing near the grazing horses reached for their weapons.
“We only have wine and stale bread,” Sir Rik said from his spot waving the men to stand down. “But the sun is set and Uher counsels friends and foes to share.”
Lucius stared at the Crow sentry and he backed away a couple of steps.
“My Lord,” Sir Valgus warned him but Lucius climbed down from his horse with a tired grimace.
“On your honor Sir Rik?” He queried and the knight from Scaldingport nodded.
“Not much else for us second sons Lord Lucius,” Rik replied raspingly. An older Rik this, the leather patch covering his eye making him appear more sinister. Lucius remembered where he’d lost that eye. The memory sober.
“You’ll clear a space for my men?” He asked.
“Move about,” Rik ordered his watching men. A darn lot of them, Lucius thought. “Give them access to our fire.”
He approached flanked by Sir Valgus and Sir Rhesus, the rest of the knights walking behind him. Trupo and a young aide stayed with the horses. Rik had a bronze goblet in his hands and he set it near the fire to reach for a leather flask and another goblet.
Lucius accepted the goblet and took a small sip of the wine. Then he sat down across from the Issir knight, the fire blazing between them. Sir Valgus and the rest of his knights standing behind him.
“How is your brother?” Lucius asked trying to be civil despite the awkwardness of the encounter. He hadn’t expected to find Crows in the field and he could very well be fighting them on the morrow.
“With the Queen of Kaltha,” Rik replied sipping at his warmed wine. “This tastes foul, good gods. A gift from my father. Go figure.”
“Gust is with Elsanne?” Lucius asked avoiding to breech the probably thorny matter of succession in Kaltha. “That strangely makes a ton of sense.”
Rik grimaced. “Could have made his move sooner,” he grunted but then his face relaxed. “Perhaps it spared me worse pain. Our young Queen is crazy.” He breathed out at the memory and then looked at the solemn Lucius. “I should have killed that slanted eye rascal, honor be damned. Ralph should have done it also, probably got stopped for the same reason. Honor and Antoon’s stupidity.”
Lucius pursed his mouth not wanting to remember another loss in a day of many.
“You look a bit older aye,” Rik told him putting his goblet by the fire again. “Had I known you’ll be roaming the field, perhaps I should have arrived sooner.”
“What are you doing here Rik?” Lucius asked hoarsely.
“Your brother needs help.”
“You fight for Jeremy? He sent you?”
“I fight for my sister. Your court is full of snakes Lucius,” Rik retorted.
“Not my court and I can’t imagine Ruud’s is much better.”
“You’re in the wrong.” Rik frowned. “My father is a vile man,” he continued. “But we have no backstabbing in his court. Not among ourselves.”
“Because Ruud would kill anyone even thinking about it.”
“Those that deserve it, the crows feast upon,” Rik replied meaningfully.
Lucius breathed in slowly.
“Your Crows killed men serving me. Friends,” he rustled and Rik nodded.
“Your men killed my friends.”
Lucius stood back.
“Ligur has no reserves. I’ll attack tomorrow and even if he survives it, I have Duke Holt’s army hell bent on reaching here as soon as possible.”
Rik grimaced and behind them a great number of horses arrived.
“Have you got any cavalry left?” He asked.
“Jeremy won’t win this,” Lucius warned him. “Does Scaldingport want to make an enemy of Regia?”
“Scaldingport is married to Regia,” Rik retorted gruffly. “I told you. I’m here for my sister—”
He paused and glared back angrily at the murmurs heard from the arriving men. Lucius examined the newcomers. More Scaldingport men-at-arms. Well over two hundred and fifty in a quick estimate. Perhaps more.
A lot of cavalry, he thought worried and a grave-looking Crow approached Rik.
“Milord, it’s Sir Hakker.”
“I expected him,” Rik snapped gruffly. “What is it? He’s not killed as well for crying out loud!”
The man gulped down. “He lives milord, but Sir Turner never reached Islandport.”
Lucius frowned at the bizarre exchange.
Rik pursed his mouth. “He got lost? Is the man the biggest fool? He only had to follow the coastal road!”
He reminded Lucius of his father in his anger.
“Sir Hakker believes the men were attacked on the road milord.”
“By whom?” Rik grunted losing his temper. “Where is Sir Hakker?”
“He stayed to discover more milord.”
“Answer the god darn question!” Rik snapped and got up.
“Northern raiders. They have cut the road,” the man mumbled stumbling away in fear from the wiry knight.
Rik turned his head to stare at Lucius.
“Who else knows of this?” He asked his expression changing.
“The news have spread milord. A lot of people were killed and the city is presumed lost. It’s been hours since.”
Sula you maniac, Lucius thought and got up. How did you pull that off?
Rik grimaced and stared at the fire in silence. A moment later he turned his sole eye on Lucius.
“The kids are innocent,” he told the King of Regia.
Lucius stood back unsure. “I don’t wage war on children Rik.”
The knight of Scaldingport clenched his jaw and stared at his men.
“Sir Rik, you know me for years,” Lucius reminded him.
“You killed your wife,” Rik grunted opening and closing his fist. “Married two in her stead.”
“I didn’t kill her. It’s just a rumor,” Lucius snapped trying to control himself. “But I had to take another wife. It wasn’t an easy decision. I did it for Regia.”
Rik licked his lips looking at him. There was a lot of tension in the air. The fire crackling between them breaking it. The night smelling of earth and burning wood.
“I have to protect Janneke and the children,” Rik finally said through his teeth. “We don’t do that Lucius. We don’t kill kids. This is your people. The rot has spread.”
“You are mistaken,” Lucius corrected him. He couldn’t understand what had spooked Rik so much.
“I can’t risk it,” Rik murmured and grimaced. “This is the feast of Oras. It only just started. My father was right.”
Eh?
“About what?” Lucius asked but Rik turned to stare at his gathered men instead of answering him.
“We ride tonight. Everyone fix your saddles,” he ordered them and several approached him curious.
What the allhells is going on here? An increasingly more nervous Lucius wondered.
“Where to milord?”
Rik turned his eye on Lucius, dark face distorted from the deepest concern.
“Tenor. Alden next, praise Uher that we make it in time,” he replied raspingly. “I should have never left her side.”
----------------------------------------
A deeply disturbed Lucius watched the Scaldingport men-at-arms break camp and not a half hour later riding away into the dark night. Sir Valgus came to stop near him holding Nightsilver’s reins in hand.
“What was all that my lord?” The Knight asked and Lucius rubbed his tired eyes, the Crows had left their fires burning in their haste.
“We have a battle to win on the morrow,” Lucius replied raspingly, clenching his right fist. “A war to finish. Friends have died to make it happen. Good people. We can’t be distracted nor lose focus.”
“Of course my Lord,” the knight replied.
But hard as he tried on the return to the packed with worried officers headquarters, Lucius couldn’t get the encounter out of his mind.
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