Lerris break the camp at first light, but he made sure that everyone had been fed. Up ahead, he could Commandant Raiza troops already marching with outriders taking point. Lieutenant Charna, his intelligence officer had already sent out half of her outriders to scout ahead.
He began positioning his three infantry companies in a line formation, while he put himself behind the infantry companies along with his communication and intelligence section, while his field mess, field hospital, and quartermaster section along with the supply wagon move up behind them protected by the fourth infantry company, while the dragoons screen their advance.
As usual, his own guards led by his sister lined up behind him in their horses, while Lady Ioanna and Anise rode beside him, with Lady Ioanna own guards forming up behind her.
When Lerris gave the command to move out, the three companies in front of them move in unison, with their rifles at the ready.
For most of the morning they march through the open field in silence, and encountered no one except for a couple of merchant caravans and several farmers bringing out their produce to the nearby town, hamlet, or villages. Reports coming from the outriders suggest that the path towards the border was clear and that Commandant Raiza force had not encountered any enemy.
By midday, Lerris ordered the battalion to rest, as the field mess rushes towards and began handing out their meal, by companies, as Lerris did not want to get caught out in the open without a single company on the front lines ready for any fight. After a while, the dragoons returned and reported a skirmish, with a small number of horsemen to the south, their commander, Captain Perun, a lanky Royal Guardsman, whom he promoted to the position, reported that the enemy fled as soon as they encountered them. Lieutenant Charna's outriders also reported the presence of enemy cavalry further down to the southeast and seems to be shadowing Commandant's Raiza forces at a distance.
Lerris immediately sent a courier to Commandant Raiza, informing her that a cavalry force was shadowing her forces.
After all of his troops was fed, Lerris began the march again, and Lieutenant Charna ordered half of her outriders out. Captain Perun was about to sortie out when Lerris stop him and ordered the dragoon to march with the battalion.
Two hours into the march, all of the outriders that Lieutenant Charna had sent out came back on a rush, and Lerris felt something was off especially after the courier that he had sent never returned. Upon seeing the outriders, Lerris immediately ordered the fourth company to form with the rest of the infantry company in line formation, while moving the guards' platoon to rear guard.
"Enemy cavalry, sire! Coming straight at us!" Lieutenant Charna's outrider reported as soon as the man reaches them.
"How many?" Lerris asked.
"Riders!" Several company commanders yelled as riders suddenly appear on the horizon and rushing straight at them, but the battalion never stop their advance.
"Captain Perun!" Lerris calls out, and immediate the captain of the dragoons rides up.
"Sally your men forth, if you see Commandant Raiza in those lot, escort her out of there, if not, kill as many as you can and return here at once!" Lerris commanded.
"Yes sire," the man said with a salute before he joined his men, "Black riders, Sally forth!" The man roared as he slides out his carbine from his saddle holster and led his men on a charge.
Lerris winced when he heard what the captain had shouted, but there was nothing he could do so he simply ignored it as soldiers do put a lot of stock in names. With that, he gave the order to halt and had the company commanders prepare their men into battle formation.
YOU ARE READING
A New Life in a Parallel World
FantasyA man in his late forties suddenly found himself in a body of a young boy, in a parallel world. To survive he has to adapt to his new surroundings. (This is my first novel, fantasy genre, which I wrote out for fun)
