Lure O' War (The Old Realms)

Liko

'The kid'

On the Queen's orders:

The Bridges at River Uxrid

II

-Die for something-

Strong stands the old desert turtle's carapace to the hammer's blows, Pourem mused watching the Dogs mercenaries –looking like tiny figures from afar- gradually traversing the bridge through the tower's powerful, large binoculars. Yet, at the shell's seams where the heavy hammer can't penetrate, a simple blade could; if a break was to occur there, its armour would come apart outright…

"Great Vizier," Norem announced interrupting his thoughts. "Remas' men have taken their positions on the walls. The army is in the field."

"Excellent. Advance them forward," Pourem commanded calmly. "You have ten hours Norem," he added, averting his gaze from the binoculars and directing it to follow the soldiers departing from the capital's gates. "See whether you can achieve victory, or retreat if you can't. If you break through, send Timor's riders west and hold at the bridge. Should reinforcements arrive, first examine their banners. If they are Desert Crows delay them, and Timor shall strike the west bridge under the cover of night. If it's the men coming from Rusted you are to pull back and draw them near the parapets."

"The chance is there Vizier," Norem countered fervently, as he'd suffered a series of humiliating retreats in recent months and being confined within the foul Issir city had taken a toll on the loyal man's psyche. Pourem made a gesture towards the listening sentries to calm him down, then grasped his shoulder and turned him around. They both made their way towards the tower's stairs.

Or weaken enough to be defeated by a single spear.

"We shall embrace an offered win," finally Pourem responded while they navigated the narrow staircase, the moment they were out of earshot. "But treasure the earned time more by not deviating from our plan Norem. We must be patient and resolute. Deliver pain and the rotten choice of wicked bargains. Remember that at the end of the day, we are up against a woman."

-

After reviewing the terrain and the movements of Lord Anker's army beyond Chinos River, General Pourem quickly realized he could concentrate his forces in defending Elsanne's push that was approaching from the south without the fear of a sudden attack from the High Regent. Admiral Osahar took the responsibility of supplying Mutobo's marines, while the latter was again thrusted in the thick of it and ordered to defend a cut off city port. The haphazard piecemeal approach of the Issirs though altered their strategy and called for a split of the Issir force in order to keep them occupied beyond the westernmost Uxrid Bridge.

The cavalry leader Timor had been ordered to head for the Delta Market initially, a merchant village on the road to the capital, with most of his Horse Archers (around four hundred plus fifty lancers) and look to probe whether he could catch by surprise the Issirs operating across Eagle's bridge or reopen a land route towards the port. Again, the original plan was to keep the Issirs busy, as according to early intelligence brought to him by the returning Timor, Elsanne's forces had suffered casualties, lost their machines at Colle and were operating very fragmented under a new leadership.

With Uxrid River reaching from the Shallow Sea to the Great Lakes, Pourem knew that neither he nor the Queen could cover everything. With the east gates and the road leading to King's Forest blocked by Legatus Merenda who was still stationed at Eagle's Nest, Pourem decided to keep a token force there and concentrate on Elsanne's attempt first. In order to reinforce his army (build around a thousand Jang-Lu, five hundred marines plus Timor's cavalry) the newly titled Vizier of Eplas (a big, but rather empty title given the status of the Khanate's holdings) used his power nonetheless to forcibly recruit soldiers from the capital. The latter was suffering from famine with the Horselords stripping everything down for themselves and its citizens reduced to slaves.

In order to entice the locals to help him, Pourem introduced a simple carrot and stick method. He immediately stopped the Khan's blank reprisals (the advisors had already minimized them to a degree) upon assuming command and offered benefits to those collaborating with the authorities. Elevated status, food, and pleasure slaves were added in the rewards –even paying positions for those that served in the local garrison and walls at the suggestion of Remas of Sidhyr. The latter was one of Lord Bedas' low-ranking lieutenants in the slave trade, a brutal man that had found the chance to build himself a personal army and riches out of a humanitarian tragedy. Remas' Issir collaborators were mostly freed criminals and thugs numbering around two thousand. They were used as a police force inside the walls of the capital, garrison and Pourem's executioners.

