The King's Peace (35 page)

When they had finished drinking, Urdo was there, on the shore, the sword strapped to his side. Neither of us said anything. He took Prancer's head and started back down the path.

"It's almost morning, by the stars," I said, when we came back to the stone. It had seemed a long night. We learned later from Marchel and the Jarnsmen that it had been three days for the world beyond that hilltop. "Glyn's given the grain to the horses. And he got me to take buckets down for the people to have water. I hope that's all right. She did say we could take the water with her blessing."

"She did," said Urdo, and I could tell he was smiling. "We will all eat and drink, and when the morning comes we will be ready."

It was all a little dreamlike. It might have been the night without sleep. Almost all the other armigers were well rested. They looked fresh and cheerful. We formed up in alae and pennons to eat what the cooks brought us in the first light, hot oats with some dried fruit, what was left from feeding the horses. It steamed a little in the dawn air and tasted very good.

I had tightened Glimmer's girth before it was really light enough to see, doing it by feel. Urdo was moving among us as we ate and got ready, having a quiet word with almost everyone, raising their spirits and making sure they understood. He needed to know that every praefecto and pennon commander knew their part and was in the right place. He embraced each as he left them, and many of the ordinary armigers, too. I ate standing up, leaning against Glimmer's solid silvery flank. I picked out the pieces of dried apple and gave them to him when I'd finished all the rest. I was just wiping his enthusiastic slobber off my hands when Urdo came up to me, carrying his great banner. It was furled around the pole. It was an heirloom of his house, a huge dark purple banner with no device.

Nobody knew how old it was, nor when it had been brought from Vinca. Some said it had been carried by the Emperor Adren when he stormed Dun Idyn four hundred years before.

Certainly Emrys had raised it as a sign of his imperial claims. It looked almost black in the dawnlight.

"Will you ride beside me and carry my banner?" Urdo asked. I could hardly speak. I straightened up, stammered some thanks, and took it to feel the weight. The pole was very solid, but the banner itself was as light as our ala banners, for all that it was so much larger. It was made of silk, silk that must travel a year overland through strange lands before it comes to the border of Vincan lands at Caer Custenn at the far edge of Lossia. I fitted the base of it into the cup by my stirrup. It was the first time I had used the banner cup on this saddle except in training. I gave a messenger my shield and spear to take back to the packhorses. I wouldn't be able to use them with this.

Urdo gestured the other praefectos closer. Galba looked enviously at the banner.

"Galba, you and ap Meneth will take Sweyn and the right. Luth, you and Cadraith take the left, facing Ohtar. Gwair and my ala will take the center and face Ayl. The difficult part is getting through the bracken. I've told everyone to make it look slower than it is.

They will not be expecting us to be as fresh as we are. We still have some benefit from the mist, too. Watch for the marked paths through the obstacles and the instant we are through form up into lines facing forward as fast as we can. All just as we've practiced a thousand times, except for the lanes. Be ready to charge as soon as you see my banner."

"You've got Marchel's three pennons with you, Sulien?" Galba asked.

I shook my head. "They're with Gwair. I have five of my pennons out ahead and my pennon behind the king in case we stop." My pennon had not been very pleased to hear this, they were used to leading the charge.

"We will do our best not to stop," said Urdo. "They won't have faced six alae before, and we know two alae do a lot more than one."

"What about Marchel?" Gwair asked.

"She may see and come out and join us. I'm not counting on it. She's not had many choices down there," said Urdo.

"If Ohtar changes into a bear what do I do?" Luth asked.

"Try to stop your horse bolting," Urdo said, and grinned.

I laughed at Luth's expression. "Unless the whole army of Bereich turn: into bears you don't really need to worry," I said. The light was growing. It was almost time, the mist would lift soon.

Urdo embraced us all and sent the others off to take their places. The Jarns were moving about, but I couldn't quite make out what they were doing. They seemed to be in a desultory line of battle, though it was tighter on the left, where Ohtar was. I made sure all my decurios knew what we were doing. One would have thought from ap Erbin's face that he was a little boy who had been given a real sword for Midsummer Day. I suppose I should have given him more chances to lead.

