«If I had to guess, I'd say yes,» Abivard answered, «but guessing what he has in mind gets harder every year. Still, though, that would be about the second worst thing I can think of for him to do.»
«Ah?» His principal wife raised an eyebrow. «And what would be worse?»
«If he struck down the Tib and at the same time sent envoys across the Pardrayan steppe to stir up the Khamorth tribes against us and send them over the Degird River into the northwest of the realm.» Abivard looked grim at the mere prospect. So did Roshnani. Both of them had grown up in the Northwest, not far from the frontier with the steppe. Abivard went on, «Likinios played that game, remember—Videssian gold was what made Peroz King of Kings move into Pardraya, what made him meet his end, what touched off our civil war. Couple that with the Videssian invasion of the land of the Thousand Cities and—»
«Yes, that would be deadly dangerous,» Roshnani said. «I see it. We'd have to divide our forces, and we might not have enough to be able to do it.»
«Just so,» Abivard agreed. «Maniakes doesn't seem to have thought of that ploy, the God be praised. When Likinios used it, he didn't think to invade us himself at the same time. From what I remember of Likinios, he was always happiest when money and other people's soldiers were doing his fighting for him.»
«Maniakes isn't like that,» Roshnani said.
«No, he'll fight,» Abivard said, nodding. «He's not as underhanded as Likinios was, but he's learning there, too. As I say, I'm just glad he hasn't yet learned everything there is to know.»
Hurrying west across the floodplain from the Tutub to the Tib brought Abivard's army across the track of devastation Maniakes had left the summer before. In more than one place he found peasants repairing open-air shrines dedicated to the God and the Prophets Four that the Videssians had made a point of wrecking.
«He had some men who spoke Makuraner,» one of the rural artisans told Abivard. «He had them tell us he did this because of what Makuran does to the shrines of his stupid, false, senseless god. He pays us back, he says.»
«Thank you, Majesty,» Abivard murmured under his breath. Once again Sharbaraz' order enforcing worship of the God in Vaspurakan was coming back to haunt Makuran. The peasant stared at Abivard, not following what he meant. If the fellow hoped for an explanation, he was doomed to disappointment
Tzikas' horsemen rode ahead of the main force, trying to let Abivard know where the Videssians were at any given time. Every so often the cavalry troopers would skirmish with Maniakes' scouts, who were trying to pass to the Avtokrator the same information about Abivard's force.
And then, before too long, smoke on the northern horizon said the Videssians were drawing close. Tzikas' scouts confirmed that they were on the eastern bank of the Tib; they'd been either unwilling or unable to cross the river. Abivard took that as good news. He would, however, have liked it better had he had it from men who owed their allegiance to anyone but Tzikas.
Because Maniakes was staying on the eastern side of the Tib, Abivard sent urgent orders to the men in charge of the bridges of boats across the river to withdraw those bridges to the western bank. He hoped that would help him but did not place sure trust in the success of the ploy: being skilled artificers, the Videssians might not need boats to cross the river.
But Maniakes, who had not gone out of his way to look for a fight the summer before, seemed more aggressive now, out not just to destroy any town in the land of the Thousand Cities but also to collide with the Makuraner army opposing him.
«I think the scouts are right—they do have more men than they did last year,» Turan said unhappily. «They wouldn't be pushing so hard if they didn't»
«Whereas we still have what we started last year with—minus casualties, whom I miss, and plus Tzikas' regiment of horse whom I wouldn't miss if they fell into the Void this minute,» Abivard said, Tzikas not being in earshot to overhear. «Now we get to find out whether that will be enough.»
«Oh, we can block the Videssians,» Turan said, «provided they don't get across to the far side of the river. If they do—»
«They complicate our lives,» Abivard finished for him. «Maniakes has been complicating my life for years, so I have no reason to think he'll stop now.» He paused thoughtfully. «Come to that, I've been complicating his life for a good many years now, too. But I intend to be the one who comes out on top in the end.» After another pause he went on. «The question is, does he intend to do any serious fighting this year, or is he just raiding to keep us off balance, the way he was last summer? I think he really wants to fight, but I can't be certain—not yet.»
