As the sun rose over the Sordoan Sea on the twelfth day of the Zaran invasion, sunlight glinted off the swords and shields of Sordoan horsemen who occupied the western end of a broad grassy valley which was bordered by forests on both sides. Shouts of alarm rippled through the ranks of the 10th Corps, and the infantry section that was crossing the valley immediately halted and pivoted towards the enemy. The first rank dropped to one knee and raised their shields. The second rank stood and raised their shields, while the other four ranks prepared their bows. The shield bearers drew their swords and waited for the attack. They did not have long to wait.
One-thousand Sordoan horsemen charged from the far western end of the valley, their war cries loud and reverberating. The sunlight danced off their shields sending blinding rays of sunlight into the faces of the Zarans, but the archers were unmoved. They glanced down to avoid the light and waited for the enemy to come within range. The sound of the galloping horses thundered and the ground rumbled increasingly as the horses drew closer. Zaran arrows were nocked as men in the first rank called out the distance of the approaching horde. Bows were raised high for an early strike, and squad leaders started counting down to zero.
Unexpectedly, the Sordoans turned in a well-practiced maneuver. Zaran arrows flew through the sky, but the Sordoans were no longer charging. With long crisscrossing sweeps from side-to-side, the Sordoan horsemen reversed course and began galloping away, yet the thunder and pounding did not diminish. The Zaran archers nocked arrows again, ready for another reversal that would bring the Sordoans back into range. It never happened.
Even as the Sordoans galloped away from the column, the thunder and rumbling increased. Eventually, one of the Federation soldiers turned around and saw the real threat. Charging out of the sun from the eastern end of the valley were thousands of Sordoan horsemen, the noise of their advance covered up by the charge from the west. They were already too close for the Zarans to reform their defensive line. Some of the closest Zarans dropped to one knee and tried to raise their shields as they had been taught, but others fired their arrows into the sun, hoping to score a blind hit. The Sordoans used their horse bows for three shots each before releasing their bows to hang on saddle tethers. They drew their swords as they surged into the Federation line and cut their way through to the other side.
The battle was over almost as soon as it began. The Sordoan horsemen continued heading westward after they rode through the Federation column, leaving thousands of Federation bodies in their wake.
The Federation column remained unmoving long after the Sordoans were gone. Soldiers filed into the valley searching for men that were wounded and trying to patch them up as best they could. An eerie quiet pervaded the battlefield, the soldiers speaking in hushed tones as if raising a voice would anger the gods.
Eventually, General Omirro arrived on the battlefield. He surveyed the carnage and immediately summoned runners to him. He issued orders for cavalry units to maintain a presence in all open fields until the infantry had safely passed back into the woods and then he ordered the column to start moving again. The soldiers grumbled about leaving their dead and wounded behind, but not loud enough for the general to hear. Everyone knew that he was in a foul mood, and no one wanted to risk his ire.
A couple of hours later, the vanguard of the 22nd Corps of Spino reached the battlefield. General Barbone and Colonel Pineta moved out of the vanguard and halted to survey the damage. For several minutes, neither of them spoke as their eyes scanned the bodies. Piles of the dead had been dragged off the road to avoid obstructing the column, and the piles resembled berms lining the road. General Barbone grimaced at the sight.
“I heard the report the same as you did,” the general said solemnly, “but I cannot imagine what took place here today. Omirro keeps treating these Sordoans as if they were docile Dielderal, but I think he is wrong.”
“I do not see many Sordoans among the dead,” commented the colonel.
General Barbone rose up in his saddle and gazed left and right. He sat back down and sighed. “Nor do I, Colonel. The famed impenetrable line of the 10th Corps did not hold too well against the Sordoans.”
“The sight of this carnage will be upsetting to the men, General. It is already hard to maintain morale without decent food.”
“I agree,” replied the general. “Call a halt to the column and have the vanguard take care of the bodies. I will not have my army march through this.”
“General Omirro will be livid if we halt the column,” warned the colonel.
“Blast Omirro,” snapped the general. “Carry out my orders.”
The colonel saluted silently and rode off to issue the orders. General Barbone rode further into the valley, gazing upon the dead and avoiding the hateful glares of the wounded who were being left behind to fend for themselves. As he rode around the valley, he saw a lone horseman in the distance. He squinted towards the western end of the valley and recognized the bald governor. His first thought was about the audacity of the Sordoan sitting there gloating over his handiwork, but something tugged on the general’s mind. The Sordoan’s face held no grin. Curious, the general rode towards the Sordoan, and the governor rode towards him. When they reached a distance of one-hundred paces, the Spinoan general halted.
“Come to gloat?” he shouted.
The Sordoan continued approaching until he was within talking distance.
“What is there to gloat over?” asked Governor Mobami. “Good men died on both sides today. Should I gloat because more of the dead were yours? I asked for your surrender to avoid scenes such as this, but if blood must stain Sordoan soil, I prefer it to be Federation blood.”
The general nodded, feeling awkward talking to the enemy without a flag of truce. “You will not be able to repeat such a feat,” stated the general. “You realize that, don’t you?”
“There are many ways to defeat an enemy,” shrugged Governor Mobami. “This is my land and I know it well. I need not rely on any single tactic. I know that you think my words are boastful, but you will learn the truth eventually. I only hope that you see the truth before all of your men are dead.”
“Like the men of Gattas and Ritka?” retorted the general.
“Ritka’s men are not dead,” replied the governor. “Only he is. General Stemple surrendered all of Team Gortha after Ritka died. As for Gattas and Montero, the truth has already been told to you. I cannot force you to believe it.”
General Barbone gazed into the Sordoan’s eyes as if trying to gauge the amount of truth in the words spoken. He sighed anxiously and looked away.
“What would you do if we did surrender?” asked the general.
“We already have camps set up for your men,” answered the governor. “They will be fed and cared for until the end of hostilities. When the war is over, they will be sent back to their homes.”
“That is just unbelievable,” frowned the general. “No one treats a conquered enemy that way. More likely, you will enslave my men. I give you credit for making such statements with a believable tone, but your words are absurd.”
“You truly do not know your enemy, General,” the governor said without malice. “I am a Sordoan, subjugated by the Alcean king. Do I look enslaved to you? In my early days as a soldier, words such as mine would have been unbelievable to my ears as well, so I know what you are thinking, but you do not understand King Arik. He has made loyal subjects out of all of his enemies.”
“I cannot imagine such a thing,” the general said with a shake of his head. “It is outlandish.”
“I know,” smiled the general, “but he is an outlandish king. I remember the day I first met him. I was defending Trekum against an army of one-hundred-thousand Lanoirians. They had us in a siege and there was no escape from it. King Arik rode into the city to speak to me. I laughed when he told me who he was, because the story was so outlandish, but he proved it to me. I have never doubted his word since.”