Resurrected Soldiers: The Tyrus Chronicle - Book Three (18 page)

CHAPTER 17

My meeting with Balak ended some time later. By then I was good and tired, nowhere near ready to attack the day, let alone think clearly enough to command an army in battle. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about that until tomorrow. I doubted I’d get any extra sleep before then, probably less than usual due to a combination of responsibilities and worry.

I hustled back to my unit as everyone got ready for the day. They sat around the fire eating breakfast. A perk to being in my unit was there was less of a wait for the latest information.

“I won’t be with you this time,” I said, wrapping things up as I relayed the conversation with Balak. “Dekar is going to command.”

No complaints, nervous expressions, or mouthed curses followed the announcement. I didn’t really expect any, even from Ira in a teasing way. Everyone understood that Dekar knew what he was doing.

I continued. “Your job will be to infiltrate the enemy’s position and try to take out some of their key officers before we meet them in battle. I’ll relay the details to Dekar this evening once I have a better idea of the layout of the Geneshan’s position. It will be up to him to determine the best course of action. All right, everyone dismissed. I want to be on the march in less than half an hour. Start breaking things down.”

I went up to Dekar and pulled him away from the others. “You good?”

I only asked the question because I knew that he suffered from self-doubt.

He nodded. “I’ll be good. I want to run my plans by you once you give me the Geneshan’s position though. Just to make sure we’re on the same page and I didn’t miss something.”

“We can do that.” I paused. “Don’t be afraid to lean on Ira and Reuma tomorrow either. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Ira so focused as he’s been since they got together.”

He chuckled. “She’s definitely done him a world of good.”

I slapped his shoulder. “I’ll catch up with you later. I want to say a few things to everyone now before I break the news to the army.”

I walked away and spoke a few words of encouragement as well as expressed my confidence in each of them. I made sure to reiterate how well everyone had done on our first mission and how we’d already improved. I said these things then, because I doubted I’d have time for a last-minute hurrah speech once we were ready to engage the enemy.

By that point, any speeches would need to come from Dekar. Though the man was a more than capable leader, and one of the smartest men I knew, he was not the most vocal of soldiers. Maybe he’d defer to Ira for that role. Admittedly, I had done it a time or two myself.

I reiterated that thought to Ira and Reuma.

He grinned. “Don’t worry, Ty. If Dek doesn’t have it in him tomorrow, I’ll get everyone so fired up, the rest of the army just might be able to take the afternoon off.”

I smiled, but it quickly faded. “One more thing. Boaz.”

“He’s doing real good these days,” said Reuma.

“He is,” I agreed. “But I still want you to keep a watchful eye on him. Obviously, don’t jeopardize the mission or everyone else, just be mindful of where he is so he doesn’t get his rear in a sling.”

Ira teased. “You sure worry about him a lot, Ty. You’re not developing some sort of sweet spot, I hope? Damaris might get upset if she were to find out when we return.”

Reuma elbowed him for the comment, but there wasn’t much behind it. She couldn’t completely hide her amusement.

I rolled my eyes, but a grin tugged at the corners of my mouth as well. “I like the man. I don’t want to see his wife, or especially his kids, have to go on without him. Understand?”

Ira grew serious. “Don’t you worry, Ty. He’ll come back alive and in one piece tomorrow. I promise.”

CHAPTER 18

No army just marches up to a predetermined location unhindered, lines up against the enemy, and waits for someone to kick things off.

As expected, the enemy sent out a few small teams on horseback to try to harry our advance. Thanks to our recent addition of horses obtained from the last Geneshan force we had engaged, we were able to repel them.

We eventually formed ranks over a stretch of mostly flat land. It had a few small rises as well as a couple of narrow cracks, but given the new world, it was better than what I thought we’d be fighting on.

I stood on top of a hill, one of the newest flourishes to the land, created out of cooled molten rock after one of the recent eruptions. I surveyed the positioning of our men, making sure I was comfortable with where we stood.

Scouts had reported that the enemy managed to combine forces with another large company we didn’t know existed, bringing their total to nearly two thousand. Our advantage in numbers had dwindled.

To make up for it, I put two companies of archers, one on each flank, with three regiments of infantry between them. A hundred horses stood ready behind the center regiment of infantry, and a small company of infantry held back in reserve. I would have liked a greater number of horse or archers, but we just didn’t have the animals for the former, or enough men with skill for the latter. Some sort of artillery would have also been nice, but we were never in one place long enough for engineers to construct any mangonels or ballista.

The Geneshan camp was just beyond the field of battle. Though it was hard to make out the details, even with a spyglass, it was full of activity as the enemy formed ranks. I had thought about marching down their throats, but something about the situation didn’t sit right with me. For one, they had more horses than originally reported, and two, the Geneshans were never that unprepared. My guess was that their current appearance was a deception to lure us in.