The stick part of Pourem's plan was simple in its logic. All those not helping his cause were to face even more horrific punishments than before and were quickly turned into nameless fodder or blackmail material to shock Elsanne into a negotiated deal. Pourem's pitiless strategy was fueled by his difficult task, his need to buy time as Phanti had promised him reinforcements, and Lord Anker's swift execution of the captured Horselords beyond Chinos River which had angered the Horselords.

Backed into a corner the former mercenary general turned exceptionally harsh. He decided to deal with the 'softer-minded' of his opponents first and buy himself some breathing room.

Commandant Martel's, voiced with a fat 'L' or a double L, Gallant Dogs mercenaries crossed Reinut's Bridge in their turn during the night of the 30th and took control of the central road that led towards the grain fields at the West Corner towers of the walls -before it continued across the doab to Chinos River and the built on the inclines elevated West Gates of the capital. Captain Wyncall crossed first and occupied the west side of the bridge at the edge of the road and the wilderness that hugged the river's banks, with Captain Sax's company on his right flank (east side).

Pourem, who was watching them from the west towers –the latter commanding the approach to the city, while briefly surprised as he expected Elsanne's main army to appear there and not this mixture of Lorians, Cofol and Issir mercenaries, recovered nonetheless and gave the order for his soldiers to attack at first light. At the same time he notified Timor, who was busy harassing the Desert Crows kilometers away and near the westernmost bridge, to dispatch around two hundred Horse Archers to assist him.

An experienced general, Pourem quickly realized that while at a numbers/quality disadvantage Elsanne's horrifically bad disposition of troops offered him the opportunity to split the Issir army via retaking the occupied bridge and then turn west to trap them on the road around Eagleport between his own forces.

Late Lord Ruud's well-voiced fears of a realm 'where fools play games with real stakes and win wars in their minds thinking it counts for something, when it doesn't,' were about to be given real context as what had been a very costly, very long struggle of attrition for all sides, now turned into absolute savagery which caught the Pirate Queen by surprise.

-

Uh.

Liko gasped internally as he couldn't speak with his jaw suddenly all locked up after he'd received a nasty blow to the helm by a retracting halberd. The Jang-Lu tried again, the heavy blade mauling the top part of his shield and then slid with sparks flying, to wedge deep in a Grunt's shoulder. The yelping mercenary went crashing on the man standing right beside him and Liko leaped forward to stab the Jang-Lu corner man at the thigh.

His spear thrust missed inwards and penetrated the Khanate soldier's mail-covered groin. Liko turned planting his right foot, the Horselord's howl blasting at his eardrums, jaw-muscles crackling in the attempt to open them and the Jang-Lu standing next to the one going down swung wide with the weapon-shaft lodged under the armpit to split Liko in two.

A growling Liko escaped the worst plunging for the ground, which damaged something in his knee, but at least the blade went wide. It did decapitate the Grunt coming up to fill the void though and the Dogs thin frontline cracked and then started caving in.

"Gah!" The young sergeant grunted, then stumbled on the still stirring first Jang-Lu in the desperate attempt to get up, his boot crashing the man's windpipes as Liko went sideways to escape the fanning out block of Khanate soldiers.

"Pull back!" Captain Sax roared amidst the confusion, blades clashing on shields, metal ringing and people shouting obscenities. Liko got his sword out with a hoarse curse and barely managed to raise his battered shield upon seeing a Jang-Lu advancing on him already swinging. The heavy blade connected with a bang and thrashed the top part of the shield. Everything exploded, splinters flying, twisted metal screeching and bolts clanging on his dented chest plate.

Unholy fuck!

The Jang-Lu faltered forward after the heavy swing and Liko jumped from a foot, got inside the man's defenses and stabbed him in the face. The sword tip punched through the metal mask above the mouth opening –or right through it- hit bone or teeth briefly and then went right through again before it got stuck.

Liko yanked at the blade to get it out and the man came towards him like a zombie pierced through the skull, another Jang-Lu advancing amidst the dust not a meter to his left. He tried to push the dead Horselord away, but realized with a grunt of despair that his left wrist was dangling broken, two of the fingers –index and mid- turned completely the wrong way and he had to retreat in panic abandoning the stuck sword.