«How will we know?» Turan asked.
«If he gets across the river somehow—and he may, because the Videssians have fine engineers—he's out to harass us like last year,» Abivard answered. «But if he comes straight at us, he thinks he can beat us with the new army he's put together, and it'll be up to us to show him he's wrong.»
Turan glanced at the long files of foot soldiers marching toward the Tib. They were lean, swarthy men, some in helmets, some in baggy cloth caps, a few with mail shirts, most wearing leather vests or quilted tunics to ward off weapons, almost all of them with wicker shields slung over their shoulders, armed with spears or swords or bows or, occasionally, slings. «He's not the only one who's put a new army together,» Abivard's lieutenant said quietly.
«Mm, that's so.» Abivard studied the soldiers, too. They seemed confident enough, and thinking you could hold off a foe was halfway to doing it. «They've come a long way this past year, haven't they?»
«Aye, lord, they have,» Turan said. He looked down at his hands before going on. «They've done well learning to work with cavalry, too.»
«Learning to work with Tzikas' cavalry, you mean,» Abivard said, and Turan, looking uncomfortable, nodded. Abivard sighed. «It's for the best. If they didn't know what to do, we'd be in a worse position than we are now. If only Tzikas weren't commanding that regiment of horse, I'd be happy.»
«He was—harmless enough this past winter,» Turan said, giving what praise he could.
«For which the God be praised,» Abivard said. «But he's wronged me badly, and he knows it, which might tempt him to betray me to the Videssians. On the other hand, he tried to kill Maniakes, so he wouldn't be welcomed back with open arms, not unless the Avtokrator of the Videssians is stupider than I know he is. How badly would Tzikas have to betray me, do you suppose, to put himself back into Maniakes' good graces?»
«It would have to be something spectacular,» Turan said. «I don't think betraying you would be coin enough to do the job, truth to tell. I think he'd have to betray Sharbaraz King of Kings himself, may his years be many and his realm increase, to buy Maniakes' favor once more.»
«How would Tzikas betray the King of Kings?» Abivard said, gesturing with his right hand to turn aside the evil omen. Then he held up that hand. «No, don't tell me if you know of a way. I don't want to think about it.» He stopped. «No, if you know of a way, you'd better say you do. If you can think of one, without a doubt Tzikas can, too.»
«I can't, the God be praised,» Turan said. «But that doesn't mean Tzikas can't.»
Abivard positioned his men along the Tib, a little north of one of the boat bridges drawn up on the far side of the river. If the Videssians did seek to cross to the other side, he hoped he could either get across himself in time to block them or at least pursue and harass them on the western side.
But Maniakes showed no intention of either crossing to the west bank or swinging east and using the superior speed with which his army could move to get around Abivard's force. His scouts came riding down to look over the position Abivard had established and then, after skirmishing once more with Tzikas' horsemen, went galloping back to give the Videssian Avtokrator the news.
Two days later the whole Videssian army came into sight just after the first light of day. With trumpets and drums urging them to ever greater speed, Abivard's troops formed their battle line. Abivard had Tzikas' horsemen on his right flank and split the infantry in which he had the most confidence in two, stationing half his best foot soldiers in the center and the other half closest to the Tib to anchor the line's left.
For some time the two armies stood watching each other from beyond bowshot Then, without Abivard's order, one of the warriors from Tzikas' regiment rode out into the space between them. He made his horse rear, then brandished his lance at the Videssians as he shouted something Abivard couldn't quite make out.
But he didn't need to understand the words to know what the warrior was saying. «He's challenging them to single combat!» Abivard exclaimed. «He must have watched that Vaspurakaner who challenged Romezan the winter before last.»
«If none of them dares come out or if this fellow wins, we gain,» Turan said. «But if he loses—»
