Chapter 132 Forces in Motion
In the northern province.
The first ray of sunlight illuminated the northern lands when the army of Tatiana the Puma began to move. Twelve hundred men marched in groups divided by tribes and at great speed. They knew the terrain well and knew how to move in the snow. The army used the valleys to move southwest. The Puma had told them that their objective was the intersection of the royal roads. If they encountered soldiers of the royal army, their orders were simple: if the force was small, they were to eliminate them; if it was large, they were to attack their supplies and flee. They had to attack quickly and then retreat to a place that was easy to defend. All the men had lost family members in the wars of Aurelio, on one side or the other. Every time they rested, they prayed for an opportunity to kill the knights of Aurelio.
Four hundred warriors rode on horseback or in chariots pulled by teams of bison. These tremendous animals were capable of dragging a great weight and still moving at the same speed as horses during the day. Each chariot was mounted on wood and steel rails and was filled with women armed with crossbows and spears. The knights of Tatiana led groups of fifty men, composed of a mix of knights experienced in southern tactics and fierce tribal warriors who had fought against the royal army for years. Their objective was to find the royal army.
The warrior shouted a little so that she could be heard in the chariot of her uncle: We do not have enough food for more than two days. Not for the animals, nor for the warriors.
Arkady: In two days, we will reach the crossroads. We can eat the bison first and then the horses. In four or five days we will not need to eat anymore.
The Puma: Do you not think we will still be alive after this?
The Bear: These warriors are not with you because they want to live. They are here to kill as many enemy soldiers as possible before they die. They are in your army to protect the lives of the children and families from another evil king.
Tatiana spoke with determination: Yes, we cannot win, but we can kill enough soldiers so that my husband can defeat them.
Arkady smiled: If someone lives who remembers you, you never truly die. Three deaths for my life. That was the old custom, when our tribes used flint axes against iron swords.
The stone bridge over the Lynx River.
Aurelio stood on a hill with his captains. His army marched in rows along the road, stretching as far as the eye could see. Around the hill were approximately three thousand soldiers, knights, and war horses.
Aurelio: The army will take more than a day to cross this bridge. But the bridge is blocked by soldiers from Puerto Blanco. Time is of the essence. Who has a plan for me?
Tomas: There is a quite close place by where we can cross the river with some cavalry companies and attack them from both flanks. They would resist for a while, but we could wipe them out without losing many cavalrymen. We will probably all start crossing in the morning, with a bit of luck.
Diego: We can wait for the crossbowmen and use them to suppress the enemy while the soldiers attack in force. By nightfall, we should have control of the bridge.
Rolando: We will attack immediately with company after company. They will not be able to resist for more than a few hours, and then we can clear the bridge and cross it.
Aurelio: Does anyone have a plan wherein the army is not crossing tomorrow?
Pasqual: Yes. We will travel west and attack the cities of Puerto Blanco to conquer them. We will spend the winter in White Hall while we assemble a new army with weapons, supplies, and war machines to attack Costa Lunas in the spring.
Aurelio: As always, Pasqual has a clever plan. But the throne is mine. I want to be in the Royal Castle soon. Tomas and Rolando, we are going to combine your plans. If the army does not begin to cross at dawn, one of you will be beheaded and the other will eat his head.
The captains began to leave, but the count grabbed Pasqual by the arm.
The Count: I know your idea is a good one. I will not forget your loyalty and intelligence when I become king.
The captain: Thank you, my count. After our conquest of Costa Lunas, I beg you to appoint me commander of the army that will destroy those dogs in Puerto Blanco. They are inferior to us and always have been.
Aurelio: Of course. But save some blonde women to be whores for the others.
Fewer than three hundred soldiers and archers blocked the bridge with earth and timber defenses. They held out for four hours of fighting before the enemy soldiers finally managed to gain control of the bridge. It was well into the night by the time the bridge was cleared for the army to cross.
Costa Lunas was safe for another day because the duchess loved her son and the soldiers were loyal to their house until death.
In the Greenwood.
Grey Wing was preparing to fly west to fish in the delta. She sensed the Pegasi before she saw them. She flew at a lower altitude until her rider could see her clearly.
Nestor: Is there a problem, my beautiful Grey?
Grey Wing: I do not know. My two daughters are approaching, accompanied by other sisters.
The rider looked up at the sky until he spotted an image he had not seen since his youth. Seven Pegasi were flying in formation, with the largest ones in front and the smallest ones behind. He shouted at people to move away from the clear area where they could land. People stopped what they were doing to witness this incredible event. The small males and the two young females landed together. White Stockings and Snowfall landed together, their wings almost touching. The matriarch of a nest in the mountains was the last to land, with wings so wide they could span the height of twenty men.
At the edge of the clearing, Esteban and the nobles waited for the group of riders to approach. The queen and the duke walked together, with the priest behind them. Volker and Chara stood on one side of the nobles, and Hernando and Floriano on the other. All the nobles and soldiers knelt before the queen. She looked at their tired faces and saw only loyalty and hope.
Rodrigo stood up and offered the sword of King Gutierre to his great-granddaughter: My queen, this sword is yours.
Olivia: Keep it. You can give it back to me when I am sitting on the throne.