The furious Jang-Lu shoved with his long weapon the still standing and bleeding down his metal mask compatriot out of the way in order to get to Liko –it sent the first armoured soldier crashing down, but got skewered through the torso by a javelin not a stride in and went down right after his collapsing colleague.

"Sax ordered a retreat to the woods," a scowled Severs informed him, mouth barely visible through all the red facial hair, and grabbed at Liko's shoulder to stand him upright. "Everyone is pulling aside kid."

"Wyncall is cut off… We need…" Liko gasped, his jaw hurting, but nowhere near like his throbbing left arm. I can't move the fucking fingers!

The truth of it was the fingers did move somewhat, but not at his command.

Uh.

"That's fifty meters furthest than I'm willing to go, and it's twice that to reach him," Severs retorted and stooped to get his javelin out of the still stirring Jang-Lu. A custom made weapon with a longer blade than usual. While he was at it, the scout used his boot to trap one of the groaning man's arms away from his body and used the javelin's blade to chop away several of his fingers –at least three that Liko could count- in order to get the one sporting a large gold ring. "Um. That's a heavy thing. Easy to clean," Severs explained after dropping the bloody ring inside his collar and gestured for the injured Liko to retreat towards the woods away from the regrouping Jang-Lu lines.

Behind them and from the way of the bridge, horns and the Chariot's screaming wheels announced the arrival of Commandant Martel, just in time to stabilize the Gallant Dogs center.

"Ladas got shot with a plaguing arrow. Darn thing clipped a horse's head first. A fucking ricochet," Martel explained with a glance at Vandam and Douc-Re advancing the Old Dogs at the center. The Jang-Lu frontline had retreated as well, which had opened a path towards Wyncall, but the captain's men were still under bombardment from the Horse Archers that moved to harass their lines at every opportunity. "He went under the blasted wheel," the commandant added with a grimace that moved only the uninjured part of his face. "Heard something round pop, but couldn't turn the chariot around on the bridge to see what it was. So that's a bit of a mystery, yeah."

"Did someone else see him? Did he make it?" Liko probed.

"Not wit an arrow to the throat, he didn't son," Martel replied tensely.

"What about Bert?" Liko grunted, his teeth clenched as the murmuring Dottore Dalai Tue retied his bandaged wrist. He had two breaks there, plus the two fingers. The medic's advice was 'not to move it too much for a week or two', which was more worrisome than not, since they were in the middle of a scrap.

"He's with White," Martel replied. "Better retire as well kid."

Before Liko could argue, Captain Sax spoke.

"They get behind our lines sir. Skirt the river banks through the reeds," Sax explained whilst sergeant Tule Nzo, the wiry Cofol, looked to get the battered Grunts going again. "We need horses to push them away. I suggest we retire as well behind the river."

"Negative. Ricard is bringing a couple of war machines forward in case we need them," Martel replied. "We'll hold them off. I messaged De Moss and Cramer already. You'll hold the woods Sax and the Old Dogs will take care of the center."

"They can march more soldiers against us from the city," Sax argued.

"Wyncall can't withdraw," Martel snapped at him. "You order a withdrawal now and it might turn into a rout with the enemy having a lot of horses in the field. We'll hold them here. Use Scorpios if we have to."

"Bah," Sax grunted and made a frustrated gesture. He then walked away towards sergeant Nzo shaking his head.

"I'll stay commandant," Liko told the grimacing Martel. "Help him out."

"Doc?" Martel checked with Dalai Tue.

"I spoke my piece," the Dottore murmured and took his bag to head near the next cluster of injured men.

Liko returned near Severs and his scouts, with several small groups of Grunts staying in the woods to prevent the enemy from flanking Martel using the cover of trees. Liko spotted Paton with sergeant Tule Nzo and Captain Sax discussing their position and beyond the edge of the trees the Old Dogs had taken their place in front of the regrouping Jang-Lu. The Khanate blocks of soldiers looked intimidating.

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"The Horse-Archers stopped," Liko told Rad Severs and Grass Bordon, the latter limped visibly and sported a crude brace on his left leg to stabilize the knee. "It buys us time."

"They replenish their quivers and change horses every now and then," Severs replied. "A brief lull in hostilities favors more those having help nearest to them," he added with a rustle, staring north to the direction of the soft inclines and the city's unseen walls.

