clubs and chains also. The Dzorag were the eyes and ears of the Northern Army and as such they were valued by their counterparts, but they could be difficult and volatile soldiers to command.
Strymos looked at Vantrax when he’d finished speaking. The evil King displayed no emotion at all. “And? What of numbers of horsemen? How many archers do we have?” he asked sternly.
“Srrr… Yes, yes, I was getting to that.” Strymos replied. “We have around fifteen hundred archers in the entire force, although how many are in camp at present I do not know. I would estimate that in total we have just short of four thousand horsemen. The rest of the army are on foot. The Sebantan women all chose to follow Melissa to Mynae, a great shame that, it greatly upset the others.” said Strymos, nervously attempting to inject a little humour into the conversation. It fell on deaf ears.
“Rarr… Not a good state of affairs!” snarled an unimpressed Sawdon.
“It is enough!” Vantrax barked. “Remember Sawdon, we fight a far smaller army than our own. An army of old men and women. A tired and defeated army that has grown used to running away. The warriors we have are sufficient for the task. We are now on the verge of an historic victory, Sawdon. Two small boys and a slave cannot change that.”
Strymos cast a quick glance at Sawdon. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments before they quickly looked back at the King. It was clear that the two veteran soldiers were thinking the same thing; that overconfidence was dangerous in their profession. They had both learned through bitter experience never to underestimate an enemy. Sawdon thought about their situation briefly. Vantrax, despite his obvious contempt for the Rebel Army’s abilities and his own relative command inexperience, had in fact raised some valid points. Artrex' small band of volunteers were depleted in numbers, they were ageing and demoralised, and had known nothing but defeat for some time. They were no match for the huge, professional army of the North. In any event, the decision to attack had already been made. The army was making ready for the long march to Erriard forest and Sawdon would soon be going to war once again with his beloved Thargws.
The time for talking was over. There was no point now debating the issue or dwelling on facts. Tomorrow, if all went well, they would fight a battle that had long been anticipated as the inevitable climax to the Rhuaddan Wars. The seemingly never ending conflict would finally be concluded once and for all!
Chapter 20
Early hours of 15th August – En route to Heron Getracht Fortress
Jake, Zephany and Verastus received Knesh’ orders for the raid on Heron Getracht fortress and left the rebel camp as soon as they were able. Princess Zephany selected nine of her best horsesoldiers to accompany them on the mission. The tenth warrior was a Nadjan noble called Lord Castrad. He had volunteered the moment he’d learned of the plan, word having spread through the rebel camp rapidly as soon as Zephany was observed readying her horse and selecting her soldiers. Castrad was only one of many who had volunteered. Almost all of the Nadjan soldiers in King Artrex’ army had besieged Knesh and Zephany seeking permission to go on the raid, pleading for the opportunity to try to rescue their Queen and many of their people. All such requests had been steadfastly refused, except for that of Lord Castrad. It was a commander’s prerogative in the Rebel Army to choose their own soldiers when faced with such a daunting mission. Princess Zephany had decided that she wanted only those warriors with her that she knew she could trust and rely on, reasoning that she was already taking along two unknown quantities in Jake and Verastus.
Lord Castrad was a Nadjan knight of noble birth and a favourite cousin of Queen Bressial. He had spent much of his childhood playing alongside the young Princess, the two of them forging a lifelong friendship that had compelled him to vehemently insist upon being part of the raiding force, to the point where he’d refused outright to take ‘no’ for an answer. Luckily for him, both Knesh and Zephany had relented and granted his request without taking offence at his forceful representations. He was greatly aided in his endeavour by his excellent reputation, having fought with the rebels for many years and proved himself in battle on many occasions.