No sooner had Count Marus, with his lieutenant Garanth in tow, arrived at the campsite of the blue knights from Tauride than his personal guard and staff hurried up, Eru of Argon among them.
“What news from the war council, Lord Captain?” Eru asked before any of the others could speak.
Count Marus nodded to the young knight without replying and looked his officers over. “Give your men double rations, then have them sleep in two alternating watches, with their weapons at the ready. Tomorrow morning we make our move at last.”
“Our move, Captain?”
“We are through letting the Sem dictate the terms of this engagement. For the past few days we have fought this battle warily, not wanting to make the mistake that Leegan Corps made of following the wildlings too closely, lest we fall into another of their traps. And so we bore their raids without striking back. However, I have convinced our Lady that there is nothing for us to gain through this over-cautious strategy. In the morning, we are to take action.”
Garanth continued for his lord. “Tomorrow, when the sun rises, we will bring an end to this conflict. Should the Sem come on another raid, we will meet them head-on, and pursue them relentlessly when they retreat. Then we will search out their nest and exterminate the foul monkeys. Have heart, men! Tomorrow, we go hunting!”
The troop leaders cheered. Without waiting for orders, they ran off to deliver the news to their respective commands. In a short while, cheers rose from groups of men throughout the camp.
To a man, the Mongauli had grown weary of their constant defense against the Sem. Now, the entire expeditionary force was on its feet, ready to move, like a lion that had wakened after a long sleep and was now stretching its muscles to ready for a hunt. The soldiers had barely set camp and already they seemed impatient for the night to finish. From here and there rose the sound of horses whinnying and men talking and laughing and the clang of sword upon sword as the most avid officers staged impromptu practice drills. Liveliness filled the Mongauli camp.
Eru of Argon lingered near Count Marus, seemingly unwilling to leave. He caught the count’s eye and sauntered over, speaking in his characteristic familiar tone.
“Lord Captain. Congratulations.”
Oddly enough, even though his suggestion to attack the Sem had been adopted by the war council, Count Marus did not seem as pleased as he might be. But when he saw Eru’s friendly black eyes sparkling, he smiled. “Eru, you jest. What is there to congratulate when we have yet to join battle?”
“Oh? Was this general attack not m’lord captain’s suggestion? Since everyone agreed with you, and the general favored you with the lead position tomorrow, I would think that’s more than reason enough for congratulations.”
“Well, yes, perhaps. I suppose I should stop worrying.”
The youthful Eru’s words had a way of warming up the count’s cold heart. If he had been a younger captain, he might have thought Eru presumptuous, but for Count Marus, the knight’s attitude and brazen style of speech reminded him of his eldest son, whom he had not seen in many years—the Viscount Maltius, far away in the city of Torus. Count Marus scanned the camp around them, looking for Garanth, but his faithful lieutenant had gone off to see that the men were prepared for the march in the morning.
“Worrying, m’lord? What troubles you?”
“That sandstorm, Eru. When the council began, I suggested that we move on the Sem right now, this very moment. Now that the storm has lasted into nightfall, we are forced to sit here on our haunches waiting for them to come to us. That will have a negative impact on our morale. It would be far better to strike out at the Sem first, and force the battle at our pace, not theirs. But night is here, and like it or not we must camp again. Our attack must wait until the next morning, and more time passes.”
“I’m sure that, in the morning, the Sem will still be out there. We can launch our attack then. And there can’t be more than five or six twists left till full light comes again.”
“No, the Sem will not disappear. But if I were a Sem, and I knew well the tides of battle, I would not attack at all tomorrow. I would not even let the enemy catch a glimpse of me for a full day at least. No, I would give the Mongauli host the cold shoulder. Let them simmer, that is what I’d do. Sometimes the hardest thing to endure in war is to have one’s spirit soar and then have to wait, unable to launch an attack when morale is at its highest. But that’s just speculation, and we’ll find a way to harness the energy of our men. When morning comes, scouts will go in all directions to look for the main Sem force, and I’m sure they will find them, and all will be well.”
Marus sighed and looked out into the night sky, as though he could will Ruah’s chariot to race faster and bring the morning now. “You know, Eru, it may sound foolish, but what really troubles me is the poor timing of the storm. It is almost as though it knew we were ready to move and it came to stop us.”
“Well, the timing was ill, I agree, but I’m afraid it’s just coincidence, m’lord captain,” said Eru, smiling easily. “You don’t think the Sem had anything to do with the storm, do you, m’lord? I know the monkeys are crafty, but they’re no wind-mages!”