Mage-Guard of Hamor

LXIV

The sun had barely cleared the woods to the east of Third Company on fourday when Rahl dismounted and handed the gelding's reins to Shanyr, the younger outrider. Rahl stepped back and eased the screeing glass and its wrappings from the saddlebag, then walked to the side of the lane that was little more than a trail, where he uncovered the glass. He took a deep breath and concentrated, trying to seek an image showing both the rebel battalions and Third Company.

The glass showed the green-blue sky, then the swirling mists. Slowly, the mists cleared and revealed an image-one that might have been seen by a hawk. In the northeastern corner was a double file of horses, little more than black dots. A trail meandered along the top of the image on the north side of several low rises. South of the first line of rises was a narrow stream, and south of the second set of rises was a wider road. Farther west on the road were much longer sets of files of horses, with some wagons-rebels, Rahl judged from the few maroon jackets he could make out. South and east of the larger force was… something… except it was blurred. The image just looked like fields and woodlots… but there was more there, if unseen by the eye. Rahl realized that what he could vaguely sense but not see had to be Commander Shuchyl's battalions-and that Taryl was providing mage-like concealment. Those battalions had to have preceded Third Company by at least a day, which meant that Taryl had left later and ridden hard to join them. Was there another mage-guard who could have done that?

Rahl certainly didn't know of any, and he hadn't sensed any that powerful. Still…

He shook his head and released the image before he got light-headed. After rewrapping the glass and replacing it in his saddlebags, he remounted, then reminded himself to eat several of the travel biscuits he had purchased at the small chandlery in Secryta. He'd also added hard cheese and some dried fruit. As he ate, he rode back to the head of the main body and Drakeyt.

"We're about two kays from the attack point. The rebels are around four. If you'll gather the squad leaders, I can sketch out where everyone is and where we have to go."

Drakeyt nodded slowly, then said dryly, "That would be helpful, Majer." He raised an arm. "Company halt! Squad leaders forward. Pass it back!"

Once the five squad leaders were assembled, Rahl sketched out the positions in the dirt at the edge of the trail/road so that Drakeyt and the squad leaders could see them. "Here we are, and here are the rebels, heading toward Bhucyra. South of where they'll be shortly are our main forces, but they're concealed. They won't attack until we do." Unless something goes wrong. "We're about two kays from this rise, where we can wait until they get closer. We'll need to wait to attack until the rebels reach here."

"So that the commander can move his forces out of concealment and attack their rear and flank?" Drakeyt's words were barely a question.

"I'd judge so. The rise south of the road is so low that they couldn't draw up there, and that means they're almost a kay from the road. The terrain is open, but…" Rahl shrugged.

"We'll have to hit fast and sting hard." Drakeyt looked from one squad leader to the next, starting with Dhosyn and ending with Lyrn. "At first, and as long as we can, we'll attack by squads, one at a time. The remainder of the company will remain behind the rise, columns abreast in five-front facing the road. At some point, they'll break ranks or attack with a company or more. That's when the squad under attack will immediately circle back to the rise, and the company will form up on top of the rise. Then we'll attack from the rise and ride southeast, across the road like scalded demons, in advance of their companies. If they advance in force, with an entire battalion, we'll clear the area and let them."

Drakeyt stopped and looked from squad leader to squad leader once again. "Our task is to get them to concentrate on us without taking any heavier casualties than necessary, so that Commander Shuchyl can hit their flank and rear. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ser."

"Good. Back to your squads."

After the squad leaders had left, Rahl edged the gelding closer to Drakeyt. "What squad will lead with the first attack?"

"First squad. Dhosyn has a good record at that."

"Where should officers fit into such attacks?"

Drakeyt smiled, wryly. "Only as necessary, according to the tactics manual."

Rahl thought he understood. "Emergencies and unanticipated events?"

"Something like that."

"Then I'll stand by with you for the first unanticipated event."

"I thought you might. I hope there aren't any, but there will be. There always are."

That was true in everything, Rahl had already discovered.

