The Borderlands The Memoirs Of Lord Tristan

Chapter III

Seberin showed us around. It turned out to be more than just a hole in the ground. In fact, it was more like a catacomb, an underground training camp and a place to marshal for battle all in one.
"How many men do you have?" asked Lord Tristan.
"About 8,000 in this camp, but in the next camp over there's another 8,000," he said.
Lord Tristan winced. "It's going to be tight."
"How tight?"
"Before I fought them they had a little over 20,000."
"And after?" prompted Seberin.
"Certainly no less than 19,000 counting those taken by the avalanches and rockfalls." Seberin frowned.
"That is tight, don't tell the men that, they'll panic."
"Don't forget, I was sent here to help make the battle plan," said Lord Tristan, seriously.
"And I intend you to," Seberin said, slapping him on the back.

The next few days the high ranking officers and Lord Tristan planned out battle strategies, what the best form of attack was, and how to lure the Raiders out of the safety of their mountains. The worst thing during this time was the heat. Never had I endured such weather, even when underground I still felt like I was being fried and suffocated at the same time. Eva was effected by it too, but Lord Tristan was not. He didn't sweat; he didn't drink gallons of water; all he did was occasionally stick his head outside to catch the wind, or maybe it was just because he wanted fresh air. And as for battle plans, it was late spring, so avalanches weren't an option.

"We have one advantage," I overheard Lord Tristan say one evening. "We are used to the heat, they aren't. And because of the way they fight they like to wear their winter furs and war paint."
Soon the plan was made, it was a desperate gamble, but so were most things Lord Tristan did. The plan of attack was simple, the plain where the pass emptied out of was full of underground catacombs, which were not connected to the catacombs we were currently in. These catacombs were created by one of Lord Tristan's great, great grandfathers. All one needed to do was fill the catacombs with water, and they would collapse on themselves making a mud plain, then the archers would pick them off one by one. The problem, you might say, is that there is no water. I thought the same thing, but actually there are numerous rivers flowing underground. Someone would just need to redirect them. In the long run it was good to have a local around.
The only problem with the plan was that no one knew how to lure the Raiders onto the plain. There was a simple, but dangerous solution which Seberin finally voiced.
"We could make half our army go up through the mountains causing the Raiders to come and fight, but before they're onto us we'll retreat drawing their forces to the plains," he said.
"Unfortunately, I think that is the only option we have," said Lord Tristan.
"Why is that unfortunate?" I chimed in, unable to stop myself.
"Because, of the terrain, many soldiers could fall to their deaths from sheer drops. Not to mention how long it would take to get to the Raiders and how exhausted our soldiers will be by the time they have to retreat. Plus there is always the possibility of an ambush."
I frowned. Why was planning a battle so hard?
After a couple days, Lord Tristan finally agreed to the plan. The preparations began. The canals were dug and the catacombs were weakened. The restless soldiers got excited once the plan became a reality. Most of the men were simply thrilled to be going into battle in a couple days time. I certainly wasn't excited, and neither was Eva, she kept fretting over Lord Tristan. She was acting like an over protective mother, and the worst thing about it was that she was doing it to Tristan, instead of me.