The Ghost Of Eslenda (Book 1) (26 page)

He looked long at the fallen city as a Turuck rider made its way through the ranks of Cane's men. The messenger from Tag Makk returned. A Turuck regular soldier, visibly nervous to be so close to the enemy alone, bowed to Cane.

"Tag Makk wishes to know your decision. Ride back with me now, or our soldiers will meet you in the field. You will not survive the battle." He stared boldly at Cane.

Richard Cane whispered to his father. Richard had more Islen in him than Cane, taking after his mother, Margaret. He did have a slight resemblance to his uncle Hal and stood taller than his father. Richard wielded the strong sword arm of the Islen line but he honored his father with his loyalty.

"We do not have the men to defeat them, even with Hal's soldiers. But I do not believe in safe conduct for you, father. The Turucks have killed all the leaders in Masina and Riverdowns."

"I agree with your assessment. Get to the rear of the column; we will need to ride north hard."

"What?"

"I don't believe they will allow us to leave so easily. It will be a running battle."

Richard nodded to his father and to the messenger and moved off.

Howard Cane stared at the messenger, and then looked again to the Turuck army surrounding Riverdowns. He exhaled and rested his hand on his sword hilt.

"I appreciate your leader's offer, but I do not think I shall take it."

The messenger swallowed, eyes darting, gauging the readiness of his opponents.

"Then I salute you as my Master requested should you answer so."

Suddenly, the Turuck leapt forward, thrusting with his dagger but Cane had been ready. His shield blocked the blow, several bows twanged, and the Turuck fell with four arrows in him.

"Ride north!" cried Howard Cane to his captains. Even as he mounted his horse, he saw the hordes of Turucks streaming toward him. They had anticipated his decision!

It would be a race to Far Greening!

Cane moved his cavalry near the back lines to protect the footmen running ahead. The Turucks did not press them except for a few skirmishes that the cavalry repelled. The foot soldiers kept their pace, eating as they marched to the brink of exhaustion. The Turucks did stay close enough that Cane's men could not rest for long. The Turucks seemed content to let Cane meet up with Hal and engage the battle at Far Greening.

Cane urged his men onward as he and the cavalry kept pressure on the advancing Turucks. He knew when the land widened after they passed the forests the land would no longer hold back the Turucks. The valley was wide with defendable positions at the north end but it was a long valley, too long for this race. He prayed Hal had followed them south if only a few miles.

The sun was rising, but Cane knew he could not let his men rest. The valley would be shadowed for hours yet and the Turucks would not stop advancing. He called his captains together to rotate the men so fresh soldiers brought up the rear where the Turucks would engage them in the darkness. It would slow his army down, but would allow the most to survive. If they fled without defending themselves, the Turucks would cut them all down. The night seemed endless as the soldiers trudged forward ceaselessly. Cane was impatient. The cavalry of the Turucks closed in, attacked the rear guard, and faded back into the night. He wanted to push his men faster, but the infantry was exhausted from the forced march. They could go no faster and they were the bulk of his army. He could not send the cavalry on ahead without suffering great losses from the Turuck attacks. He led two sorties to push the Turucks back and it worked for a while.

The left flank of the Turucks pushed forward drawing the horsemen to them. As Cane's horsemen reached the left flank, the right flank surged forward. They were caught in a V-shape and the Turucks tried to close it upon Cane, but his infantry turned and came back to engage the Turucks. Cane himself led the footman against the Turucks. The skirmish slowed Cane's retreat but it could not be helped. A scout rode hard to Cane. He had seen Hal's colors just beyond the western trees. Cane stared at the advancing Turucks, exhaled deeply and decided his men could not make it to Hal without help. The Turucks would reach Hal at the same time Cane did and the ensuing battle would be chaotic. With lesser numbers, the Eslendians had to rely on strategy. They did not have the brute force of the Turucks.

Cane rode on to rally his men forward but kept returning to the rear as the Turucks engaged his men. He was losing a war of attrition. The Turucks could afford to lose more men than he could and they swarmed forward, always another to replace a fallen soldier. Cane had no such luxury.

