Chapter 160 Opening Moves
A valley of trees.
Tomás stood watching the preparations of his machines. Each was wider and taller than a horse. The wood was ash, harvested from mature trees; the mechanisms were iron, and the ropes were fashioned from animal tendons. The engineers coated each piece with a thin layer of oil to protect it from water. Other soldiers assembled damaged arrowheads, flint stones with sharp tips or edges, and pieces of metal rendered useless for other purposes. One hundred small missiles were needed for each shot from the four machines.
The young captain: Sergeant, take a company and find blankets and old cloth to cover the machines. Use resin to coat them with dry leaves, like the ones on the forest floor. If we cover them, the Pegasi will not be able to detect them until they are within range.
The man ran and shouted orders to groups of soldiers. They worked throughout the day and well into the night. By morning, they had prepared eight shots, and the machines were concealed beneath coverings of leaves and old cloth. Twenty lookouts were posted on the ridges to watch for the appearance of wings.
When the captain was young, his family used to hunt ducks on the lakes. They used slings fitted with large leather pouches and lead pellets to shatter the wing bones of the birds. The machines were, in essence, the same, only on a massive scale. Tomas recalled the taste of ducks cooked with the fruits of the islands. He wondered what the meat of a Pegasus would taste like. With luck, perhaps he would find out.
In a field near the encampment.
The new captain of the crossbowmen looked at the highest-ranking Knight of Banners in the army. This man had executed the captain of his company after two hours of screaming and torture. He wanted to do everything possible to avoid dying in the same way.
The Captain: These two companies are the one hundred and twenty best crossbowmen we have. They are veterans, and many were sergeants in their own companies.
Pasqual: Very well. Men! You will march forward until you stand facing a knight and his horse. You will be a team. You will practice something special for me. No one shall eat until I am satisfied.
Once all the soldiers and knights had gathered, the captain explained what they were going to practice. The crossbowmen positioned themselves in regular lines to fire, just as they would in battle. The horses galloped until they came to a halt in fairly regular lines in front of the soldiers.
The soldiers slung their crossbows across their backs with ropes and approached the horses. The knights offered them their free hands to help them mount behind the saddle. When everyone was ready, they galloped toward a designated area; the crossbowmen dismounted and formed two lines of sixty men, while the knights galloped off to attack an imaginary formation from two flanks.
During the second practice session, a soldier fell while mounting. The captain shouted at them to halt. He walked until he stood directly in front of that soldier. He placed his hand behind his head and drew his face toward him until they were almost touching. He whispered to the soldier.
Pasqual: That was a mistake. If that kind of mistake happened in battle, my plan will not work. You are a good marksman, so I need you.
The captain released the man and shouted so that everyone could hear: The next man who falls shall be burned alive alongside the knight, and the horse shall be devoured!
They held three more practice sessions before the captain felt confident. They ate in their teams and prepared for the morning.
The royal road north of the encampment.
The line of wagons advanced throughout the night. The messenger arrived just as they were preparing to halt and set up camp to eat and sleep. The message was simple and direct: they had to arrive by dawn, or every captain and sergeant would be dragged to their death behind a horse. Many had witnessed such things before. No one wanted to die simply for being tired.
At the head of the procession three hundred soldiers marched, advancing on weary legs. Following behind them were another two hundred. Flanking them on both sides rode one hundred mounted soldiers. More than three hundred slaves and servants guided the animals and carts, transporting food, beer, wine, and provisions reserved for the battles that awaited the army upon their arrival.
Behind elevated ground on each side of the road.
The warriors of the Puma had traveled without rest. Their scouts were searching for a suitable place to attack the wagons. Their intention was to strike while the travelers were camped. But when the group began to move again, the plan changed. Men from two fierce tribes lay hidden along small ridges, waiting for them. Behind the last soldiers, Tatiana and Arkady led two groups of warriors, moving with great stealth through the darkness.
The soldiers of the South loved fire and light in the night. The tribes, however, felt at ease in the darkness. They had learned to hunt and fight solely by the light of the moons during the long nights of the North. Here, the moons hung closer and shone with greater intensity. The fires of the soldiers revealed their lines. Tonight, the warriors were hunting men.
The attack began with howls resembling those of wolves, unleashed by numerous war chiefs. Nearly four hundred warriors charged against the lines of soldiers marching at the front. Axes and swords struck heads, necks, and bellies.
The soldiers drew their weapons and grouped together to defend themselves against the charge. The knights formed lines to charge the warriors themselves. Years of training had taught them that a mounted charge was the best defense against those savages. The soldiers at the rear of the formation heard the horns signaling danger and attack. They advanced in ranks toward the front, scanning for any sign of the enemy. The wagons came to a halt, and the attendants sought shelter from the danger.
The Bear led his group toward the rear flank of the soldiers, while the Puma, along with her female warriors and knights, began setting fire to the carts and smashing the barrels of drink. The servants fled the attack in terror.
The knights drove back the tribes with charges of spear and sword. When they realized that the larger force lay behind them, they regrouped to charge in that direction. The warriors dragged many knights from their mounts and killed them through attacks by groups. However, the charges inflicted heavy damage. Finally, the War Prince Tatiana let out the cry of and eagle, and they vanished into the night. The knights knew that following the tribes into darkness would result in a torturous death.
They began counting the bodies. There were four dead soldiers for every dead or severely injured warrior found. Out of seven companies, they had fewer than four hundred men capable of fighting. Worse still, more than half of their provisions had been destroyed.
Count Aurelio was not going to be happy.