after much persuading. Captain Dolan would send out a squad of riders to the Toranado Capital to make sure the Palmerrio kept their word. Ramona wanted to return to Eno immediately and it was all Phillip could do to convince his mother to delay her trip and move by Traveler once they knew it was safe. She was ready to go home.
“Yes, Tar Nev taught me many things,” Gwaynn answered in a hushed voice once the troops were through and the bridge winked out of existence.
“Many things,” N’dori agreed. “Some that are not for the eyes of outsiders,” she reprimanded, her tone unusually serious.
“I’m an outsider,” he retorted and began to move off toward the kitchens with the rest of the Travelers. They lagged behind, walking slowly, his body far from recovered. “High Tarina Ethelridge made that very plain.”
N’dori grunted, glancing up at the flat gray sky. There was snow in the air but the small flakes were so light that they actually floated about in the air, like dust.
“No longer High Tarina. As I told you, Ethelridge has lost the Council’s backing, Nystrom is now in charge,” N’dori corrected. “Noble now knows that the Cassinni have joined the fight against the High King. We have a true civil war on our hands.”
Gwaynn glanced at the Solitary, pulling up his collar against the snow which was beginning to fall a bit harder now, but was still very light and in all likelihood would not accumulate. “And just who will Noble support in the end?”
N’dori shrugged. “Perhaps no one. But the danger is to allow every Tar to decide individually…like the Tars and students who have joined you. If such dissent spreads it could split the land and Noble into many, many pieces. I believe the Tars that remain on Noble, if forced to make a choice, will follow High Tarina Nystrom’s advice and remain neutral for now. After all they would be following Tar Nev’s example.
Gwaynn frowned. “Tar Nev is not leading anyone, anywhere,” he spat with obvious frustration as they moved into the large dining hall.
“Do not be so sure,” N’dori answered the smile back on her face. “I’m here plus Kostek and the others, and he did stand for you against the Council not so long ago.”
Gwaynn grunted.
“But he’ll not fight personally against the High King,” N’dori explained as Bock and Hahn joined them. They sat at a wooden table large enough to accommodate thirty troops to a side, but they were all huddled together down on one end. Trays of food soon began to appear and it wasn’t long before all the Travelers were eating and eating and eating. Gwaynn and na Gall would have preferred peach juice, but the fruit was well out of season so they had to make do with meat, breads and nuts.
The group of Travelers remained quiet for a time just consuming calories, as Bock and Hahn stared at them all in amazement. “I’ll never get used to this,” Lonogan told Gwaynn with a smile.
Gwaynn nodded, his own hunger easing off far earlier than that of N’dori’s and the Travelers. He took a deep swig of water and turned to his General. “Send for Gaston,” he ordered and Bock nodded and waved to a nearby messenger, but Gwaynn did not wait and moved his attention to Hahn.
“How many halberdiers are ready?”
“Nearly nine thousand,” Hahn answered enthusiastically. “The men are practiced and ready. The Knights will be caught by surprise…I know it. The new diamond formations and the halberds will work. The Knights will not realize what they are up against until it is too late. I’m positive they’ll rush through the designed gaps in the formation, thinking to divide and exploit the lapse, without ever realizing they’re entering a trap,” he finished confidently, going briefly over the plan once more, though they all were very aware of it. The plan was wildly unconventional; nothing like it had been tried in recent memory, though it did share a few elements with another famous battle from Old Earth…a battle fought at a place called Waterloo.
“I hope you’re correct,” Gwaynn answered and looked to Bock and N’dori, feeling his own excitement rising. “The archers and light infantry will be the bait and if they can hold their positions, then the Knights will be trapped between the Toranado and the cavalry.”
“They’ll hold,” N’dori said softly. “I’ll be with them as will the others from Noble.”
“We’ll hold,” Hahn added with even more confidence than before.
Twenty minutes later the Travelers finally finished eating. Gwaynn, though sated some time earlier, continued to pick at the food until Captain Gaston strode in, his face eager despite the amount of war he’d experienced.
“Are you ready?” Bock asked as Gaston approached. The Captain nodded.
“We’re ready,”
“How many cavalry men in total?” Gwaynn asked, beginning to grow nervous about the plan. Splitting his forces was dangerous and they’d gotten away with it so many times in the past that he was beginning to feel they were due for a disaster.
“If I take Captain Kommidi and his men we will be about forty-five hundred strong,” Gaston answered immediately.
Gwaynn nodded. “You will be taking every man available…full strength. Keep na Gall and Sarbeth close…and wait for our call,” Gwaynn answered suddenly very serious, “and Captain, please avoid engaging the Knights alone if at all possible.”
“And if an opportunity presents itself to do the enemy real damage?” Gaston asked. Gwaynn shook his head, astounded by the change in the man before him. Less than a year ago, Captain Gaston, while not actually timid, struggled with a fair amount of self-doubt, now…well now, he was a tiger.
“You take it,” Bock answered, “but it better be one hell of an opportunity. Your horsemen are the very heart of the trap, don’t jeopardize that lightly.”
Gaston remained thoughtful for a time, then nodded. “When do we leave?”
“Within the hour,” Gwaynn replied, “ride due south for a mile or so before heading east; let’s keep the Knights in the dark.”
XVI
“The horses are gone!” Captain Tramm said early the next morning, nearly running up to Hothgaard in excitement.
“What?”
“The horses…the Massi horses are gone.”
Hothgaard stood quickly, his own excitement growing. “Are you sure?”
Tramm nodded, glancing about the camp which was already in the process of being dismantled. “Yes, our scouts just returned. The horses are definitely gone…all of them. The trail appears to be heading due south.”
“South…” Hothgaard said thoughtfully.
“You think they’re hiding their route?” Tramm asked.
“That’s exactly what I think.”
“But which way will they ultimately go? Possibly the Scar Gap,” Tramm suggested, “try to cut us off from the Palmerrio in Toranado and any possible reinforcements.”
Hothgaard shook his head. “No, they wouldn’t send their entire cavalry to guard the Gap, it would be pointless overkill. No, the cavalry will be heading east…”
“To help guard Lynndon and the pass to the Plateau…it could be,” Tramm stated.
Hothgaard shook his head again, wondering why his fellow Captain continued to think the Massi strategy was defensive, even passive.
“No…” he disagreed once more. “They’ll not be sent to guard the pass at Lynndon…with only the Knights occupying Massi lands there’s little need. No, the cavalry will be sent onto the plains, probably from Lynndon. Prince Gwaynn won’t sit idly by and wait for our attack. He’ll be aggressive.”
Tramm scratched his head and looked up into the cloudy sky. It was colder this morning and had the smell of snow in the air. Winter was now only a few weeks away. Their food was getting scarce and if the High King did not arrive with additional supplies there was a real danger of running out. There was only so much foraging