I swung up onto Glimmer's back. Urdo and Prancer were beside me. There was music in my head, a song in a language I do not know. It had a strong insistent beat, and it carried me along with it. There are many songs about that charge at Foreth, but that is not one of them. I believe the Lady sent it to carry me forward. When I think of that day now I still hear that music.

The grooms had covered over the pits. They said it was easy. As we waited I hoped they had done it thoroughly, right down to the bottom of the hill. Even a few horses down would slow us, probably disastrously. We had to hit Sweyn fast, before he realized that we were not as weak as he hoped and caught us standing. Fifteen thousand screaming Jarns was nothing we wanted to fight from a standing start.

Glimmer was ready, more than ready. I patted him, glad of his eagerness, but I missed Apple. Apple really loved a fight.

Now the Jarnsmen were forming up into a line of battle, about three hundred yards from the base of the hill. The three kings were there, each surrounded by their huscarls, their best men, and farther out their fyrds-men. They were three distinct hosts. It was said later that there were indeed fifteen thousand altogether, or even more. At the time it just seemed that there were a lot of them; the ground was dark with them.

We filtered down through the bracken and through the clear marked lanes the grooms and Gwair's men had made. Then came the ready signals, first the raised banners from each pennon, then the trumpet calls from the alae trumpeters as each was ready. It was a long minute between Luth's first blast of readiness and Galba's coming sixth and last. It was fully light now, light enough to see the whole line of armed and armored armigers, six alae, more than a thousand horse, spread out over more than a mile in a disciplined line across the hillside.

I could hear frantic drum signals from the Jarns below as we got ready. They must have been surprised when we appeared like that in the light, through the obstacles, ready. I couldn't see them clearly past the two lines in front of me, but it looked as if they were tightening up and getting ready.

Then Urdo drew his sword and raised it high. The upswung blade caught the light of the sun as it rose out of the clouds and flashed out brilliant blue-white. I unfurled the
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banner. It was bigger than a blanket. I don't know why the Vincans needed them that size, but it certainly was impressive. Then, as the front line was already moving, Grugin blew the general charge signal, the great unmistakable trumpet blast, the five notes of

"I'm coming to get you" that means everyone should charge forward at top speed. The front two ranks were moving off quickly, and it was time for us to move. I drew my sword as we took the first walking steps before we began to trot. It looked dark and battered in comparison to Urdo's shining blade.

Then we were moving, fast. The music swelled in my head, weaving in the charge call and the other signals. We were very close together. I could smell the charge, that particular mixture of human sweat and excited horse sweat. It was strange to see each pennon's rally banners and charge banners all going forward together as we moved, the gold and the white streaming back in the dawn wind. The purple banner caught the wind and blew back behind me, the only dark color among all the gold and white. It was like Caer Lind except that this time there were enough of us.

There is no time, and all time, charging behind a line of lowered lances towards a line of trained men who will try their best to stand firm and kill you. Even with the music bearing me up there was time to think, to remember other charges, the hours of practice it takes for people and horses to do this, so close. I remembered Duncan telling me that cavalry must keep moving and never hesitate and Angas yelling at me to relax enough for the horse to do its share. Each pounding step brought us closer and closer, the lances held light as moonbeams pushing points as sure and deadly as doom. Before us stood the Jarnsmen, their faces drawn and ready and waiting, some smiling, some almost bored, many concerned, questioning, very few of them afraid. I remembered Caer Lind, where we had twice broken on their shield wall. They threw their small axes and spears, but we were going too fast for them to hit many of us. Our line curved out slightly to take them as we wanted to. I was sorry that this time I couldn't carry a lance in the front line and be the first to hit them. But I had the banner, and the place of honor. My king was beside me and my friends were around me and my horse was under me. My mouth was open and I

was singing, or calling out a battle cry, or screaming. They tell me I sometimes scream in battle, though I do not take notice of it.