I wasn’t going to bite. This wasn’t my first battle. I could be patient. I was perfectly happy with our position, so let them come to us.

The strangest part of my current situation was Balak’s involvement. Again, he just wasn’t acting himself. He may have not been the best when it came to creative strategy and tactics, but he was not one to sit back and let others do his job either. Yet with his tent at the bottom of the hill behind my current position, I hadn’t seen or spoken to him in hours.

His orders to me then were brief. “This is your battle. But if you need me, I’m here.”

“What will you be doing?” I had asked.

“Attending other matters of equal importance.”

“As important as your untested army facing an enemy of nearly equal size?”

“Yes. Trust me, I want to be with you on that hill, but right now things are too delicate and I must have my attention on other areas.” He paused. “This is why I found you Tyrus. Now go win.”

He had snapped the last word before turning into his tent and leaving me to finish prepping our army’s formation. Admittedly, his unequivocal confidence added to my already strong resolve that the day’s outcome favored us. Say one thing for Balak, whatever he lacked in creativity and even personality, he made up for in getting people to fight for him. He never said much, but it was how he said it that seemed to have a lasting effect.

That being said, Balak didn’t trust how I would achieve victory. As previously promised, three of his personal guards watched over me, Etan among them. Each had their hands wrapped ready on their spears. I thought that precaution a bit excessive and said as much.

“Is that really necessary?” I asked.

Etan actually responded for once. “Just reminding you that you aren’t going to escape like you did last time.”

“What is your deal with me? We used to get along fine. I’m not saying we’ve got to be best friends or anything, but I would have thought that after all the crap we went through prior to the war ending, there’d be something more friendly between us. Some respect.”

“No one said I didn’t respect you.” He shrugged. “I just don’t like you.”

“Why?”

“You left us.”

“Us?”

“The other elite units. We all fought just as hard as you did, and for nearly as long. Yet, because of dumb luck you were closest to the artifact and were able to retrieve it. So the king allowed you to go home.”

I wanted to interrupt, but refrained. Our capturing the artifact might have contributed to the king’s decision to discharge my unit from the military, but it couldn’t have been the sole reason. Yes, Etan’s unit and all the rest contributed greatly to the war efforts, but my unit had outshined them all. That wasn’t bragging, that was fact. For instance, it was my unit’s efforts that allowed the rest of the Turine army to escape at Wadlow Hill. No one else’s. Still, saying as much wouldn’t likely change Etan’s opinion, so I let him talk.

He continued. “My men killed over two dozen D’engiti that day after our assignments were completed. Yet, we were told our duty to Turine was not yet fulfilled.”

“So you’re mad at me because of something that I had no control over? You need to be mad at the king or Balak for not discharging any of the other elite units, not me.”

“You could have stayed behind with us,” he snapped.

I looked at him like he had a third eye growing out of the center of his forehead. “Stay behind? Are you mad? I had a family I hadn’t seen for ten years. Look, I felt for everyone who couldn’t go home. Truly. But there was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to return home.” I narrowed my eyes. “And I guarantee that you, nor anyone else, would have either.”

He said nothing to that because he knew I was right. Still, he pushed. “Did you even fight for us to go home? For anyone else?”

The sounds of drums rang out. The Geneshans were ready to take the field.

I turned from Etan and looked through my spyglass. The Geneshan lines were still forming in the rear, but the bulk of their infantry was in place, as was their cavalry. Their horses worried me most. Scouts had estimated they held more than four hundred mounts. That estimate was off by at least one hundred.

I swore to myself. Though I had prepared my front-line company commanders for a cavalry charge, it was a tactic I preferred not to face. Quickly, I sent runners out as I watched infantry form up with a heavy focus on the center, I sent down instructions for how to re-form ranks after the initial cavalry charge of the enemy.

Other runners went out to gather word from returning scouts.

I thought about the three units I had sent off on special missions. Dekar led the first crew, Hamath the second, and an old veteran by the name of Paroh led the third. I worried about Paroh least since his mission was the least dangerous. They were to distract the left flank of infantry just as the Geneshans began their advance. I had weighed them down with several crossbows each, all pull-back types so they could be reloaded quickly. The goal was to either slow the enemy’s left flank, or possibly cause several to peel off in pursuit of Paroh’s unit.

Hamath’s crew held a more difficult task. I wanted him to sneak into the enemy camp and subtly loosen, or cut as many of the straps on Geneshan saddles as possible. We had employed a similar trick years ago. The Geneshans didn’t know what we had done until their initial charge. I thought that bit of nostalgia might have at least warranted a grin, or a comment from Hamath. But it got neither.

He had given me a sour-faced nod and said. “I’ll get it done.”

