Interregnum

before you know it.”

Sathina watched as Tythias gave a slight bow to his friends and peers and then turned from the table and strode away toward the stables. Three of the celebratory party, all ex-members of Tythias’ company, stood and adjusted their tunics before following their commander. Despite the Lion Riders having been split up into more useful roles, many of the cavalry officers originated from the that unit.

She sighed and swallowed hard, forcing the tears welling in her eyes to stay there.

“I wish he’d stop saying things like that. Tempting the fates is never good.”

Athas, two seats down the table, reached across where Tythias had been sitting and squeezed her wrist. “It’s alright, Sathina. Kiva here’s the only one the Gods have got it in for.”

It wasn’t exactly a joke, but it certainly turned their thoughts away from Tythias’ immediate danger.

Down at the stables, Tythias prepared his horse as his commanders donned their armour and weapons. The prefect’s plans had been well known by the cavalry since before they’d arrived in the valley and officers were already present in the makeshift stable, while their units were formed and waiting by the front line.

As he and the other commanders finally mounted up in the dusky light with a deep blue-grey sky showing through the cracks between the wooden walls, he smiled at them and hefted his sword.

“Let’s get out there. I want to be out ahead of our front line and see what we’ve got. Then I’ll know how best to hit them.”

There were murmurs of assent from the other officers and the six riders made their way out of the hastily constructed officer’s stable and past the corral that held most of the remaining steeds, down toward the front line at a steady walk. Five units of cavalry milled around close to one of the stockades guarding a crossing of the ditch, waiting for their commanders. Three were light, skirmishing cavalry of the style the Imperial army had traditionally used for harassing the flanks of the enemy, but the other two were equipped after the fashion of the more civilised of the eastern horse tribes; their horses were armoured with chain mail and the riders wore a suit of chain interspersed with steel plates that promised good protection but also extreme weight. They held spears and shields, with their swords attached to the horns of their saddles. All in all, they were the heaviest cavalry Tythias had ever seen fielded within the empire. He’d made the decision to train heavy horse units, but had passed the responsibility itself down to Peris, the best horseman of the Lion Riders, who even now was approaching them and eyeing them critically.

“You!” the officer called out. “Straighten up in that saddle and hold your shield like you might want to use if you daft bastard.”

Tythias smiled. “Officers to me!” he called loudly as he walked his horse across the ditch crossing. Behind him the five unit commanders followed him into the no man’s land, watching the distant lines of the enemy. Peris pulled alongside as they walked their horses and addressed his commander in a low voice.

“You do realise, sir, that you can just tell us where to go and what to do. You don’t actually need to come along. You’re a senior commander and we’re not daft.”

Tythias raised an eyebrow and Peris sighed.

“You’ve a wife back there, sir and you’ve been married less than two hours. Don’t you think you should be with her?”

The prefect smiled. “I will be shortly, but I’m not passing up the opportunity to find out what we’re up against.” He squinted into the distance. “I see they’re still not properly set up. We know what their army comprised a few days ago, but they may have picked up others now. They’ve passed the lands of several of his allies now. I want to have a look at the rear ranks that are still arriving.”

With a smile, he turned to Peris. “Here’s a chance to test the mettle of the heavy cavalry. Peris and Crucio, take your two units to the right hand side of the valley. I want you to make your way right to the slope at the other side and then make a charge against the end of their line. Hit ‘em really hard. I want you to frighten the shit out of them and draw all attention there. Once you’ve finished your charge, rally and pull back across the field. As soon as you’re a good distance away, turn and do it again. You know what to you’re doing.”

Peris nodded. “I doubt we’ll get three charges in before they’re prepared and the shock’ll have gone.”

“That’s fine,” Tythias nodded. “Try for three if you can. Just keep them busy and give them something to think about. Meantime, the rest of us are heading up over this hill on the left hand side and we’re going to go round and hit them from the back. I want to see the support that’s coming up now and harass them a little.”

Peris squared his shoulders and peered across to the enemy’s left flank. I’ll give it ten minutes once we’re over there before we charge. We don’t want to go too early or our attack’ll be over before you even reach position.”

The prefect nodded and, turning his horse, led the light cavalry along the line behind the front ranks of men, heading for a farm house low on the slopes of the valley side where they could enter an orchard and cross the brow of the hill relatively unobtrusively. Peris watched him go and then nodded to his fellow officer.

“Well, Crucio. Time we went too, eh?.”

Tythias frowned. From their vantage point on the lowest slope of the hill among sparse fruit trees, he could see everything that was happening at the rear of the enemy force. Something was wrong here. They must have already fielded half as many men again as Darius’ army, and yet there were still long columns of troops coming in. More than that, there were huge wagons bearing catapults and bolt throwers being escorted by strange unidentifiable low-grade infantry. Where had all these extra men and machines come from?

He grunted and strained to see back across the field. The heavy cavalry were in position and waiting. Any minute now they’d charge and Tythias would be able to move his skirmishers down past the other flank without drawing all their men back from the front. He turned his gaze back to the columns coming up from the west and that was when the banner finally appeared among riders behind the siege machines. The column seemed to be a full army in itself, with a cavalry unit at the front, already past their position and taking their place among Velutio’s lines. Behind them an infantry unit in black were getting into position, followed by the cart bearing their massive weapons, surrounded by light infantry. Behind them in turn came units of musicians and standard bearers light with burning torches or lanterns on short poles. And there, behind the musicians came the black banners bearing a Golden crown and two rearing horses flying over a covered black wagon draped with gold and black curtains. The banner of a Pelasian lord, the Satrap of Siszthad. He must be the usurper that had taken Prince Ashar’s family’s heads. And now the bastard was marching with Velutio. Surrounding the wagon were a number of over-dressed but under protected glittery guards. More courtiers followed the wagon in their own palanquins and chairs, beyond which the Pelasian infantry swarmed.

Tythias glanced back over his shoulder and spotted the two heavy cavalry units of Crucio and Peris hurtling across the field toward Velutio’s army. This was it; time to go.

“Ok.” He called out to his men. “We’ve got one small chance to do something really useful here, boys. Some of those units are carrying torches and lanterns against the dark. We need to take them out and use those torches on the war machines. I don’t care how you do it, but burn as many of those bastards to the ground as you can. They won’t have enough water with them while they march to put them out. Stay in groups and don’t get too split up. We’re going to be short on time here.”

He turned again to face the siege engines. “Go, lads, go!”

The skirmishing units charged wildly, disregarding any ideal of formation other than staying in small groups, through the loosely planted orchard and down onto the flat turf. Shouts of alarm went up from some of the footmen who were now clearly of Pelasian origin. The bastard Satrap had brought the war machines with him. The loose formation of footmen tried to pull themselves into an ordered line, but they had not been expecting an attack from the rear and were truly unprepared for the ferocity of Tythias’ cavalry. Spears lunged and stabbed as three hundred horsemen rushed a thin line of defenders. After a couple of thrusts with their spears, swords were drawn and the cavalry went to work on the simple butchery of their disorganised enemy. Tythias wheeled his horse in the midst of the chaos.

“Stop fucking around and get those torches!”

As his men made for the flickering lights, Tythias looked around. The only units within the column bearing torches were musicians, flag and standard bearers and senior men in gaudy golden silk costumes. That made their targets easier to identify. The prefect grinned and watched five of his men dispatch the last defenders in front of a huge catapult. He waved to one. “Get this thing burned. You four… come with me.”

Turning, now flanked by four of his men, Tythias rode along the column, past a small unit of drummers who were being brutalised for the sake of the lanterns their unit carried, and toward the flags he’d seen. From this