A great howl rose from the Jarns on the left. It was the Bereichers all yelling together in the hope of putting Luth off his stride. Then there was no more time to think. We reached the Jarnish shield wall with a shock but no pause. It was strange to see them go over like that, two long lines of men with locked shields just gone under the impact of lances and the weight of the horses. If they hadn't realized as we galloped towards them, then they never had time to realize we weren't thirsty and exhausted before they were down. The line broke, and they were moving back. It was far from the end, for though they fell back they did not flee but regrouped and stood firm for a while with desperate discipline. They were a worthy enemy and no cowards, all king's men. Their shields were almost no protection against the reach of a lance or a cavalry sword, yet they stood firm.

"You will feast with your gods tonight!" I heard myself shouting as I struck out with my sword.

Most of those who had been charging in front of me were still using their lances.

Then a few Jarnsmen started to run away. They fell before me, and I kept moving always, staying near Urdo, using Glimmer's weight against them.

Everything was very clear. We had spread out a little. There was a small clump of Jarnsmen ahead of us, around Ayl. I saw the red eyes of the twisted snakes in the gold ring on Ayl's arm. I had broken bread with him, so I aimed a cut at the man next to him, who went down. Urdo smacked Ayl with the flat of his shining sword as Prancer shouldered into him, then Ayl was sitting in the mud and I kept on. I was laughing.

They were breaking around us like a wave. Glimmer reared up to kick a spearman in the head.

For some reason the little details of the horse armor as he moved engraved
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themselves on my mind, the pattern of holes in the leather that holds the plates. Then Urdo and I were cut off among a thick press of Jarns coming in to protect their king.

Alswith brought Masarn's pennon thundering in to save us. I learned later she had snatched up the signifer's banner when he fell. Masarn grinned at me, his teeth showing very white against his skin as he thundered past.

There was no time to thank them then, for the Jarnish horsemen came up behind us.

They were brave, for they had lost already, and they must have known it. They did not fight as if they knew it. They kept on very fiercely, though they did not really understand how to fight from horseback. They did better than they had at Caer Lind. They killed several of us, even after I had brought my pennon back together around the king. I saw one of them unhorse Gwair Aderyn. Once he was down and stunned a spearman killed him. I fought with them for some time. I wished I had my shield instead of the banner pole. I doubt the man I thumped with the end of it much appreciated the honor done to him. I needed all my skill at riding to manage without a shield. It felt strange to fight a mounted opponent. It occurred to me even then that if they had greathorses it would be an equal fight, and the part of my head that loves fighting wanted to practice fighting my friends so I could learn the way of it.

Then it was over. They turned to flee, but few of them could reach the trees—the river was behind them. Suddenly Marchel was there, coming out of the edge of the trees beyond the river, cutting off their retreat to the ships. I blinked and wiped sweat out of my eyes. I had no idea where she had come from—I later learned that she had been coming up through the trees and kept her improvised ala still until she could see where she would do most good.

Furious battle immediately began to rage around the ships. But not enough Jarns could get away to re-form. They fought on in little knots around wagons and copses, wherever they could rally with their backs to something solid. If they stood in the open we could just roll over them.

Those with their backs to something could fight on until we could bring up two pennons and take them from two angles. The only large group of Jarns who were standing firm were Ohtar's men. They had been backed towards the river and did not have anywhere they could possibly retreat without getting their feet wet. But they had drawn themselves up in something like a line. I could see Ohtar himself under his walrus banner, fighting furiously.

Urdo ordered Grugin to blow the signal for the spare horses to be brought up. I was glad to get on Beauty's back and let them lead poor tired Glimmer away. I hopped across, I didn't want to dismount and bring the banner down near the ground. We re-formed, and I looked to where Marchel was fighting. Ap Meneth was coming up to support her. There was no sign of Galba. Luth and Cadraith were still fiercely engaged with Ohtar. I looked at Urdo. There was blood running off his new sword. There were no live Jarnsmen anywhere close.