John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

Kirv shook his head. "No, you're the first soldiers we've seen coming from Sashta in days."

"Today we feasted upon the Styphoni soldiers. A great victory! We broke through the Styphoni lines at Ardros Field and have been chasing them down, killing all the cowardly swine that turned their hindquarters and ran."

Kirv looked worried. "How has the rest of the battle gone?"

The commander looked back and forth. "A victory, what else with the Styphoni left battle fleeing the field? Tell your people about our Great King's destruction of the cowardly Host!"

"I will, Grand-Captain."

The knight turned and rode away, while Kirv rode over to Aranth Sain. "I felt like telling that Ulthori idiot he'd be better off supporting his Great King than chasing down strays, but I don't think he'd have taken it well."

Sain nodded. "We'll know soon enough, but don't break out the victory wine just yet, Captain."

Sarrask watched with mounting horror as Queen Rylla pushed her way through the Styphoni ranks. Her big bodyguard, Xykos, was slashing everything in sight with his great sword but was still several horses removed from his charge. Moving his horse through Styphon's Temple Guard was like navigating a fast moving stream over cobblestones. Sarrask swung his saber to cleave a passageway until it lodged in a Guardsman's shoulder so firmly he couldn't remove it. Then he dropped it and used his mace.

Rylla was now only two or three bodies away, using her guns like clubs until one was knocked out of her hand. The Red Hand appeared to know who Rylla was and now only hands were tearing at her. Quite a few got bruised knuckles and broken fingers as a result. Xykos and the Queen's Beefeaters were caught in the tide of battle and were two horse-lengths removed from their Queen.

Sarrask knew he had to reach her before the Guardsmen tore her from her horse and all was lost. How could he face Kalvan if he returned with Rylla missing, or worse, a prisoner of the Red Hand and Roxthar's Investigators? Sarrask literally pulled one Guardsman off his horse, silencing him with a smack with his mace.

About half a dozen of his own Guardsmen and two of Rylla's Beefeaters were at his side when he reached the Great Queen. She was half off her horse, but still fighting like a she-panther. Sarrask saw one Red Hand take a kick to the jaw that must have loosened every tooth in his head. Then Sarrask had the Queen by the back of her back-and-breast, and yanked her onto his own horse. He took a couple of hard elbows to the breastplate before she recognized him for a friend. He wasn't surprised to see dents the size of fists in his breastplate when he got her situated behind him on his mount.

"Why did you save me?" Rylla screamed.

Sarrask turned and slapped her hard across the face, hard enough to send her helmet with the white owl plumes tumbling.

She reddened and then straightened up. "You have saved me from an honorable death. Why?"

"There is no honor on Roxthar's racks or in his hot irons. Did you think they would kill you? No, your death would be slow, horrible and with no honor."

Rylla shook her head, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. "I am sorry. You are right, Sarrask. I don't know what possessed me. Find me a horse so I can kill more of our enemies."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Sarrask answered. Not that he had the slightest intention of letting Rylla out of his sight, or off his horse, until this Ormaz-spawned battle was over. The Saski bodyguard and her Beefeaters had now formed a circle around Sarrask and their Great Queen and for the first time in a quarter candle he could afford to take a deep breath.

Xykos rode up on his lathered horse, his face dripping with sweat. His great sword was battered and covered with gore. "Praise Dralm and Yirtta Allmother-the Queen lives!"

One of the Queen's Beefeaters cried, "I saw Sarrask single-handedly rescue Great Queen Rylla from the Red Hand!"

Xykos made a quick bow. "Prince Sarrask, I owe you my honor!"

Queen Rylla grabbed his cheek and bussed him, crying, "My paladin!"

Heads turned as the combined Queen's and Saski bodyguard cheered.

Sarrask lowered his face so no one would see how inflamed his cheeks had become. Someday he would savor this moment, but not now. He had to find Great King Kalvan and help him salvage what could be saved from this disaster.

From the looks of things, Sarrask would not be returning to Sask and his current sharp-tongued mistress, who was beginning to leave him longing for his late wife-something he had never dreamed possible. Things could be a lot worse! As long as Kalvan was alive and healthy, Praise Galzar, there would be many more battles and much glory to be won-that is, so long as they got out of this great murthering mess!

"By Styphon's Beard, those Ros-Zarthani barbarians ran down four Temple Bands of Styphon's Own Guard! They must be punished!"

Captain-General Mythross cried, punctuating his words with his fist against his saddle pommel.

Phidestros groaned. He had a massive headache and his ears were ringing from standing too close to one of the Grand Host's big guns. He was on the verge of the greatest victory in history and this Holy Butcher wanted him to punish those most responsible. Until he'd taken command of the Harphaxi Army he hadn't realized how much more there was to being a general than fighting wars and winning battles.

"I talked to Stratego Donos and he claims it was an accident. His men were counter-attacking the Hostigi left when they encountered the Guard bands and because they were wearing red the troopers mistakenly thought it was a Hostigi flank attack." Phidestros had also seen a twinkle in Donos' eye that told him that it wasn't all that much a mistake, but having dealt with the Red Hand for the past several moons he was more than a little sympathetic to the Ros-Zarthani commander.

"We must make an example of them! What if others think they can get away with dishonoring Styphon's Own Guard?"

"By the Mace of Galzar, we are in the middle of a battle! At the moment we are winning, but it could all change in the wink of an eye. If we turn on our own, like starving wolves, we may well lose the war and everything with it. How would you like to explain that to Styphon's Voice or the Inner Circle? Or better yet, Holy Investigator Roxthar!"

The usually implacable Temple Guardsman actually blanched. "I will hold my hand for now, Grand Captain-General, but there will be no guarantees if we are put on the same field again with these western barbarians." Mythross' face was beet-red and Phidestros knew he was deadly serious. He spat a wad of tobacco on the ground and rode off with his Bodyguard in a swirl of dust.

This battle was even more precarious than Mythross could know. True, the Hostigi left wing was broken and in full retreat, chased by the Ros-Zarthani horse and Soton's Knights. The center was surrounded by the Ros-Zarthani foot, Styphon's Own Guard, and the Sacred Squares of Hos-Ktemnos. However, there was no sign of the victorious Hostigi right, which had devoured the Holy Squares and the Princely cavalry of Hos-Ktemnos. At any moment fifteen thousand Hostigi cavalry could come back over the rise and all there was to stop them was his small reserve.

It might be a good time to slowly disengage the Ros-Zarthani foot, which would also keep them and the Red Hand from going at each other's jugulars, as well as give him a strategic reserve to deal with any returning Hostigi force.

Also, it might be politic to split the Ros-Zarthani off from the rest of the Grand Host after the battle and have them act as a rearguard. He didn't need his army torn apart by internal dissension. It would also help with the supply problems they would soon encounter as they chased the remnants of Kalvan's army through the false-Kingdom of Hos-Hostigos. There would be no more supply depots from here on out; they would be covering ground already foraged by Kalvan's retreating troops.