Joel Shepherd - Haven

“Not the point. We must hold forces here to guard against such a huge cavalry opponent. If those cavalry break our lines on this side and get into our rear…”

“We're finished.”

“But Koenyg barely needs to attack. His main purpose is to force me to hold troops here, leaving my lines weak against the Regent's main force in the west. I'd rather he comes at us and gives us the chance to secure this flank by dealing him a defeat.”

“You just told Daish you were confident he would attack.”

Kessligh shrugged. “Aye, the main thing I wish Sasha to know is that she'll have no help from me any time soon. Precisely what happens here, she's far too busy for it to change anything.”

Jaryd might have liked to ride with his native men of Tyree, but his place was at Damon's side and he knew it. Not that the prince seemed to be lacking in popularity as he rode to the front of the Army of Lenayin's formation to the cheers and yells of the men, but in this mood, Lenay warriors would cheer anything.

Now they awaited the infantry's arrival behind, having cleared the patchwork forest dividing fields at this end of the valley. The infantry made their position at a run, and talmaad were forming on open fields in front, several thousand serrin on horseback, bows at the ready.

Beyond them, a huge mass of feudal soldiery was forming, amidst yells, waving banners and blasting trumpets. They seemed in some confusion, yet they were further advanced into the valley than Jaryd had hoped, and not pressed as far back against the Ipshaal as Sasha's message had seemed to indicate. Had she misjudged? Or were the Regent's forces organising faster than she'd thought possible?

As though summonsed by the thought of Sasha, a burning artillery round flew arcing over the enemy formations from the bluff to the left of the valley mouth. It fell, and erupted with a great, rolling fire. Lenay men cheered, yet the Regent's forces did not waver. Even the horrors of hellfire were lost amongst such a huge number of men. They would not want to stand under it for a long time, but already most of the formation was deploying over here, upon the right side of the Dhemerhill River, furthest from the artillery's effects. The left flank, across the river, was more sparse.

“The Dhemerhill River is fordable here,” said Jaryd to Damon, “a hundred paces up from this farmhouse.” He pointed with his sword. “The locals showed me a number of places, and I checked them myself; river levels are unchanged since then.”

Damon looked, grimly tightening the arm strap of his shield. There were bridges over the river too, but they were narrow. A proper fording could cross a large number of cavalry without slowing to swim, or to fit across a narrow bridge. A smaller force of Lenay and talmaad cavalry were deployed upon the left side, against a similar size of Bacosh cavalry and infantry. Damon wanted the Regent's men to think he was merely engaging them head on, force against force. Instead, a charge across the river and up the exposed left side, under cover of Sasha's artillery, could put them halfway to the Ipshaal.

“Deal with their cavalry first,” he said. “Then we cross.” Jaryd wasn't certain if it would be possible to coordinate such a move on so little notice. Well, they were about to find out.

Ahead, the serrin began to move, and Lenay cavalry followed. The canter slowly built to a gallop. Jaryd could not see past the line of talmaad , and focused only upon holding his place in the line. The Lenays left gaps in their line for the talmaad to fall back through. Closing them in time to make contact would be a challenge.

They wove about trees and leaped a low fenceline, and then the talmaad were rising in their saddles and pulling on bowstrings. They fired together, arrows flying high, then pulled a second arrow in unison and let fly at a lower trajectory. And then they divided, bunching into groups to make large holes in their formation, those who could get a clear shot now firing a third arrow as they did so. They turned, each bunched group of talmaad aligning upon several “flankmen” whose job was to watch the Lenays behind, and steer back through the holes left purposely in their ranks.

Jaryd steered across, and for a moment horses jostled…but then the serrin were flashing by, and a line of armoured Bacosh cavalry were rearing ahead, wavering with shock, no more than fifty human paces away. As usual with serrin, the timing was perfect.

More arrows flew past Lenay riders as formations clashed, men and horses falling, colliding at speed, lost lances careening into the air to crash into unsuspecting riders. Jaryd found himself racing through the first rank of knights and other cavalry without finding a target, then spread the line further to approach the second rank. These were less heavily armoured, and he parried past one with his shield whilst crashing through a second's defence on the other side. He reeled, and Jaryd spun with his comrades to pursue-these were mostly Damon's friends, a close company of Verenthane nobles who could easily have remained with Koenyg, but had not. Like Jaryd, they'd been raised on horses since before they could walk, and were at no disadvantage against even the men of Northern Lenayin.

Bacosh cavalry came back at them-Jaryd saw Damon smash one from the saddle, saw a clever lean and duck from his companion stab through another's side, and accelerated onto another's blind side himself to cut through his unprotected neck from behind. He could see back to the first rank now, some dividing, very unwisely, to chase the talmaad , and others galloping back to reengage the Lenays. Many of those were being followed by talmaad , shooting men in the back whose armour would not stop it, and shooting the horses of those where it would. The combined force of human and serrin cavalry, devised by Errollyn, was designed to be lethal to the first enemy rank, who found themselves both engaged up close and shot by deadly accurate fire from afar and behind. Already they were panicking, wheeling about to try to clear the field of serrin fire, eager to confront the Lenays but not wishing to turn their backs on the talmaad.

Damon and friends yelled with triumph and charged, felling more confused and frightened cavalry, and now encountering knights whose armour remained intact, but whose horses were struggling with multiple arrow strikes and dying. Some hit the ground hard and struggled to rise once more. Lenay men generally ignored them-they would be dealt with later, and were too slow afoot to bother fast-moving cavalry.

Soon the Regent's cavalry were falling back, then retreating at full gallop. More artillery flashes erupted upon the left flank, and Jaryd spared a moment to view the bluff from which they came. No fighting was visible. Had that assault failed?

Now serrin were pursuing the retreating Bacosh men, zigzagging through the Lenay warriors with bows in hand, seeking shots at retreating backs. They looked furiously determined, striving to kill as many as possible while the chance presented. Behind them came the main Lenay army, on foot, and running. Fast.

Damon was yelling, standing in his stirrups to attract attention, pointing across the river. Already other Lenay cavalry were charging that way, and Damon followed, gathering more men as he went. Shouted orders were of no use here. The noise of hooves and massed voices was too loud for anyone save an immediate neighbour to hear. But the plan was to get across the Dhemerhill River, and up the relatively exposed left flank under the cover of Ilduuri artillery on the ridge.

Jaryd hit the water amidst several hundred other horsemen, with more hundreds following. The horses plunged and struggled for a moment, and then were clear to the far bank and running once more, skirting a large farmstead and leaping fences. To the right were masses of enemy soldiers. To this side, the way was clear, as few braved the falling artillery for the next thousand strides at least. Damon's party cleared a final fence and emerged onto rolling green fields, swords out and yelling as they charged at full speed.