might look like. We’ve been practicing this for the last ten days. Now you can see what we’ve been doing.”
Gatus walked back to the men, and moved into the center area between the facing ranks. “You men know the rules. Today you will be the Eagle army,” he pointed to the men on his left, “against the Hawk army.” With his rod, he gestured to the men on his right. “First side to push an opposing man across the rope is the victor. The losing side will buy ale for the winning side all night long.”
A murmur went through the men as they readied themselves. Eskkar noticed two ropes stretched out and pegged down at either end, about ten paces behind each side.
“And this time,” Gatus added, “I don’t want to see anyone on the losing side trying to join the winners.”
That brought forth a brief laugh up and down the lines.
Gathering his stool, Gatus moved out of the open area, but stayed just on the edge of the ranks. Two of his subcommanders took positions on one end of the spearmen, and two others shifted to the opposite end. Eskkar, as he moved to Gatus’s side, realized the subcommanders would judge the men’s performance.
“Spears ready!”
The men, all serious now, lifted the spears off the ground, keeping the bronze tip pointing upward.
“What side do you favor, Captain?”
Eskkar smiled as he studied the ranks. Both sides appeared similar in size and weight, so there was little to distinguish one group from the other. “I’ll take the Hawks.”
“Ha! The Hawks always lose to the Eagles,” Gatus said. “You’ll be buying my ale tonight.” He faced the two ranks. “Shields up. Spears forward!”
The spears moved into a horizontal position, held shoulder high and palm up, and facing the opposing side. The men in the second rank of each group moved forward as well, each man letting his spear jut out between the shoulders of the two men in front of him, the longer spears of the second rank reaching out as far as the front rank.
Two spear walls now bristled threateningly at each other across the open space. Even from where Eskkar stood, the line of bronze-tipped weapons looked formidable. Every shield was held at eye level.
“Slow march forward… march!” Gatus leaned toward Eskkar. “This is where it gets interesting. Hopefully, no one will get hurt this time.”
The ranks began to walk toward each other. Eskkar watched, fascinated. The men were going to gut each other. But as the opposing spear tips crossed, he saw the men angling their weapons up so that they would pass between the heads of the men facing them.
As soon as the spears extended out past the line of men, the ranks surged forward, taking the last step with a rush that brought the two ranks into jarring contact. Shield crashed against shield, the sound echoing around the barracks, and accompanied by the grunts and shouts of the men.
In an instant the lines were struggling against each other. The men’s feet kicked up dirt as they fought either to remain where they were or push forward. Eskkar saw a few men in the rear ranks slip to their knees, but they immediately regained their position. The men in the front rank couldn’t fall down, since they were held upright by the opponent as well as the man behind. The air filled with curses or cries of triumph. Spears shifted and waved in all directions, and Eskkar saw men struck on the side of the head by the thick shafts, whether by accident or on purpose, he couldn’t tell. For the first time, he noticed the many dents on the bronze helmets.
The lines wavered and buckled, as different parts of the ranks moved forward or back. The earth beneath their feet churned into a cloud of dust that hovered in the air. In moments, sweat covered every man’s brow, and red faces showed the effort the men were expending. The rearmost rank pressed their shields into the backs of the innermost rank, and used that as leverage to shove the leading man forward, leg muscles straining. Every man tried to use his spear as well, to knock aside the opponent’s shield or just to land a blow.
By now Eskkar could have extended his arms and enclosed all four ranks, so close together had they jammed themselves. The two leading ranks, shield pressed against shield, were crushed up against each other not only by their own force, but the pressure of the men behind them.
Slowly the Hawk line began to move backward. Men shouted to their companions to hold on, to not take that step backward. But some had no choice. The Hawk line still gripped their spears, using them to try and dislodge their opponent. Nevertheless, the Hawk line grew more jagged, as the Eagles pushed deeper and deeper into their ranks. By now every man gasped for breath.
A man went down near the center of the Hawk line, and that marked the beginning of the end. Sensing success, the Eagle army pushed harder and broke through the ranks, knocking opponents to the ground, and trampling on them. Spears entangled themselves, or were torn loose from their owner’s grip. The Eagle team’s shouts rose up as they rushed forward. The Hawk line collapsed, its men either driven back or knocked to the ground, trying to avoid being stepped on by the surging Eagles.
“ HALT!” Gatus’s voice carried over the spearmen, who crowded against each other gasping for breath. Some jumped up and down in victory, while the losers shook their heads in defeat.
“Reform ranks!”
Eskkar saw how well Gatus had trained them. Within moments, the men disentangled themselves, everyone helping the fallen regain their feet. They gathered up their spears and reformed the ranks, guided by additional orders from the subcommanders. A few of the men needed assistance to regain their positions, helped by those still strong enough to stand. Blood lay scattered across the once smooth ground between the two ranks. Eskkar guessed that a few spears in the belly would have drenched the earth with blood and entrails.
“Perhaps you should inspect the men, Captain… congratulate the winners.”
Gatus led the way back into the open space between the ranks. The blood smell now floated in the air. Several men had deep scratches or cuts, others bled from their mouths or noses. Two or three men looked seriously hurt, dazed and barely held upright by their companions. “Stand easy, men.”
Eskkar started with the Eagles, moving up and down the smiling line, talking to the men, congratulating them on their victory. He inspected the Hawk ranks next. Here he saw only a few smiles. More Hawks had been injured. Most of the faces were grim. They’d lost the struggle, suffered embarrassment in front of their king, and tonight would have to pay in the tavern for their defeat.
When he finished his inspection, Eskkar knew he would have to speak to them. This was one of those moments, as Trella explained to him, where he could bind men to his cause. He turned to Gatus. “May I command them?” The polite request was for the benefit of the men.
“Yes, Lord Eskkar,” Gatus replied.
“All of you, close up and face me.”
The odd command confused more than a few, but the sub-commanders stepped in. In moments, one hundred men were packed together facing him.
“How many of you have fought in battle?”
A few voices answered him, but not more than a handful.
“What you’ve just done will give you a good idea of what to expect on the battleground. The enemy will not yield easily. Your spears and swords will have to push him back, step by step, until his line breaks. You’ll need to be tougher and stronger than your enemy, because they will probably have the advantage in numbers.”
He let his eyes scan the men’s faces. By now they caught their breath, and he held the attention of every one of them.
“I’ve waged many battles, most on horseback, or using sword against sword. What you have just done here is different, and I don’t know how well I could have stood against you in battle. But I’m certain this is very much the way real fighting will be. You will be tired and hot. So will your enemy. You will probably be hungry and almost certainly thirsty. But so will your enemy. What will be different is that you will take the fight to them. They will see you ignoring your hunger and thirst, marching toward them, spears pointing at their faces, and they will be afraid. When you smash into their ranks, their fear will overwhelm them as you drive them into the ground. You will be covered in blood, but it will be their blood, not yours.”
He paused and a ragged cheer erupted. Eskkar let them go on for a few moments, then held up his hand for silence.
“And remember this, if you remember nothing else. The side that breaks first will be slaughtered, its broken line easy kills for the advancing enemy. You saw what happened when the Hawk line started to slip. No man can fight well moving backwards. And if your enemy turns and runs, his death is certain.”
Heads nodded in agreement, and he saw the gleam of self-confidence in their eyes.
