The previous day

Edwin nodded to the guard holding open the flap of the command tent, then followed Bordan inside. The interior was large and rectangular, with oil lamps providing illumination from the central poles. Every bit of free wall space was covered by maps, sketches of battle plans, and lists.

“And here they are,” General Asher said, waving them over to the small crowd of officers and lords. “Let us begin. Firetail, it is your intelligence.”

“Right,” the chubby spy said, stepping up to the large area map. “Thirty minutes ago I received information that the Marradi knights have left their deployment area near Crossroads and are most likely redeploying here, crossing the Dreste via Troll Bridge south of Artelby. We can expect their arrival tomorrow, the day after at the latest.”

Shocked silence followed his words. Finally, one of the battalion lords spoke up.

“A day ahead of them? How did you manage that?”

“A fair question,” Firetail said with a wry grin. “Ever since my last failure in preempting their attack, I’ve been looking for ways to transmit a warning more quickly. When I heard that we would be laying siege to Artelby, I saw an opportunity and set a few things in motion. The problem, to solve in this regard is Lake Latimer, as it creates a hard barrier between us and whatever happens in the central Wastelands. The only ways to cross from there to here are the Dreste bridges far to the north near Giant’s Head and to the south near Artelby, so the defender will always have the advantage when sending reinforcements, as a messenger warning the attackers has to take a massive detour. Crossing the lake itself is also unwise unless you want to get eaten.”

He picked up the official pointy stick from a table and aimed it at the center of the lake.

“There is a small area right here where the lake is narrow enough that with a bit of finagling and trickery, a person on one side can transmit a message to someone waiting on the other. The warning still has to travel to and from the lake, so the concept only works because 2nd battalion managed to take some ground when the cavalry last attacked here, but right now everything comes together quite nicely. Once the knights leave, we will be able to send a warning back the same way, and I expect it to be a while before they realize how we manage it.”

“Very impressive,” first battalion’s Colonel Conrad said, eliciting a smile from the rotund spy. “The question is, how do we make use of this opportunity?”

Colonel Meller shrugged. “Within our fortified positions, the cavalry can’t attack us. All we have to do is sit back and wait until they get bored. At the very least, it will keep them busy and allow 2nd to operate more freely.”

“It’s true that they can’t attack us directly,” Colonel Harrick said with a frown. The commander of third battalion was looking decidedly less happy than his comrade. “They can prevent us from leaving, though, which will lead to a whole host of issues. We won’t be able to send convoys to gather ammunition for the catapults, nor go through with the planned assault. If they decide our siege here is the largest threat in theater, they could just sit and watch until our supplies run out, turning us from besiegers to besieged.”

The colonel’s assessment quieted the room, as everyone pictured the prophesied events. Eventually, Asher spoke up.

“Firetail, how does the cavalry usually act? Are they satisfied simply providing a threat via their presence or do they actively participate in the fighting?”

The spy cocked his head, thinking. “The latter. Even at times when they had no realistic opportunity to catch someone, they still rode out and looked for avenues of attack. They only commit to engagements that are overwhelmingly in their favor, but they’re always out for blood.”

“Then it is likely that they will try to use their perceived element of surprise to catch us off guard before settling in for a counter-siege. The question is, what would be the most damage they could do to us if we truly were unaware of their arrival?”

“Ambush our supply convoy,” Harrick said with a shrug. “It’s a safe and easy target.”

Major Gerrack frowned. “Sure, but it’s also of limited value. On top of that, with how little cover there is, our guys would spot them at a distance. If they reacted quickly, they could pull the wagons into a circle and be safe from the horses.”

“The most damaging would be if they caught the majority of our forces in the open,” Conrad said, studying the map. “During an assault, for example.”

“True, but we haven’t attacked once so far,” Harrick argued. “Hoping that their arrival coincides perfectly with our first assault would be ridiculous. And they can’t hide and wait around too long either, as sooner or later news of their departure would get to us the normal way, and we’d turtle up inside our fortifications. If they want to use the element of surprise, they need to attack soon after getting here.”

“So they bait us out,” Gerrack said, slapping his thigh. “As long as we don’t know that they’re coming, there are any number of things Lindvar can do to lure us into the open.”

The tent was silent, its inhabitants deep in thought. Edwin didn’t understand much of tactics, so he tended to stay quiet during meetings, but he always found it interesting to see how the sausage was made. It wasn’t like he was unaffected by what was decided either.

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“An attack on the siege outpost,” Conrad finally said. “It is the only certain way to make us commit a majority of our troops into the open, and if the cavalry attacks around or through Artelby, it will allow them to get close enough to catch us before we can retreat to safety.”

“I agree,” Meller said, and the others nodded. “So how do we counteract this? Shall we pull back our troops and give it up? If we can’t leave the camp to reinforce it, the outpost will be near impossible to hold against an infantry assault.”

Colonel Harrick frowned. “Shouldn’t we look for a way to use our advantage first? We know they’re coming, but they don’t know we do. We will never get an opportunity like this again!”

“I understand your anger,” Meller said, grimacing. “Believe me, I want to get these bastards as much as you, but even with the anti-cavalry training we’ve done the past week, I don’t trust my men to stop a charge. What’s more, baiting them into attacking would place us on a flat plain, already fighting Lindvar. In that situation, it doesn’t matter much that we know they’re coming – we’ll still lose.”

