Interregnum Read online

  Tythias entered behind Sathina as the young lady made her way across to the seats.

  “Sorry about the lateness, Sarios.” He grinned mischievously. “Did you know you wear virtually the same thing in bed as you wear in public?”

  The smile fell from his face as Sathina elbowed him sharply in the ribs and the two took the seats.

  “There’s a jug of water on the table and some apple juice on the cabinet at the back. If you would like to rummage inside, you may even find some plum brandy I brought from Isera.”

  Again that smile crossed Tythias’ face until he caught sight of the expression on the girl’s face. ”Erm… water will be fine. Thank you minister.”

  Sarios nodded and stretched out his legs. “Let me guess. You would like to be married and you’re both so excited that you couldn’t wait until the morning to talk to me. Am I correct?”

  Sathina nodded as Tythias smiled and said “am I that transparent?”

  “I’m afraid the two of you are no secret,” the minister replied with a gentle smile. “I’ve been wondering for some time when you would decide this.”

  “So you’ll do it?” Sathina smiled.

  “Yes and no,” the minister replied seriously. Ignoring the sudden looks of distress on the visitors’ faces, Sarios sighed. “I’d be pleased and honoured to marry you two, but your timing is wrong, I’m afraid. I have no doubt that you’re very committed to one another, but tomorrow or the next day the prefect here goes into battle and could very well die. I’m sorry to put such dark thoughts into your minds at this point, but you need to be aware of that.”

  Tythias nodded. “It’s true and we’re both well aware of that, but it doesn’t change our minds.” Next to him Sathina nodded purposefully.

  “I expect not,” replied the minister. “But I will not marry you on principal until after the battle is over. Once there is no danger, I would be pleased to do it, but I will not make a wife for a day when she could be a widow the next. It is not right.”

  Tythias rumbled as he leaned forward.

  “That’s a very reasonable and noble thing, Sarios, but unfortunately not enough. There are a dozen or more people spread among the units of this camp that could legally marry us, but we don’t want them to. We want you to.”

  Sarios was opening his mouth to reply, shaking his head, as Sathina leaned forward.

  “It has to be now, minister. I was hoping to break this in better circumstances, but I’m carrying Tythias’ child and I won’t let it be born without a legal father.”

  Sarios stopped before he began and looked from Sathina to Tythias, who was staring at her, his mouth open and eyes wide. The minister smiled.

  “I think that perhaps that puts an entirely different light on the matter. I do think you ought to have told the father before the priest, though.” He gave a light chuckle as he watched Tythias’ jaw flapping aimlessly. “I think we’ll arrange for something tomorrow afternoon if that fits in with your plans. I would suggest something tasteful and quiet with only a few friends rather than the entire army watching if I were you.”

  Tythias tore his eyes away from Sathina and stared instead at the minister.

  “She…” his voice tailed off as he returned his gaze to the woman by his side.

  Sathina patted him on the arm. “I wasn’t going to tell you until after the battle. Didn’t want you to have something like that on your mind when you need to be concentrating on the job. Still, now I suppose you’ll have all the more reason to make sure you come back alive.”

  Tythias continued to stare and the minister cleared his throat, standing slowly.

  “This is obviously going to take you some time, my dear. I might as well stretch my legs for a few minutes now that I’m up. If you get sense out of him, just leave my tent unfastened and I’ll be back in a while.”

  Smiling at them, he reached down to the cabinet and, moving a couple of containers out of the way, retrieved a bottle of his plum brandy. He poured a large measure into two exquisite glasses and placed them on the table before turning and walking out of his tent, carrying the rest of the bottle. He smiled beatifically. Even in the midst of tension and horror, hope and life had a way of springing up and reminding you that they were there. It had been pleasing to note that nothing, from the death of comrades or the prospect of earth-shattering war to the loss of an arm even fazed the prefect, but Sathina could floor him with only a few words.

