'Any questions?'
Jhered looked along the line of Ascendants and felt a powerful sense of guilt pass through him. They looked so young. In this army of veteran infantry and cavalry, they were tiny dots. Vulnerable and alone. God-surround-them but they didn't even have any armour. Just tunics, furs and boots. No weapons on their belts, no bows across their backs. Nothing.
What am I doing? He almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. At least, standing here, he understood Roberto's reaction. The noise and spectacle of the marching Conquord army brought him back to himself. The song rolled across the bowl, underpinned by the rhythm of thousands of feet tramping in unison. Whatever Roberto's problems, however shaved his army was of its bulk, he operated a discipline that was the envy of every Conquord general. It gave him
an advantage over anyone he faced. This time, though, it wasn't going to be enough. He could spend days chasing the Tsardon down. The Conquord simply didn't have that luxury. 'Well?'
The Ascendants were staring down at the army open-mouthed. A vast swathe of humanity moving across the ground like a cloud shadow.
'I take it you are all happy with what you need to do?'
Finally, they looked at him. Ossacer with his hand on Arducius's arm, thoughtful and determined. Arducius himself, pensive. Mirron, scared and fretful standing very close to Gorian, who stood tall, proud and confident.
'We're ready,' said Arducius.
'I will not kill anyone,' said Ossacer.
'It won't come to that,' said Jhered. 'AH you need to do is block their path and scare them away. Come on.'
He nodded at Menas and the two of them walked the short distance back to the wagon where their driver and mounted guard were waiting for them.
'I'm sorry,' said Jhered to the guard.
'Why?' he asked.
Jhered drew his gladius and placed it to the guard's neck. 'I need your horse and your shield. Right now.'
Menas was covering the driver, who already had his hands in the air. She took his rectangular shield from the seat beside him.
'In the back,' she said.
'The general will have you executed for this,' said the guard.
‘I
doubt it,' said Jhered. 'But even should he do so, I will die knowing I did my duty by the Conquord. Come on, get down. I am not your enemy.'
The guard dismounted. 'My friends do not hold swords to my throat.'
'Nor do they let your comrades die needlessly,' said Jhered. 'I'm sorry you don't understand. Watch and learn. But get in the back of the wagon until we are gone.' .
The guard moved away reluctantly and Jhered took the reins of his horse. An oval shield was lashed to the back of the saddle. She was a placid mare, not a cavalry horse. So much the better. She did not resist as he trotted back to the Ascendants.
'Mount up. Kovan, take Mirron. Gorian, you're behind me. Menas, I need your hands free to fire if you have to. Arducius, this one is for you and Ossacer. Quickly now.'
Jhered heard a shout behind him. Guards on the supply wagons, the mobile forge and the engineers were moving towards them. He cursed and turned to help first Arducius and then Ossacer on to their horse.
'Be ready,' he said.
Gorian had the reins of his mount. He swung up quickly into the saddle and felt Gorian mount behind him. 'Let's go!'
Jhered kicked his heels and his horse moved forwards and down the slope. It was an easy descent and he urged the animal to a fast canter. He looked behind him. The others were with him. Menas had held back against any pursuit but the guards were on foot and easily outpaced.
'You ready for this?' he asked Gorian.
it was what I was born for,' replied the Ascendant.
'Good lad.' He turned to shout over his shoulder, in line behind me. Don't deviate.'
He moved to a gallop and headed for the right-hand side of the lines. They were deployed and ready. Hastati to the front, principes stepped behind them and the triarii forming the third rank of the triplex acies classic battle formation. Jhered was relying on their discipline and order. He couldn't afford to ride around the cavalry. Too much risk of them being stopped.
The commotion of the left-hand end of the column completing its march covered his advance perfectly. He could see Roberto dead centre behind his triarii and in conversation with Neristus, his engineer. He rode past the slower-moving artillery pieces, knowing that suspicious eyes would track them and that the shouts would follow.
He put his head down and urged more speed from his horse. He tore past Roberto, past standing ranks of archers and down between two lines of triarii. The thumping sound of his horse's hooves filled his ears but he could sense the outrage spreading quickly through the army. By the time he had cleared the triarii and slowed to turn right and then left to drive between two maniples of principes, heads were turning their way from all corners.
He dared a quick glance behind him. The Ascendants and Menas were still with him. The angry faces of triarii and principes were a backdrop to everything and he could see flags beginning to wave. Archers were on the move.
He ploughed on. On an order, hastati were turning. Jhered cleared the principes and dragged the reins hard left. The horse slewed around. Gorian gripped his waist tight and went with the turn. Ahead the maniples were closing and sarissas were swinging from front to back.
'Clear!' he roared. 'Clear!'
They could see he had no intention of stopping. He had to trust that his horse would not pull up at the wall of hastati. Had to trust a gap would open for it to see. He turned right. There was a space. He hurried down it. In front of him, hastati dived left and right out of his way. He felt fists on his legs and heard the abuse rain down on him.
He burst clear of the army. Gorian shouted in triumph. On the open ground, his horse picked up speed and galloped towards the neck of the valley.
'They're all with us. They've made it.'
Gorian's voice in his ear was welcome relief. He nodded.
'Tell me how near you need to get. Don't leave it too long.' The first arrows fell around him. 'Stop this, Roberto. Let me be.'
He looked to the flanks of the army. Detachments of cavalry were riding parallel to him but not closing. Not yet. He prayed that none of the arrows would find a mark and pushed on, desperate to be out of range. In his ears, howls of derision from the army rolled over them. Ahead the Tsardon jogged on, keen to reach their stand before the advance of the Conquord army. They were little more than a mile away now. This was going to be awfully close.
'Gorian?'
'Keep going. We must be almost beneath the walls of the plateaus.'