“We can’t march out to cut them off either,” Gerrack interjected. “Lindvar would see us leave and flank us. We’d be in the same situation, except farther from our camp.”

Harrick slammed his fist onto the tabletop in frustration, the light traveling furniture buckling under his anger. “There must be something we can do! Master Gregory, is there no magic that could give us an advantage?”

All eyes turned to the bald mage, who frowned. “Against knights on horseback? We could erect further fortifications or prepare the field of battle with obstacles and traps that could be traversed by soldiers on foot, but not horses. The guards on the wall would see us do it, though, at which point they likely would refrain from attacking altogether.”

“Amos, you have studied cavalry tactics,” Lord Theodor suddenly joined the conversation, drawing all eyes first to him, then to ninth battalion’s young lord. “How would our forefathers have acted in a situation like this? Is there no way to defeat them in the open?”

“Ah, uhm…” The sudden attention flustered Amos, but he quickly found his footing. “There’s no real analogy in history, I don’t think. Back in the day, it was common for both sides of a conflict to have some amount of cavalry, and if there was a massive discrepancy like in our case, it usually spelled certain defeat. Also, they were much more accustomed to fighting cavalry, and both their training and equipment were geared towards it. We have neither their long pikes nor their specialized arrows…”

“Bordan,” Edwin whispered, drawing his friend’s attention. “Remember the direstag?”

“Sure, what about it?”

“Remember when Salissa converted fire at it? It was charging us, but it almost did a backflip just to get away from it. Would that work against horses too?”

“No clue. Hey, Amos!”

Edwin inwardly groaned as Bordan repeated his question out loud, crediting him with it as usual.

I really need to stop doing that. Then again, what does it matter at this point? There’s really no way to hide that I exist, might as well justify my presence here.

“If I recall correctly,” Amos answered, “warhorses were trained to keep their cool in any circumstance, no matter their instincts. The fire itself would obviously be dangerous, but just being near it shouldn’t make them lose control.”

“Ah, but these are not warhorses,” Lord Theodor said with a smile. “They are whatever Duke Marrad could scrape together from his subjects. Surely they have had additional training since then, but they certainly had more important areas to improve upon than bolstering their resilience toward magic.” He turned to the rest of the room. “I have some experience with my family’s horse, and while she is supremely well-behaved and follows commands without hesitation, she is not particularly stalwart when it comes to things that frighten her. Our horses are luxuries, they were never meant to go into combat.”

“Agreed,” General Asher said, turning to Master Gregory again. “So, Master, is there a way to use that knowledge in battle?”

“Well, the ritualists might be able to come up with something for your men to…” Gregory trailed off, remaining silent for a few seconds. Finally he sighed, running a hand over his bald head. “Actually, never mind that. As you know, my colleagues and I have been reluctant to expose ourselves to the fighting, primarily because we lack the training to face a foe in battle, but also because it goes against the core of our beliefs.”

Lord Theodor nodded, putting a hand on Gregory’s shoulder. “We are aware, Master, and we are grateful that you aid us despite your misgivings.”

“Speaking of those misgivings, lately I have increasingly been approached by colleagues who are of the opinion that we should be doing more. It is hard to stand by as others risk their lives, and the combat training Apprentice Salissa so kindly provides has emboldened especially the younger among our number. I would not order anyone into battle, but if I asked for volunteers for such an assignment, I am certain there are those who would gladly take the risk.”

The tent was gripped in a breathless silence, the gathered officers not believing what they were hearing. As there was no reply, Gregory continued.

“Furthermore, Journeyman Ferraline has just informed me that she and her associates have succeeded in mastering their newly developed version of the fireball spell. They were unable to reproduce the original’s targeting capabilities, so instead they adapted it for short-range usage. I am certain they would join the effort, if only to put their hard work to use.”

“Master Gregory, that is a most tantalizing offer,” Asher said slowly. “While I would like nothing more than to take you up on it, I feel like I have to ask: Are you certain? Knowing your beliefs, this is not a step one should take lightly.”

“You are correct, but we must take it nonetheless. With all our power, how can we stand by while others die to protect our home? No, General, the time has come for us to face the truth. This war needs to end, and it will not do so on its own.”

The general nodded along seriously. “Very well, far be it for me to question your resolve. Let us consider how best to utilize our new capabilities then. Gentlemen?”

“If the guards on the wall spot a bunch of robes, they won’t come anywhere near us,” Meller said, shaking his head.

“That’s an easy enough fix,” Bordan interjected with a shrug. “After all, 9-1 has had its own mage since the beginning, and I’d challenge anyone to spot her from afar.”

“True enough, assuming the mages are willing to don disguises. Still, that leaves us with civilians in the middle of our formations…”

Edwin listened with rapt attention as the discussion went deep into the night. Different scenarios were considered, tactics proposed, and Firetail repeatedly emphasized the need for secrecy. The Marradi almost certainly had at least one spy in the camp, and if they learned of the plan, they would gladly give up their cover to save the cavalry from the trap. Everything would be on a need-to-know basis, with the units that included the disguised mages being stationed at the outpost and away from prying eyes, while the rest of the division would be left in the dark regarding the entire operation, cohort commanders only being read in as necessary at the last moment. There were a number of moving parts, but if it succeeded…

If it succeeds, we will finally start tipping the scales in our favor.