John Schettler - Anvil of Fate

“A loose twine!” Kelly said excitedly. “Somebody left the gate open and the damn horses got out! A loose twine… where horses were brought to gather…”

“It could have been a stampede! It’s exactly the sort of thing the camp raiders would try to start.”

“Now that’s a Pushpoint!” said Paul. “A loose twine. It’s practically defines the workings of a Pushpoint—something odd and utterly insignificant that ends up causing major ramifications. They probably did collect numerous horses and other animals as they pillaged north. They would be highly prized by a mounted army, and yes, they would have used horse holders in the rear areas, or perhaps have some enclosure where these animals were kept safe from the battle. I love it. It’s clear and specific, a pointed warning… a loose twine!”

“Alright, let’s assume this was the disturbance in the camp,” Nordhausen agreed. “So they sent someone back to secure these horses, and prevent this stampede. I suppose it’s as good a scenario as any. The hieroglyphics clearly say hold them fast, those who drink the wind.”

“Keep a firm hold on the horses,” Maeve said it another way. “And if they can’t manage that then all the other lines were just backup—heed no disturbance, don’t worry about the plunder…”

They all looked at Paul, waiting to see if they had the makings of an intervention. “Well,” he began. “If this is more than speculation then we may have a chance here. If their mission was to go back and tie that knot—”

“Then we have to make sure we un-tie it,” said Kelly. “But how in the world do we do that?”

Nordhausenwas reading from a file he had called up from the RAM Bank. It was a description of the invading Muslim army as it advanced into Christian lands.

“That’s from Southey's Roderick ,” he finished. “It’s referring to the defeat of the Visigoths on the Rio Barbate in 711, but it gives you an idea of the nature of the foe. Years later Abdul Rahman’s army was the equal of this force, in fact it was actually much larger. It took the western passes over the Pyrenees, and auxiliary incursions came by sea to Narbonne, then moved along the Mediterranean coast to Avignon, pushing inland through the provinces of Provence and Burgundy. This was no mere raid, as some historians carp. Abdul Rahman was intent on eliminating Odo as a threat on his northern border, and he was coming for plunder and land, all in the name of Allah. ”

“And Odo ran straight to Charles after his crushing defeat,” said Paul.

They were studying a map of the campaign now. “That secondary thrust pushed up through Lyon, Chalons and all the way to Dijon,” said Robert. “Cities were laid siege and stormed for pillage, notably Bordeaux, where Odo was defeated. The Mozarabic Chronicle of 754 states that they burned churches, abbeys, palaces, forts and any other places of importance. The whole countryside was scoured for loot, and as Abdul Rahman’s army approached Tours he had his eye on the Abbey at St. Martin as well.”

“Yes, and they were taking their time, burdened by ever larger hauls of plunder that the soldiery claimed as compensation for their service.”

“Without doubt,” said the professor.

“So how do we make this intervention?” asked Paul. “It’s clear that we need to be focusing on the Arab camp, wherever that may be. Information on the actual battlefield is sketchy. Many feel it occurred between two rivers south of Tours. That’s where it was in the simulation I played, and if I were to deploy a largely infantry force there, I’d put my main body close to the confluence, on any high, wooded ground I could find. That way the two rivers would protect my flanks. Get a Google terrain map of that area. Let’s see what we find.”

They called up the data, perusing the map until Paul laid his finger on a spot near the meeting place of the rivers. “This looks interesting,” he said. “The village of Cenon… Some accounts indicate there was marshy ground to one side of the old Roman road here. This low lying terrain with the small lakes south of Cenon may be where that ground was,” he concluded.

“You have a good eye,” said Robert. “The weight of opinion now believes the battle was fought here near Moussais. It’s a small estate today, with a golf course nearby.”

“Over 1300 years ago it was the anvil of fate,” said Paul. “And this adjacent high ground would be perfect for a large infantry Phalanx. Let’s get a Google image.”

The street view was very helpful. Right at the intersection of two roads a small white sign read: “La Bataille de Poitiers, 732.” The road it pointed to was named “Pied Sec.”

“You’d think the French would have a bigger sign, given that the whole of Christendom and Western history rides on the outcome of this battle. Look at it! There’s nothing here, no monument, no national park. You’d think they’d at least have the decency to put a statue of Charles Martel here. And what’s this road named, Pied Sec?”

“Dry feet.” said Maeve. “That’s what it translates to.”

“This was marshy ground,” said Paul, “and this is the only high ground around, though I doubt the road was even here 1300 years ago. There’s not much elevation, but it will do, and it was most likely wooded in the 8th century. I’ll bet Charles dug his defensive trench and established a shieldwall right along that road, or somewhere close to it. So let’s see…” He traced his finger along the map. “The Muslim camp would be back here somewhere,” he said. “Probably south of this little stream.”

“It was supposed to have been on a small hill, according to some scholars,” said Robert. “And it would definitely be in a clearing. They needed room for their tents.”

“Then it would have to be here, at or near Le Pugets, just south of the modern day golf course. Or possibly slightly east of that area.”

They agreed that they had a reasonable line on a breaching point as to location, somewhere right between these likely zones. Now the more difficult question of the temporal coordinates would have to be tackled.

“We’ve got the year,” said Paul. “It’s well recorded to have been 732 A.D. And I think we can safely say it was in October.”

“Accounts confirm that,” said the professor. “Watson has an interesting paper…” He clicked on a link and called up the file. “Here it is : ‘Thus, there is a consensus in most of the Latin sources that the battle occurred on a Saturday in October, 732.’ Later he narrows down the weight of opinion to late in the month and makes it October 25th, 732, coincident with the start of Ramadan.”