“It’s a good lead,” said Kelly, “and an obvious warning aimed at altering the outcome of the battle.”
“Right,” said Paul, “but there’s a lot of haze there. I mean, it’s too broad. There’s no obvious Pushpoint, just a general admonition to keep the cavalry under control. How would they be able to accomplish that if they sent someone back to this milieu? Would he have to be in the guise of a respected military advisor who meets with Abdul Rahman and his Emirs before the battle? He might do so, though there is no mention of any such man in the history the Golems dig up. But even if he delivered his message, convincingly, there is still the fog and heat of battle, and men react in unanticipated ways. Panic and disorder can spread very quickly on a battlefield. A false rumor can undo even the soundest of military plans.”
“I suppose you’re right,” said Robert.
“But there was something more,” said Maeve. “What was that bit about Neith and the weaver of days, Robert?”
Nordhausen scratched his head, looking at the screen again until he found the line in the hieroglyphics. “The weave undone… A loose twine… where horses were brought together….”
“No,” Maeve pointed. “You said you translated that ‘to gather’ the first time. ‘where horses were brought to gather,’ not together.”
“Yes, I suppose it could be read that way.”
“Well where do they gather horses?” Maeve was on to something now.
“In a corral,” said Kelly.
“Right,” said Maeve. “I keep mine in one. Could it be they were holding a large group of horses back in the camp, perhaps looted from the farms and fiefdoms of the countryside? They’d already overrun half of Gaul by this time. Tours is just a hundred miles southwest of Paris! And if they did have them in an enclosed place of some kind they would have to have some kind of a gate.”
“A loose twine!” Kelly said excitedly. “Somebody left the gate open and the damn horses got out! A loose twine… where horses were brought to gather…”
“It could have been a stampede! It’s exactly the sort of thing the camp raiders would try to start.”
“Now that’s a Pushpoint!” said Paul. “A loose twine. It’s practically defines the workings of a Pushpoint—something odd and utterly insignificant that ends up causing major ramifications. They probably did collect numerous horses and other animals as they pillaged north. They would be highly prized by a mounted army, and yes, they would have used horse holders in the rear areas, or perhaps have some enclosure where these animals were kept safe from the battle. I love it. It’s clear and specific, a pointed warning… a loose twine!”
“Alright, let’s assume this was the disturbance in the camp,” Nordhausen agreed. “So they sent someone back to secure these horses, and prevent this stampede. I suppose it’s as good a scenario as any. The hieroglyphics clearly say hold them fast, those who drink the wind.”
“Keep a firm hold on the horses,” Maeve said it another way. “And if they can’t manage that then all the other lines were just backup—heed no disturbance, don’t worry about the plunder…”
They all looked at Paul, waiting to see if they had the makings of an intervention. “Well,” he began. “If this is more than speculation then we may have a chance here. If their mission was to go back and tie that knot—”
“Then we have to make sure we un-tie it,” said Kelly. “But how in the world do we do that?”
Part IV
The Lost Sheep
“It would be nice to travel if you knew where you were going and where you would live at the end… or do we ever know? Do we ever live where we live? We're always in other places, lost, like sheep.”
Chapter 10
Nordhausen was reading from a file he had called up from the RAM Bank. It was a description of the invading Muslim army as it advanced into Christian lands.
“That’s from Southey's Roderick,” he finished. “It’s referring to the defeat of the Visigoths on the Rio Barbate in 711, but it gives you an idea of the nature of the foe. Years later Abdul Rahman’s army was the equal of this force, in fact it was actually much larger. It took the western passes over the Pyrenees, and auxiliary incursions came by sea to Narbonne, then moved along the Mediterranean coast to Avignon, pushing inland through the provinces of Provence and Burgundy. This was no mere raid, as some historians carp. Abdul Rahman was intent on eliminating Odo as a threat on his northern border, and he was coming for plunder and land, all in the name of Allah. ”
“And Odo ran straight to Charles after his crushing defeat,” said Paul.
They were studying a map of the campaign now. “That secondary thrust pushed up through Lyon, Chalons and all the way to Dijon,” said Robert. “Cities were laid siege and stormed for pillage, notably Bordeaux, where Odo was defeated. The Mozarabic Chronicle of 754 states that they burned churches, abbeys, palaces, forts and any other places of importance. The whole countryside was scoured for loot, and as Abdul Rahman’s army approached Tours he had his eye on the Abbey at St. Martin as well.”
“Yes, and they were taking their time, burdened by ever larger hauls of plunder that the soldiery claimed as compensation for their service.”
“Without doubt,” said the professor.
“So how do we make this intervention?” asked Paul. “It’s clear that we need to be focusing on the Arab camp, wherever that may be. Information on the actual battlefield is sketchy. Many feel it occurred between two rivers south of Tours. That’s where it was in the simulation I played, and if I were to deploy a largely infantry force there, I’d put my main body close to the confluence, on any high, wooded ground I could find. That way the two rivers would protect my flanks. Get a Google terrain map of that area. Let’s see what we find.”
They called up the data, perusing the map until Paul laid his finger on a spot near the meeting place of the rivers. “This looks interesting,” he said. “The village of Cenon… Some accounts indicate there was marshy ground to one side of the old Roman road here. This low lying terrain with the small lakes south of Cenon may be where that ground was,” he concluded.
“You have a good eye,” said Robert. “The weight of opinion now believes the battle was fought here near Moussais. It’s a small estate today, with a golf course nearby.”