"They won't enter the woods," Liko grunted trying to move his injured arm. "I bet they go straight for the bridge."

"The woods touch the road leading to the high ground. Half a city could march inside the trees and reach the river's banks undetected," Bordon said, pale green eyes on the whetstone he was using to sharpen a war axe. After a couple of more passes he gave it to Severs and went to work on his greatsword. His favored weapon though was an Issir crossbow he carried over his shoulder. An Issir/Nord half-breed from Krakenhall, Bordon had left to join his friend Rad Severs, when the latter found work with the Gallant Dogs in Scaldingport. Severs had left Fetya because he'd an axe to grind -as the expression went- with the O' Dargans, and 'had worked near Krakenhall 'n Sallowhall for a while with the Vanzon until the mad bitch took the Duchy,' as Severs had told Liko months back. 'Young folk started dying in their sleep, leaping from tower windows and losing their heads in them cold woods,' Severs had continued, with the flames dancing in his dark-blue eyes. 'It wasn't to no direwolves or northern jackals.'

When Liko had inquired who was behind it, the named Nord had grimaced and then added gravely as if he was speaking of the devil.

'Curd.'

Liko stood up worried, his eyes on the nearby clusters of thick trees. "I should inform Sax."

Bordon nodded with a grunt, a streak of white in his long crimson hair and stared at the silent scout leader. Severs spat on the golden ring he'd looted earlier with a grimace and then he proceeded to clean it from the gore without uttering a word.

Captain Sax shook his helmed head. "The Jang-Lu are too-heavily armoured to enter the woods. Let Martel entertain this madness for a while and then we shall all leave here still breathing kid."

"How is helping our Queen a bad thing?" Liko protested, the pain made him very irritable. "The plan was poor and the commandant looks to fix it."

"Bullshit," Sax snapped and signed for sergeant Nzo to wake up several Grunts that had taken a nap under a tree. "Seen it happen all the time," the captain added. "Men will try to please a sweet female sovereign, win her favor. It's a skill some women possess, but few have the opportunity to hone fully. She did aplenty since very young and now is like second nature to her. We are mercenaries out of plaguing Eikenport, but not her subjects, kid. We don't do fixing. We look to finish the job we got coin for fast and as easy as possible. Our job ended in Granlake. Wyncall knows it. We don't do favors because they get people killed," Sax added narrowing his eyes at the sound of horns from the nearby open fields. "This is Martel trying to be a hero for Jade Eyes, mentioned in the big books rich folk read and dreaming of a lofty place near her throne. It's like a disease and if her Raven croaks on the morrow, we'll see it more and more from people rushing to take his place."

"We are not thugs. This is a noble company that helped Sir Glen in his quests. Dante was a god darn hero," Liko growled and the captain made a dismissive gesture. "He died to save us."

"They've put a gold trinket on you, but you're not special kid. I've known Blackwood since he was younger than you are now," Sax retorted and stooped to pick up his shield. "He'd a number of things he cared about truly. Some more than others. Women and coin obviously, but he was no hero material. He could be easily bamboozled by the prospect of fame though and liked a risky wager," the captain added pensively. "I suppose that did him in."

-

Norem, the officer leading the Jang-Lu, attacked the bridge's defenders early in the morning with the help of Timor's Horse Archers. A large detachment of them had travelled through the night, changing horses and resting briefly on their saddles, and reached Reinut's Bridge at the crack of dawn. Captain Wyncall, who had deployed his men at the edge of the dried up marshes west of the road, got surrounded and bombarded for two straight hours by the difficult to reach, very mobile, Khanate units.

This gave the opportunity to Norem to attack the Grunts Company and cause grave casualties to the outnumbered mercenaries. Martel arrived, crossing the bridge with reinforcements, and took the place of Sax's battered men. Sax repositioned his troops inside the woods east of the road before the bridge for cover. Rollon Martel ordered Ricard White to send sergeant Willian forward with some pieces of artillery and probably notified Sir Cramer of the battle unfolding to his rear.