Cane urged his men to greater speed, but they couldn't disengage from the Turucks. From the eastern trees a rain of arrows fell upon the foremost Turucks, sending them into cover. The barrage continued and Cane wasted no time getting his men moving northward. When the arrows stopped the gap was a hundred yards and Cane hoped it was enough. He gazed over into the trees, wondering who had saved them. He saw the Turucks advancing again and shouted to his men. The race was on!

Charles Oswald signaled his green clad men to pull back deeper in the trees. The Turucks hadn't spotted them yet, although they suspected the direction from which the arrows came. The Turucks resumed their chase of Cane's men and did not send anyone to investigate. Charles suspected the Turucks calculated how many soldiers it took to fire the arrows and decided to deal with the small force later. Still, Charles felt that they accomplished something. He led the archers back to the camp.

"Your men did fine work," said Sir Norman. "Cane's men gained valuable distance." Sir Norman wore his double swords with a light shirt of mail and a steel cap. He did not stand out from the other soldiers. Charles, however, wore gold mail and a winged helm. His burnished shield reflected the sunlight like a mirror.

"The Turucks did not send anyone after us."

"It's not Tag Makk's way. He will crush his opponents as he sees fit. He will not be enticed into a battle on someone else's terms."

"Are you ready to ride, father?"

"Yes, I am. What have you decided?"

"We are too small a force to attack except in surprise. I would like to continue north around the battle when it starts and send Porter to Hal again, letting him know what we plan. I want to hang back until an opportunity appears."

"Good, I think you are right. May I suggest we go north toward Cane's lands? I think the Turucks will catch Cane long before he reaches his lands. Cane will still be in the valley then and I hope merged with Hal. Their combined forces would be able to slow the Turucks, but with the Menaloch driving them, the Turucks will never surrender. We will be position to aid Hal in battle from the northeast. I'm afraid if we stay too far back the Turucks might find us an inviting target and Hal would have to fight through the entire Turuck army to aid us. We shall stay small and unnoticed."

Charles signaled his men and the small company rode up the trail. They would follow the Oswald trails through the forest unseen by the Turucks. Charles kept a scout on the forest edge to watch the progress of the Turucks. Despite traveling in the forest they were able to move faster than the Turucks who battled with Cane's men as they moved forward. Soon Oswald's troop moved well past the fighting and saw Hal's soldiers moving south.

"Excellent," said Sir Norman. "Hal should give the Turucks pause. Was there a tower not far from here?"

"Yes, another twenty minutes we will be there. It's unmanned but mostly in good repair. Cane sends a squad to clean it out twice a year."

"Let's position ourselves there. We can see the battle and send out such help as we can provide. If the battle shifts we shall be able to plan accordingly."

"Father, you never spoke of your years in Anavar. Did you stay around the Koberi Desert?"

"Yes, mostly in Penarol. It was a large enough city and being a port news from Eslenda was easy to obtain."

"Why did you not send any messages to us? We thought Henry had you killed."

"Poor judgment. I thought I was so important that Henry would keep watching for me. It never occurred to me that he didn't care what I would do. He was so confident in his abilities that he feared no reprisals. I kept myself out of sight for the first years but as time passed so did my vigilance. The news of Edward and Hal's fighting came south and I had decided to return to set my grandson on the proper path, then Tag Makk attacked Penarol. I trained his soldiers to stay alive and for that training he allowed me to go my own way."

"How could you stand being near that box you spoke of? The whispering of the Menaloch, it sounds like a horror."

"It was a horror. It felt like itchy little ants crawling over your scalp and in your eyes and ears. Discipline. Discipline and training discipline to his soldiers was what I focused on. Otherwise I would have gone insane."

They rode for a while in silence. Charles stole glances at Sir Norman, wondering at the strength of his father, wondering why he inherited so little of that strength. His sister, Mary, exhibited strength of character Charles couldn't begin to emulate. If his father hadn't shown up at the castle gate Charles and his men wouldn't be out here. Charles would be hiding in the castle hoping the Turucks would ignore him if he ignored them. Sir Norman would never allow that.

