Three Must Decide.

Part 32 signals and flame

Chapter note. the first 3 chapters have introduced you to the Three. Each faction is controlled, to a degree, by a real life person so decisions have to be made.

Hidden consequences.

When something works well once it's likely to be used again.

Decisions..

Ehmet had to decide how to face mounted archers.

Terrill had to consider how to face such a massive force.

Read on to see what they have decided.

Terrill leaped from his horse, landed badly, Rolled away from the collapsing animal and limped a few paces before a Cadar guard rained in beside him, jumped bown from his mount and handed it's rains to their lord. Terrill mounted up with his good foot and cursed at the pain radiating from the other. It felt like a break but not a bad one. He had lead from the front as he always had and lost two horses and almost his life leading his archers agaist the wall of Ehmets foot soliders that had marched so steadily across the ground between the canal,  now drained of water and it's bottom filled in numerous places to make it passable by foot and horse.

Ehmet had advanced with a vast shield wall, archers behind , light cavalry to their flanks. Coming north and south round the hold. Terrill had watched them come, no need to rush forward and could see that the formation had been devised to cope with his mounted army. At first he had worried then one of the Cadar guards has commented that they would eventually have to change formation and when they did the lancers would open them up like a gutted pig. Terrill was not so convinced it would not have been possible to face this army lancers and archers against such a vast sheild wall with all its support but that had never been his plan.

 Ehmets army was massive thousands more than he had imagined could be gathered by the Crown. The Awoken Sun and then the alliance could not have been planned for but still he knew he could win. His victory at the battle of Peregrin Run had proved what he had always beleived, his mounted army, the first of its kind, was a nightmare to face and the long march of Ehmets army had given him time to plan.

Terrill had heard of his garrisons fire traps that had been put in place as part of Peregrin Runs defence while it was under siege from the Grand Duchess and fire is what he had planned for this field. 

Dispite the shortages he had not allowed the grass within the canal to be grazed and the advancing Drathan line now crushed it beneath their boots. Terrill only waited a short while, enough for it to come forward in to the field and towards his own waiting line. That was enough, he could not hold himself back and his captain's would not wait. They swarmed forward, the archers circling towards the Drathan line releasing arrows before riding away and circling back again. 4 circling wheels of horse archers releasing a torrent of viciously tipped arrows in the foot soilders of the Drathan line who came on behind Shields held high. But they were not alone, Ehmet had archers. Fewer but from behind the suffering footmen they could answer the terrifying wheels of galloping horse and riders.

Terrill could see the damage his army was doing, but also could see that against this new formation it was less effective and his army was also suffering. If this had been his plan he now knew that he would have run out of room and would have been forced to withdraw or be drawn in to a hammering slog that he would not win. but it was not his plan. He saw the footmen and archers were supported by light cavalry and after waiting longer than he wanted he gave the order. With him all his available horse archers set fire to their arrows and rained it down on the field as far as their flight would take them and with them came the lancers each with small clay pots filled with oil that were hurled them at their enemy. The survivors rode clear, including Terrill on his new horse and in moments the screams, like hell coming forth was released from the throats of the soilders in Ehmets army who were now burning and surrounded by fire. The trap was complete, its effect instant, Ehmets army had been stopped dead. Terrill could not imagine the suffering but he smiled with grim resolve.