Sir Cramer had split his force, with the heavier units helping Desmond Boss attack the port and had prepared a foray beyond Eagle's Bridge to establish a foothold. He managed that before noon, but Timor kept harassing the Issir men-at-arms trying to draw them after his men and catch them in a trap. Timor used a nearby trade-route village called Delta Market as a base of operations and Cramer had decided to prepare an attack to drive the Horselords away from there, when the missive reached him.

Back at Reinut's Bridge, Martel was attacked by Norem's Jang-Lu, whilst Pourem –who had approached the battle site with reinforcements- ordered Remas to venture into the woods unseen and flank the Old Dogs. The latter had brought forward heavy Scorpios –set them up at the exit of the bridge- and the artillery barrage had caused Norem's initial assault to falter. Remas led a group of five hundred –the numbers are disputed, but it was a mix of Horselords and Issirs drawn from his newly-formed 'city guards' for certain. He scaled the inclines out of West Gates, moved fast through the trees and attacked the Grunts stationed there.

All three mercenary companies were engaged in a deadly scrap by the time noon arrived and Martel probably contemplated a retreat –he denies it in his memoirs- as he'd no reserve force available and Pourem could direct one of the several spare units kept in reserve for the Khanate –Timor's medium lancers cavalry and the remnants of Birka's mercenary infantry, the general had evacuated from Meertje- to strike at any one of them unopposed.

Pourem led a flanking force himself right at the seams between Martel and Wyncall to prevent them from relinking. It forced Martel to pivot his frontline to cover the artillery that kept lobbing bolts on the Khanate rear lines, but it weakened the first rows against the Jang-Lu who pushed forward in turn. Whilst this was happening Wyncall, who had redressed his men for the return of the Horse Archers and despite casualties had done a solid job keeping them away, saw the returning Horselords split into several groups under clouds of dust and ordered his men to assume a loose formation behind their raised shields, as he expected another barrage of arrows.

Wyncall got charged by two waves of lancers instead, riding veiled behind thin clusters of Horse Archers and his west flank –towards the marshes- got smashed. The mercenaries were split in two groups as Horselords and horses caused havoc through their lines. With Pourem's men advancing to their right flank –cutting off their retreat towards the bridge- the Gold Contract mercenaries tried to pivot towards the river instead. Under the heavy bombardment of arrows and repeated charges by the emboldened Horselords, Wyncall's command disintegrated. Some mercenaries fought their way to the river banks and dived inside, whilst other kept fighting in smaller groups deeper and deeper into the marshes. It was the latter that fared better, as the black soil was softer, much soggier further to the west and the Horselords couldn't follow them on their mounts. When they attempted it on foot, the heavily armoured Lesia mercenaries were far superior to the archers and the dismounted lancers, even on the muddy terrain.

Wyncall's collapse triggered a potential devastation for Martel's center just in front of the bridge. He was now pressured both from the front and the open west flank. As for the mute captain's and former '300' officer's fate, little more is known as his body was never recovered. In a cruel twist of fate back in the Barony of Parmaport, specifically the village of Ostrich's Plum where the captain's family hailed from, his household and compatriots had already mourned and buried Nathaniel Wyncall, several years before the man himself had actually fallen in battle for real.

Martel's fate in the center, despite his heroic defense against the determined to break through Norem's repeated attacks and pressure, rested in the woods to his east, where the battered Sax's Grunts faced Remas' men.

-

Luthos' stained shithole! The bleeding from a split lip Liko cursed rushing near the faltering sergeant Nzo. More are coming!

More foul-smelling Issirs wearing city guard armour. Pieces of it that is, combined with other parts from Jelin and Eplas. More Horselords of the Steppe, not the clean, noble variant with their fancy armour and well-maintained weapons and horses. These Eplas natives were equally foul-smelling, pirate-looking as the Issirs and they all had various styles of weapons and armour on, along tattoos, heavy makeup and many pieces of jewelry.

Nzo went down to his knees with a gurgle, hands grasping at his spilling gory innards to shove them back inside the grotesque wound the nasty hook-spear had opened. Liko reached the Khanate slaver –he'd seen their likes before- just as he stooped to finish the sergeant off with a drawn dagger and kicked him savagely in the ribs.