While he waited behind the rise beside Drakeyt, under a sun that seemed far too warm for winter, Rahl munched on another few travel biscuits. Between eating more and being more judicious in his use of order-skills, he hoped he wouldn't end up an easy target. He also hoped he'd be able to hold his personal shields more and longer-at least when he was in direct combat.

Before long, Rahl and Drakeyt could barely see the rebel companies, through the grass at the top of the rise. Rahl could sense that they were riding three abreast on the road and somewhat squeezed together. He could also see the dust above the rise, but farther back in the column, as if the first riders had broken up the dirt, and the hoofs of later mounts had powdered it so that the light breeze carried it into the air. Behind him and to his left were the five squads of Third Company, formed up across the back side of the rise with five-man fronts, so that, if necessary, all five squads could charge and strike the enemy at one. Or they could wheel east and move as a four-front column away from the rebels.

"They're a tight three-abreast," Rahl said quietly. "They're about a quarter kay west of us."

"First squad, stand by." Drakeyt turned to Rahl. "Let me know when they're only two hundred cubits west."

Rahl continued to use his order-senses, gauging and judging, until he turned to the captain. "Two hundred."

"First squad! Charge!" Drakeyt's voice was just loud enough to reach first squad and Dhosyn.

Following Drakeyt's example, Rahl eased the gelding farther up the rise so that he could see all of the attack. He hadn't sensed any archers or crossbowmen, but that didn't mean there weren't some.

First squad was halfway down the rise toward the vanguard of the rebels-basically a company of troopers-before there was any sign of reaction. Then sabres appeared. After a moment, a squad charged off the road and into the flat toward first squad. Dhosyn had anticipated that, because first squad split. Then each half squad turned inward and struck the sides of the rebel squad. As ordered by Drakeyt, the troopers did not prolong the attack but wheeled away.

Rahl could sense wounds, but all of first squad remained in the saddle, while several rebels had been unhorsed.

"Second squad! Forward!"

The rebel squad had broken off pursuit when first squad had apparently fled, and the rebel troopers had slowed and were trying to re-form when they caught sight of second squad racing downhill toward them. The rebel squad leader hesitated, then ordered his men to charge second squad. The command came so late that second squad's sabres struck with the impact of higher speed and certainty.

But even as second squad was withdrawing, the rebel company commander ordered the entire company onto the flat and uphill after second squad.

"Third Company!" ordered Drakeyt. "Charge through the rebels! Reform to the south! Charge!"

Rahl managed to keep fairly close to Drakeyt for a bit, but only until he was halfway down the rise, when he had to concentrate on getting his truncheon out of the scabbard. Some actions just weren't habit yet.

As he neared the rebels, he could see three of them converging on him. Since he was still in good order-control, he just kept riding, then expanded his order shield for a moment just before the blades flashed toward him. Two of the three troopers-and their mounts-went down, but the effort shattered Rahl's control of his shields, and he had to use the truncheon on the next trooper.

"Third Company! To the south!" Drakeyt's orders rose over the melee.

Rahl managed to block another thrust and slam the truncheon into the chest of a rebel, then guide the gelding around another man, while using a backcut to stagger the other.

Then he was riding amid third squad, across the road and onto the flat. Because he could sense other riders-the Imperial forces were attacking the middle and rear of the rebel column-he glanced back over his shoulder.

While several rebels had pursued Third Company, they had broken off the chase, possibly because the rebel column was turning to face Commander Shuchyl's troopers.

"Third Company! Re-form by squad!"

Rahl turned his mount, then saw an Imperial undercaptain riding hard toward Drakeyt. Wanting to know what the orders might be, Rahl changed directions in order to reach Drakeyt as well. He reined up short of the two officers just as the undercaptain began to speak.

"Captain! The commander requests that your company take the right flank and attack their van to keep them from escaping!"

Drakeyt nodded, then stood in the stirrups. "Third Company! To the rear, ride and re-form! On me!"