  His smile broadened as he walked slowly toward Sithis’ tent further along the valley. The swordsman would still be up and would surely welcome plum brandy and a little conversation.

  Chapter XXXIV.

  There were cheers and congratulations of course. Tythias and Sathina made an interesting couple to watch. She wore a beautiful azure blue dress, augmented with gold embroidery and jewellery and he wore his full uniform, weapons and all. Kiva laughed outrageously as the minister came to wrap the cloth and intertwine the couple’s arms only to find that they were an arm short and had to turn the prefect to face away from her so that they could be bound together in the traditional fashion. Darius gave his imperial blessing in a curiously embarrassed fashion, and Mercurias wished them a future of good health. All in all it was a short wedding in close company and full of good humour and there was a celebration planned immediately afterwards outside the command tent. In fact, Kiva and Darius had already informed the senior officers of each unit in the valley and amphorae of wine had been delivered to each quartermaster with orders for one drink only to be distributed to every man in the army.

  Tythias and Sathina made their way arm in arm out of the tent and into the open of the Tosco valley, where the army of the Emperor Darius spread out from one spur of land to the other and half a mile deep. They had arrived four hours ago and the camp was already well fortified, ditches lined with sharpened stakes and small areas of strategically-placed palisades. Kiva had heaved a heavy sigh of relief once they had arrived and could manoeuvre into position on the high ground, having beaten Velutio to the site.

  Soldiers cheered as the happy couple made their way a hundred yards or so to where a large open air table and benches had been set up. Wine and spirits stood in jugs on the table along with the very best supplies the quartermaster chief could come up with, especially since Athas had stood at his shoulder making grumbling sounds all through his planning. Behind the two of them came Sarios and then the Emperor with the rest of the staff and the members of the Wolves.

  The party was approaching the table when a young soldier, out of breath, ran directly into the path of the bride and groom and stopped, rocking slightly and looking tremendously embarrassed.

  “Sorry to interrupt, sir. My captain sent me to warn you that Velutio’s army has just been sighted at the bottom of the valley. They’ll be here in about an hour, sir.”

  He glanced at the bride and blushed.

  “Real sorry sir and congratulations from all the Fifth!”

  Tythias smiled at the soldier. “Go back and get your wine soldier, or you’ll miss it. Velutio won’t do anything today. By the time they line up the light’ll be starting to fail, so he won’t make a move until morning.”

  The soldier saluted, still glowing furiously, and turned to head back to his unit. Tythias smiled weakly at his new wife. “You realise we’re going to have to break our wedding celebration in the middle.”

  Sathina nodded. Her smile was riveted to her face as though she were afraid it might fall away. “I knew you were a soldier, Tythias; if I’d wanted safe, I’d have married a grocer. Just be careful.”

  Tythias nodded as Kiva approached them. The general gave a sad little smile. “We can spare an hour for the meal before we do anything.” He winked at the girl. “And he won’t be needed overnight, you know…”

  Sathina smiled. “I know, but I’m entitled to worry, general.”

  “Of course you are, but there’s nothing on earth’s been made by man can get rid of your husband. He’s been wounded by every type of we
apon I could name and probably most of the animals and he’s still here.”

  For a moment Sathina’s smile faltered and then she looked back up at the general. “He’ll be fine. Now let’s celebrate.”

  “Indeed.” Sarios walked past them and intoned a prayer to various gods before they began. The staff waited patiently for a few minutes until he fell silent and then made their way to the various seats around the heavy wooden table.

  The meal began with toasts and jokes and then bread was broken and wine drunk as every man and the few women at the celebration tried their hardest to have a good time, despite the foreboding feeling triggered by the nearby sounds of an army making ready for brutal war.

  It was perhaps an hour from sunset when Tythias finally stood and turned his glass upside down. “No more for me now until I return. I don’t think infantry support is necessary, general. This is just a teaser, so I’ll take the cavalry.”

  He leaned down and kissed his wife for a long moment before standing straight once more. “I’ll be back 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 P
elasian 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.”