Jhered breathed deep. They were closing on the enemy so quickly. Already, he could see Tsardon riders moving ahead of the line. They were cautious, having seen the advance Conquord cavalry. For that, Roberto had to be thanked though it surely wasn't his intent.
'Pull up,' said Gorian.
Jhered reined in. Gorian dismounted and ran back a little way to see to the others. Jhered slid off the horse and patted it away. The arrows had long since stopped but the taunts of the army came on unabated. He could hear laughter mixed with the abuse. They were perhaps half a mile ahead of the Conquord lines. Far too far away for any defence should they need it. The cavalry detachments monitored them but did not move in.
'Come on,' said Jhered. 'Hurry.'
The Tsardon saw only a handful of enemies ahead. No threat, just easy targets. Their horsemen had returned to the lines. Archers were moving ahead. They would be in range before the Work was done.
'Kovan, Menas. Shields ahead. Get down behind them. Ascendants, get inside the shields as far as you can. Get working. We are short on time.'
Out here, their vulnerability was acutely plain. Mirron was shaking, Arducius bit his lip and Ossacer could obviously sense the advancing army. Fear had creased his face. Gorian seemed unfazed. No doubt he was quaking inside but here, on the grass between opposing armies, the Ascendants would have to deliver.
Roberto shook his head and signalled the archers to stop wasting their arrows. He hadn't wanted to hit them, just stop them running. He sent an order to the cavalry to stand down and denied his light infantry the opportunity to take them into custody before the Tsardon got within bow range.
'Let the Tsardon take them,' he said. 'Why should I care if they die?'
'Because Jhered is with them,' said Neristus.
'Is he?' Roberto looked down at Neristus.
‘I
don't recognise him. The man out there is not the man I know and love.'
He looked out over the heads of his citizens. Eleven thousand standing to watch a few fools throw their lives away.
'I'm sorry, Paul. You are beyond my help now.'
Arducius had a sick feeling in his stomach. He knew it was fear but he had to try and ignore it for the benefit of Mirron and Ossacer. They could sense each other's state through the lifelines and energy trails. His sampling told him that neither of them could focus properly at the moment. Only Gorian appeared unflustered.
'Just concentrate,' said Gorian. 'You have to ignore where we are.'
'How can I do that?' said Ossacer. 'There are thousands of
Tsardon coming and if we get this wrong we could kill some of them.'
'And the longer you delay, the more chance there is,' said Gorian.
'We're all scared,' said Arducius. 'We know this is the first time we've been under this pressure. But we also know we can do this. Gorian is right, we must try and ignore everything but the targets.'
'It's so hard.' He could see Mirron's shivering in her energy map. 'We can't do this wrong. They'll kill us.'
'The Exchequer won't let that happen,' said Arducius. 'He'll get us away before we are in real danger.'
'Concentrate,' said Gorian again. 'Feel out through the earth, see where the trails are strongest. And feel where the life surrounds us. The river is behind, there is a breeze in the air and there is growth all around. See where the energy maps of men and beasts are standing. Their circuits are closed to us for this Work.'
'That's it, Ossacer,' said Arducius. 'Breathe slowly. Let your mind open your body. That's it. Good.'
That was more like it. They stabilised. The flaring was lessening now they were concentrating hard enough to push aside the reality of the enemy closing on them. The thundering of hooves and the roar of so many thousands of voices began to fade.
'None of us is a natural Land Warden,' said Arducius, his words dancing in the air for them all to see and absorb. 'So we will link together and use the energies around us. We are each other's strength and guide. We will draw on all that we can. We will use our bodies to amplify the elements surrounding us; and we will project them at our targets along the strongest energy trails beneath the earth. Are we of one understanding?'
One by one, they affirmed that they were. The trembling was gone from Ossacer's voice as the beauty of the energies revealed themselves to him and he lost himself in the science of their planned creation. Mirron still harboured fear but the comforting strength of Gorian enveloped her and kept her focused. And Arducius knew for the first time that they really could perform the Exchequer's wishes. Excitement surged in him.
He opened his body and accepted the power that coursed through him. It made his lifelines blaze in his mind's eye. The others were there too. He could feel his body vibrate. The link they shared drove the power through them all, spiralling up in intensity within the closed circuit of their bodies. He breathed out. With his mind, he searched for the paths through the earth that led to the plateaus to their left and right. The paths where trickles of water ran down from the lake into the river. Or where the roots of countless blades of grass, flowers, shrubs and the trees that dotted the landscape found their purchase.
'Keep strong,' he said, aware this was more energy than they had ever dared contain and amplify before. 'Remember how far the targets still are. We cannot let the energy dissipate on its journey.'
'It's wonderful,' said Mirron. 'Look what we can harbour. Look how easy it is.'
'I told you,' said Gorian. 'I always told you. And now it's time to show them what the Ascendants have brought to their world. Arducius?'
'We have the understanding,' he intoned as Father Kessian had taught them, to nail down their concentration. 'We have the energy within us and we have the vision of our Work. Under God, let us act.'
The Ascendants opened the circuit and ploughed the augmented energy along the trails, feeling it boil life into the earth and everything it found there. They pushed hard, seeking the edge of the plateaus and the targets they knew they would find: the roots of the trees that clung to their slopes and that reached through to the bedrock beneath.
Roberto felt it as much as saw it where he sat on his horse, waiting for the Tsardon to engulf Jhered and his charges. The slightest ripple through the earth that moved through his army like wind over a field of corn. The air stilled. It was charged like the moments before a thunderstorm broke. He frowned.
It was all Jhered could do not to turn and run. He clamped his hands hard on Kovan and Menas's shoulders and crouched lower behind the shields. The enemy were still three hundred yards away but coming on fast. In half that distance they would be trying out their range.