His boot connected with a thud, heard bones snapping under it and the man was hurled sideways. Liko paused breathing heavy to check on Nzo, realized the sergeant had died still standing and twisted on his feet to avoid an onrushing Issir with a spear. The blade ripped the sleeve out of his injured arm and Liko's sword caught the Khanate collaborator flat on the face as he was turning. Broke the man's nose, cracked the zygomatic bone and popped his left eye out of the socket. The darn thing dangling here and there over his bloody face as the howling man was knocked back, held on by a piece of white fleshy strand.

"Retreat!" Captain Sax yelled, more Khanate soldiers of sorts coming out of the woods, as if they were demons birthed on the spot with magic.

"No," Liko barked, but got attacked by a sword and shield yielding Issir, clad in professional armour. He slashed to keep him away and had his sword deflected, but the man's hack wasn't as proficient.

"Eh," the Issir thug gasped under the heavy looted helm and tried again. Liko parried, the man's blade cutting his shoulder, realized his opponent didn't know how to use the shield and kicked him on it with a strangled grunt. The Issir faltered back opening his defenses and Liko leaped forward to stab him over the collar. Blood gushed out, reeking of iron and the half-blinded Liko turned around with ears ringing, froth in his mouth to watch Sax getting his brains bashed in with a hammer blow.

Shit.

The captain went down, dented helm and skull squashed into a single thing, and the large beefy Cofol stepped over him holding the Warhammer with a drawn-out roar. Huge gapping mouth filled with silver fillings and eyes painted with black coal.

"Step aside!" A voice barked and Liko moved out of the way, caught sight as he twirled of the giant Cofol stagger back from a bolt that had clanged on his chest plate and then Severs moved past him already swinging his axe deftly.

The injured Cofol, Bordon's crossbow shot had plunged deep and looked like a bloody nail on his dented armour, swung a beefy arm to crush Rad Severs' head but the Nord turned mid-move to dodge the blow and caught the Cofol's elbow. The sharp axe cutting through mail, skin, bone and tendons leaving a useless bleeding arm behind. The giant dropped the Warhammer with a pained howl, tried to step away but Severs had already leaped forward, the axe spinning in a full circle and then he brought it down savagely with both hands firmly on the shaft. A sickening crunching clang was heard as the blade connected with the Cofol's cranium right at the forehead.

The Cofol's skull exploded in a red mist and gory bone fragments and pieces of brain rained on the ground before Liko's eyes.

"More are inbound Rad," Bordon grunted, still sporting that limp whilst he reloaded his crossbow.

Severs turned around, now covered in dripping gore and with his face painted red like his beard and stared at the grimacing Liko.

"Time to cut our losses kid," he told him.

What?

"Are you insane?" Liko growled not expecting it. He looked about him, the rush of the prolonged scrap subsiding and spotted Paton running inside a thicket of chestnut trees, a group of four Grunts surrounded by more than a dozen soldiers, similar scenes unfolding across the forest, where the trees allowed him to see far enough.

Liko gulped down, blood on his gluey tongue and stared in Rad's sober eyes.

"These men are our family. I've known them for years," he croaked, too-shocked at the severity of the situation and the Nord's cowardly stance. "We took you in. Son of a bitch."

"Families die lad. All the time and for little reason," Severs rustled and wiped some of the gore away with a stained leather sleeve. "Not all scraps can be won. Loss is a part of living. If you're to perish, die for something."

"There's more of them leaking past us towards the river," the listening in Bordon explained, securing the crossbow over his shoulder and then took an axe another Nord half-breed offered him, a scout named Jed 'Nod' Weather. Almost all parts of the man's name a moniker. "Martel lost here. Shit like that happen to some gambles."

Jed nodded in agreement.

"What about the Queen's orders you bastards?" Liko grunted irate with the men's reaction.

"I'm from Free Fetya. We bow to no queen or Jarl," 'Carrion' Severs retorted and turned to walk after his two friends. "A ruler must earn his or her stripes 'n any other blasted name same as the rest of us, inside a circle of shields."

Liko watched them walk away stunned and then hearing the sound of horns inside the woods turned around to go help his fellow mercenaries, the not so distant main battle's clamor reaching his ears as well.

