War Comes on Horseback

BR44
November 685
Agrax and his troop crested the last rise before Thilasia and was
not impressed by what he saw. That this was titled a city was beyond
belief to him. The settlements of the North Born were more than twice
the size, and the cities even greater still. The North Born would fix that
once the city was taken, it would be strengthened and expanded to their
superior design. For all its flaws this city was well positioned; it sat on a
rise above its harbour, its walls were three or four times the height of a
man and were ringed with towers, plus it had a strong stone gatehouses.
Its harbour was only accessible by riding around the cities edge and
approaching from the west, or of course by sea. Reports said that they
had perhaps five thousand soldiers themselves, and so with the Alliance
of Light forces that put them over ten thousand. A number not to be
laughed at, but not enough by far to stop the men of the north. War had
come to Thilasia, and the North Born were his emissaries.
Bells within the city could clearly be heard over the sound of the
horses. It did not surprise him, a force this size could not be hidden
forever. Agrax himself was not privy to exact numbers, but he reckoned
fifty thousand would be an understatement of the North Borns power
here. The Alliance battlegroup would fall, and Thilasia soon after. He
watched the horse archers ahead of him begin to speed up and turned
to Ethano for guidance. The commanders want us to circle the city, the
wiry man whispered to him, strain apparent on his brow. The Alliance
troops are being allowed within the city, we must not let them enter
without loss. Agrax nodded his affirmation and whistled some quick
orders. Within seconds the entire cavalry troop was moving to keep pace
with the horsemen ahead.

The Alliances heavy troops are deploying to cover the withdrawal,

Ethanos whisper almost made him fall from his saddle. He would likely
never get used to their abilities. Agraxs shout would be hard to hear
over the thunder of the heavy horse, but Ethanos whisper could always
be heard. Command says to ride them down and hit the retreating
troops. You are to withdraw if you take heavy losses. And do not let the
Alliance gain from this skirmish. Agrax raised a hand in
acknowledgement and relayed the order to his officers. The troop began
forming the classic wedge formation, perfect for hitting heavily armoured
foot troops. Their lines would be pierced by his heavy cavalry, and they
would attack the retreating men like wolves among the flock.
He looked to his left as he led his men around the city. The city
watch and its inhabitants were lining the walls in a strange mockery of
what was about to happen. It always amazed Agrax that people would
stand and watch as others died. Even when their lives were in the
balance people always had to see the slaughter around them to believe
it was truly happening. The sounds of arrows flying ahead snapped his
attention back and he looked forwards once more. The archers were
loosing volleys at the Alliance troops that had formed the rear guard.
They formed a wall between their encampment and the cities eastern
gate, but already scores of men were falling under the arrows of the
North Born with many more soon to follow.
Agrax whistled the charge and his horsemen accelerated to a
gallop. Horns among the various units blew out and were countered by
the horns and drums of the alliance. The mounted archers ahead of him
separated and he led his formation through the gap. The wall ahead of
him locked shields and readied their weapons, their war cries bellowing
in futile resistance. The thunder of the charge bounced off the wall to his
left creating a noise louder than the fiercest storm. Agrax picked his
target and levelled his lance. The man was some kind of officer, but he
would die like all the rest. Each of his breaths came in rhythm with the
movements of his mount. Time slowed as the distance between his
target and his lance closed. Then the fighting began.
Agraxs lance struck the officers throat, tearing his head off as his
horse thundered past. Blood from the mans stump of a throat soaked
his side and ran down his horses flank. He picked a new target ahead,

leaving those at his flanks for his men to hit. The man realised death was
upon him, and his halberd swung round to behead Agraxs mount. With
no order needed from him his war horse leaped as if jumping a fence, its
hooves shattering the mans chest like kindling. A blow from his left
caught his mounts flank, cleaving a slice from its side. He swung his
mount quickly, knowing he did not have long before the wound would
cripple the beast. It snapped out in anger as it turned, tearing a chunk
out of a mans shoulder, his scream already distant as Agrax rode away.
Looking about him he saw carnage. His charge had been
devastating; the North Born horse had shattered the shield wall and
slaughtered hundreds of the enemy, but now was the time to withdraw.
He whistled the retreat and hastily directed his dying horse out of the
enemy ranks. It seemed all the long months of training had been of use,
as all of the men around him followed his command and pulled away
from the combat. Many rider-less war horse followed his men out, their
training just as ingrained as his own.
He slowed his men behind the archer screen and they reformed for
a second charge. Agrax found a healthy horse and watched his own
collapsed with regret; he would need to start the bonding process all
over again. The alliance troops seemed almost as well drilled as his was,
their shield walls reforming, though at perhaps half of the size they were
before. More arrows rained down among them as they locked their
shields, though this time the rear ranks raised shields above their heads
to protect from the attack. Their task of holding up the North Born to
allow their troops to withdraw had worked. The last few hundred of their
men would be through the gate before the cavalry could cut through the
heavy infantry and reach them.
A single arrow flew from the city wall and struck his new mount in
the eye. It staggered for a moment before falling to the side. Agrax swore
and leapt from the saddle, narrowly avoiding a crushed leg. Remounting
yet another empty saddle he shot a glance at the wall to his flank, seeing
more and more archers appear among them. He could hear the chanting
of men cranking up the ballistae and catapults on the walls and knew his
time was up. Retreat. The whisper from Ethano was unnecessary but
confirmed his decision. He whistled the retreat and the cavalry turned
from the city and rode back towards the North Born column. He heard

the archers loose the last of their arrows and begin their retreat, swiftly
passing the flanks of his slower horsemen.
He turned in his saddle to eye up the carnage he had dealt. It
looked as if his charge and the arrows of the archers had hit the enemy
hard; the remaining shield wall was well under half its original size, and
many of the remainder looked injured. He hoped that some of the enemy
command had been hit. He himself had seen no one of import aside
from officers but others may have been luckier. It mattered little in the
long term. In a few weeks the siege would be over and the Alliance
battlegroup would be completely destroyed.
Frustratingly he saw that the shield wall was breaking up and they
had already begun looting the field, if they had not been so close to the
city walls he would never have allowed this. The North Born
commanders would be angry with him for allowing the Alliance to gain
from this skirmish, and had given strict instructions to ensure that no
ground would be given. He had been given little choice in the matter
however. He could have stayed and charged once more to destroy what
was left of their rear guard, but in doing so would have lost far more men
and the whole time been under threat from attack from the city. They
could punish him if they wished, but he promised himself then that he
would lead the charge once more and bring death to the enemy.
Long minutes passed as Agrax contemplated the battle before the
weary horsemen finally arrived at the North Born encampment. He and
his men had been away from the column for no more than an hour, but
already the engineers were digging trenches towards the intended sites
for the siege machines. Banners had been placed to show where units
were to make camp, and the cooks were already preparing the fires for
the hot food and drink that would be needed to keep this army alive. The
majority of the men would arrive and set up camp over the next day.
Their force was so large it would cover more than five times the ground
the city did. The commander tents were up, and so Agrax dismounted
his borrowed horse and left his weapons with his men, telling his officers
to have a full report of their losses ready for his return. Striding towards
the command tents with confidence he approached the leaders of the
North Born to give his report.