Then he had left.

I didn’t respond though I had wanted to. I was still angry at him from our last conversation, but at the same time, I couldn’t just forget about the ten years we spent together. My friend was still in there somewhere.

I shook my head.

The last of the special units was my own. Or rather, Dekar’s. I had given him the most dangerous, and probably the most important of tasks. They were to infiltrate the enemy camp and incapacitate as many of the Geneshan officers as possible. Incapacitate, because too many deaths would raise suspicion and likely increase detection.

They had likely tried a slow poison slipped into a meal at first, something that might cause a man to wish he was dead. As the battle approached, and it was time for them to slip away safely, their tactics would turn bloodier, exchanging the poison for a sharp edge.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t know if the missions were successful until the battle started. That made me nervous, but not so much so that my plans would fall apart. I hoped for the best outcome, that all three units did as ordered and would return without a man lost. Still, I prepared just as thoroughly for the opposite, knowing I had twenty-five hundred men still relying on my ability to command.

The battle drums stopped. I sat straighter in my saddle. Good old Etan hissed a curse beside me. He had fought the Geneshans enough to know what that meant.

The Geneshan mounts moved out at a slow trot in tight lines. I was impressed. They had always held an advantage over us on horseback, but that advantage seemed even more impressive over a rough ground where an unskilled horseman could end up beneath a mount with a broken leg.

The drums started again, faster. As their pounding increased, so did the charge until no drums could be heard at all, just the hooves of over five hundred well-armed cavalry.

“I hope our men are ready for this,” Etan said.

I cast him a surprised look as I heard the nervousness and doubt in his voice. By Molak, I think I preferred him not talking to me.

“As ready as they’re going to be,” I said, more to myself than him.

At some point, it didn’t matter what instructions I had given my commanders. Eventually, it all came down to execution and timing. And this far away from the action, I was next to useless.

I held my breath as I watched our formation through the spyglass. Platoon and company commanders ran up and down the lines, yelling at their men. I liked that a lot. Keep them focused. I might have spent most of my time in the military running an elite unit, but like everyone else, I had my start as a grunt on the front lines and understood the confusion there.

Through the spyglass, I watched several men point toward the enemy. I followed their gestures. The corners of my mouth began to turn up as I caught dozens of Geneshans fall from their saddle, or even better in some instances, ram their mounts into their neighbor’s while trying to keep their seat.

Their lines faltered.

Worse for them, a few of their officers tried to regroup by slowing pace. Such a boneheaded command was how I knew that not only had Hamath succeeded, but Dekar had on some level as well. No seasoned veteran would tell charging cavalry to slow without enough time to rebuild speed unless they were planning to turn away rather than engage the enemy. And the Geneshan cavalry made no move to turn away.

My archers began their attack, making the cavalry lines more difficult to reform.

Of the five hundred horsemen the Geneshans started with, around four hundred struck our front lines. Those that did, met long spears and halberds. Because their speed was slow when they struck, they did not have the momentum to drive deeper into our ranks where they could cause real damage to our formations. My commanders had their men swarm around the horse, engulfing them in attacks. Only a few managed to break away to safety.

With charging hoof beats no longer echoing over the land, the Geneshan drums became audible as they sounded their infantry advance.

That was also a pretty idiotic decision, making me think Dekar had done his duty more thoroughly than I thought.

Paroh showed his success as well as I watched parts of the advancing left flank buckle and turn toward the wooded area. At least a hundred men peeled off in that direction.

I grabbed three runners.

To the first I said, “Get word to Captain Rab. Have him sweep our cavalry around toward the enemy’s left flank. There should be about a hundred of the enemy in that wooded area. See that he takes care of them and then presses on toward the main body. Tell him to be smart. If it looks like the terrain is too dangerous, pull back.”

“Yes, sir!” The man took off.

To the second, “Have Major Samil bring in the reserves. They are to go up the center and replace Colonel Nevo’s men.” They were busy killing the last of the Geneshan mounts. “Tell Colonel Nevo to fall in behind Major Samil once ready.”

“Yes, sir!”

To the third, “Go to Sergeant Tomer. Once Major Samil gets his men into position, he should sound the advance.”

“Yes, sir!”

Just as the last runner took off, I turned to Etan. “You ready to move?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean we’re not staying up here while the army advances. I’ll still keep a safe distance, but we need to move up so we don’t stretch communications too thinly.”

Etan glanced over his shoulder at Balak’s tent. “Fine. Let’s go.”

“But Balak said—” started another guardsmen.

“I know what he said,” Etan snapped. “But if we’re to win, Tyrus is right.”

He gave me a look that said he wasn’t too happy about admitting that, but I gave him a nod back in appreciation all the same. He wouldn’t let any personal grudges get in the way of what was best for the army and our success.