They reached the tower and setup a temporary camp, one that could be struck in haste should the Turucks decide to overrun their position. Charles stood at the top of the tower watching the battlefield. Hal's soldiers had met Cane's and they moved to create a line to stop the Turuck advance.

"Well, Charles, what are the odds for this battle? The Turucks still have the larger force."

"Hal will rally them, whether by his sword or his heart."

"Yes, curious that. I begin to admire Hal as much as I despised his father. Do you admire him, Charles?"

"I have to; Mary was going to him for safety."

"Hal? Not you? I am disappointed in you Charles, but as long as she is safe, as safe as anyone can be. Do you think she's at Far Greening?"

Charles nodded. "Mary went to Hal because it was what the agreement was for helping her escape. Do not belittle me. Still, I'm glad you came back, father, I am not the man for this war."

"Hush Charles, don't let your men hear you. You will do what you must when war comes. Everyone feels fear but the ones who don't surrender to it will be the victors."

"Do you really think so?"

"Charles, I am living proof. Now we must ensure you become living proof too."

"As long as it doesn't kill me," he muttered.

"Oh, it might come to that. Keep your sword handy."

Charles glanced at his father to see how that comment was meant but Norman was not smiling.

They watched the battle and the Turucks pressed forward and sent squads around the edges of the lines, some disengaging and heading toward Far Greening.

"Darkness has fallen on Eslenda," sighed Sir Norman.

Outriders returned to Hal with the news of Cane's return with the Turucks at his heels. Hal could see the movement of the armies coming back up the valley. The Turucks flowed into the valley relentless as the tide. They seemed to cover all the land back to Riverdowns. Hal stared in amazement. He shook his head and got to work.

"Plucker! Stop the march! Pull back to the edge of the valley. Set up our men on the western side. Allow room for Cane to position himself on the east. Send a squad to engage the Turucks to allow Cane to reform his lines."

Horns rang out and the advance halted. Fire signals were sent to the captains and Hal's army began to shift to their assigned places.

Riders were sent to Howard Cane. It was some time before they found him leading the defenses of the trailing edge of his army. The Turucks pressed Cane's men then fell back, but many men died each attack. Cane's men were near the end of their endurance. He shouted when he saw Hal's men and rode to them for their messages. He passed on Hal's instructions to his captains. His soldiers fell back to the eastern side of the valley and reorganized themselves. A squad of Hal's soldiers held back the Turucks who did not press the battle. They pulled back and waited for all their troops to get into position. The Turucks widened their line to meet the combined army of Hal and Cane. They clanged their shields with their swords and shouted taunts at the Eslendians.

Howard Cane spoke to his captains and then rode toward Hal alone.

"He's brave, at least," said Plucker.

"He has no choice," said Hal. "He's with us or he is dead."

"The Turucks will kill us too."

"Cane's immediate worry is not the Turucks. John, give us some privacy when Cane arrives."

Plucker moved away and spoke to a soldier to watch Cane. Plucker waited until the soldier drew his sword, then the big man ambled over to get his wounds bandaged.

Hal watched Cane's face as he approached. Cane's colorful tunic was torn and dark. He barely lifted his feet off the ground and did not acknowledge his damaged sheath dragging in the dirt. The arrogance had vanished and dark circles clung to his eyes. They were the eyes of a man who has seen his own death. Blood covered much of his clothing and the handle of his sword. He supported some of his weight with the sword. Its blade was nicked and twisted. Cane stuck it point down in the grass and walked up to Hal. Cane looked around him, sizing up the situation, but kept his hands away from his dagger. Cane hesitated, and then dropped to his knee.

Hal looked at him. Plucker watched from a distance, shaking his head. Hal put his hand on Cane's shoulder.

"Arise, Sir Howard. Tell me the news of Riverdowns."

"The city has fallen and Edward is dead. The Turucks cut off all approaches to the city. We couldn't get word to the castle or from anyone inside. The Turucks asked for my surrender and I refused although they were so close I could see the faces of their soldiers. I never thought to be so brave. They chased us all the way to you."

"I see. There shall be a reckoning for Edward's supporters after the Turucks are dwelt with. Can you surrender to my judgment?"