As the company re-formed, Rahl rode more to the east, where he took a position at the front between fourth and fifth squads. He checked his truncheon, then concentrated on riding, still not an ingrained habit, as he and the squads flanking him moved forward to reengage the rebel vanguard company.

By the time they left the downslope and rode across the flat on the south side of the road, the rebels had re-formed and begun to charge toward Third Company. The two lines converged and… all order and sense of place vanished. Dust was everywhere, and Rahl was fighting as much through what he felt as what he saw. He just kept the truncheon in constant motion and tried to keep his personal shields close to him and as tight as possible.

A huge trooper with an ax rode toward Rahl. Rahl did his best to angle his shields, then duck and strike the attacker on the back of his upper arm with all the force he could manage at that moment. The ax went flying into the dust, as did the trooper, and Rahl wheeled his mount, barely staying in the saddle, but managing to deflect a slash by yet another trooper, before countering and cracking bones.

Still yet another rebel appeared out of the dust, thrusting a long blade at Rahl, who knocked it aside, then backcut into the man's face. The crunch and the feeling of death sent a flash of nausea through Rahl.

He urged the gelding forward and slammed aside a sabre thrust intended for Lyrn's back, then kept moving to take down another rebel from behind. Again, he could sense death, and the feeling of nausea it engendered. Rahl's entire upper body ached, and he had swallowed bile and held back nausea more with each moment of combat, before he finally found himself at the side of the road reined up beside several other troopers from fifth squad. All he could see nearby were Imperial troopers, already beginning to re-form into their squads and companies, although he could make out several riders scattering away from the battle, presumably rebels fleeing.

"Third Company! Check for your wounded! Then re-form!"

Once the wounded had been carried to the wagons captured from the rebels, and Third Company had formed up, Rahl could see that, again, they had suffered losses, but only a handful compared to those incurred in the swamp battle.

"We won't keep doing this," Drakeyt said from his mount beside Rahl.

"Winning?" asked Rahl.

"Surprising them so badly. They counted on Marshal Byrna's tactics, not the overcommander's. They'll become far more cautious and force us to do the attacking."

"And make the mistakes?" suggested Rahl. "What if the overcommander doesn't make any?"

"All commanders do; some just make fewer than their opponents, and some opponents don't see the mistakes."

"Majer! Captain!" The call came from an undercaptain riding toward Third Company.

Rahl and Drakeyt turned and waited for the undercaptain to rein up.

"Commander Shuchyl sends his appreciation, Captain." The undercaptain turned to Rahl. "The overcommander would like a word with you, Majer. If you would follow me."

Drakeyt looked to Rahl, quizzically.

"He had to have been here. I'll explain later."

Rahl turned the gelding, letting him walk at his own pace, slowly westward on the once-grassy flat south of the road. He tried to gain a sense of what had happened, but all he could determine was that hundreds, if not thousands, of rebels had died, as had a lesser number, possibly a far lesser number, of Imperial troopers.

Taryl was talking with a commander, presumably Shuchyl. Upon seeing Rahl approach, he nodded to the commander, then turned his mount and rode over to meet Rahl, reining up less than three cubits away.

"Ser," offered Rahl politely.

"You look somewhat less the worse for wear than after the last battle," offered Taryl.

"Thank you, ser." Rahl felt he was learning, nauseated as he had felt for a time. "Your concealment was most effective."

The overcommander nodded, slightly. "It was useful… this time, but they will be looking for it in future battles."

"They might be, ser… if anyone who understood what happened escaped to explain it."

"We can't count on that, Majer. Always assume your strategies are seen and understood."

Rahl had the feeling that Taryl was talking about far more than battles. "Yes, ser."

"I will see you later. Third Company is to ride with Commander Shuchyl's forces to the main encampment for First and Second Army in Bhucyra. Golyat's forces have decided to battle for Nubyat farther south, around Selyma." Taryl nodded dismissal. "It is likely that they will force us to attack, or to make the first move."

"Yes, ser."

As he rode back toward Third Company, Rahl had to wonder why Taryl had wanted to see him at all.