The Reformation Wars: Conflicts Rekindled

Chapter 22

The Monteraynians spent the next several minutes getting into position. Per Captain Sloan's further orders, the defending third company waited to ensconce themselves in the academy until the large second company had spread out across the field opposite the Innutukian hordes and blocked any view behind them. That way, the enemy would have no idea that a company had been stationed inside the innocuous academy.

Tom, Bella, and the other members of the strike force also stuck close to the main body of troops at the moment, near enough to the edge to break out, but close enough to appear like nothing more than an extension of the formation.

One of Sloan's officers had expressed concerns to him about enduring an Innutukian cavalry charge, with their armored mounts able to trample the Monteraynians with relative ease, but the captain had only smirked and said he had something in mind. Tom kept his keen eye out for what that might be.

He saw soon enough when a group of men near the front of the Monteraynian formation hurled several balls of spiked metal into the field. No matter which side of the implement landed face up, a long spur jutted out from between the blades of grass around it. Tom smirked when he realized what the spiked balls were for—disabling or at least slowing enemy horses.

At last, the Monteraynian battalion came to a stop, and their own horsemen lined up in the front, matching the Innutukian formation as well as they could. The majority of the foot soldiers behind the lines of horses began to set their melee weapons aside for the time being and took up longbows instead. Tom found himself optimistic about the outcome of the battle, given the forward thinking and versatility of his comrades.

Tom glanced back at Bella and gave her a reassuring smile. Then with a whistle, he set his strike force in motion. Galloping hooves thudded on the grassland between the two armies. Tom veered his course slightly leftward so as to avoid the field littered with hoof impalers, and also to bypass the Innutukian cavalrymen if possible.

Once the Monteraynian horsemen had crossed about half the distance, stones and a few arrows began to fly their way, but none of the projectiles in the first wave hit their targets. Tom stole several glances at the line of horsemen and looked for signs of reaction to their own charge, but he saw none. The cavalrymen remained focused on the front lines of the Monteraynian battalion and continued slowly trotting toward it.

Tom shrugged and pressed on. A few seconds more, and they rode alongside the men in the first few lines of the Innutukian formation. Immediately, a man with a spear tried stabbing Tom, but he simply edged over to avoid the point. Of course, that took him out of range, rendering him unable to strike at the other men as he passed, but a quick glance back revealed Bella and the others in the attack force were making the first Innutukian casualties of the battle.

Tom found himself rapidly approaching the point where Innutukian horsemen gave way to foot soldiers. He leaned over in the saddle and thrusted with his longsword, but he overestimated its length and missed. The club-wielding cavalryman gave him a dirty look, but Tom's momentum sped him past too fast for anything more to come of it.

My goodness, I'm out of practice.

He returned his attention to the path ahead, and seeing he'd passed the ranks of armored horses, he made a tight turn straight into the horde of Innutukian foot soldiers. Men threw themselves to the ground left and right, faces contorted in terror at the thundering approach of galloping horses ridden by men and women swinging swords and axes or thrusting with spears.

A horse whinnied right by Tom's ear, and he glanced over quickly to see that the mount one of his comrades rode had been hit by an arrow. The beast seemed overall unharmed, only hurt and bothered. Bella's horse also protested when forced to stomp down on an Innutukian's body in favor of not being hit by an incoming arrow. The blood splatter on her legs clearly disgusted the creature in some way.