He thought of Dante and Jinx, of mighty Soren and Zola, the late Crafton and Sir Glen. This is something, the young mercenary mused steeling himself and determined to make a difference.

It must be.

-

Remas won the scrap inside the forest, but Martel was already losing badly in the center anyways and ordered the Old Dogs to retreat towards Willian's machines. Before they could reach them though Timor's lancers broke through on his west flank after the collapse of Wyncall's company and assaulted the mouth of the bridge first. The engineers manning the Scorpios fought back, but were quickly overrun. Sergeant Willian was killed and the Horselords rode across the bridge to reach the other side.

Ricard White with a force of Gallant Dogs recovering at the field hospital across the river stopped their advance, even firing three catapult fire-shots directly on the stone bridge. Chaos ensued as the retreating Dogs clashed with the returning riders on the bridge. The Horselords lost that scrap but won the battle. Martel's surviving men managed to cross the bridge, but were followed by Norem's Jang-Lu and groups of Timor's Horse-Archers.

Despite the general elation all about him, Pourem knew that time was running out for them to take advantage of the split up Issir forces and ordered the riders to advance west the moment they touched the other side, effectively leaving the infantry to deal with the shattered mercenaries. The latter coalesced about two hundred meters from the bridge, where White's machines and the field hospital were located. A part of the supply train was still en route, returning from Granlake, but many animals had arrived and critical supplies. Martel, who had somehow driven a chariot himself through a cluster of Horselords to make it back across the river, managed to gather around a hundred men to defend his rear camp from the advancing Jang-Lu.

He could see the Khanate cavalry pouring out of the bridge and heading west following the river road, but there was nothing to be done about it.

As a matter of fact, the mercenary general had done enough. Sir Cramer had stalled his attack on Timor and Delta Market, and alarmed by Martel's missive had dispatched Mads Struder's crossbowmen and Lode De Jagger's rangers down the road to bolster the Dogs defense. He also dispatched a message to Viscount De Moss, travelling with Scaldingport's main army behind the supply train, to rush forward reinforcements.

'By the Allgods grace my lord, missing the battle is one thing,' the desperate to keep it civil though distressed knight had written to the Lord of Rusted, urging the notoriously slow-moving De Moss to push ahead faster. 'The whole war quite another.'

Be that as it may, Lode De Jagger, who famously 'always had an ear to the ground and walked sort of crooked,' heard the Khanate horses coming up the river road and ambushed them on the narrow path. It was a shockingly successful action, probably due to the Horselords having tired mounts to quickly disengage, and it crashed Pourem's flanking attack. The riders had to retreat with heavy casualties –around fifty were left by the side of the road- and Lode De Jagger found himself in possession of extra horses which he donated to Mads Struder's Castalor crossbows so they can move faster. Then they hurried towards the desperate Gallant Dogs camp.

Pourem learned from Norem of the failed attempt to surprise Cramer's Desert Crows and destroy them at Eagle's Bridge and with the time growing late, he ordered his officer to retreat despite Norem's objection. 'Take prisoners if you can, but get the men back.' Pourem allegedly had said. 'Destroying the mercenaries outright won't win us the war.'

It was already afternoon by then. The first day of the ninth month of the year.

The battles at Uxrid River weren't a complete disaster for the Issirs as the mercenaries received the brunt of the casualties. It did delay their offensive actions for that summer though –of 195NC- and left Eagleport in the Khan's arms until the winter. Pourem had managed to buy himself the time to prepare for a siege and when the siege arrived at Issir's Eagle he revealed how brutally effective a determined general could be. As a matter of fact he was so effective and managed almost the impossible for a time that some might even say it was to his own detriment in the end.

At any rate, the battle of Reinut's Bridge would take the Gallant Dogs out of the siege and the war itself in a sense. It had decimated the mercenaries' ranks, killing the bulk of its officers and all but destroyed over two thirds of its experienced fighting force. The Grunts were wiped out, with a score of prisoners surviving for a while and the Gold Contract had less than thirty men making it out of the marshes or surviving the river. The Old Dogs lost half their men and at the company's war meeting the next day Rollon Martel faced a grim reality no amount of fervent words could disguise and despite his later attempts at rewriting history.

'This gallant action my lost brothers and comrades of the coin,' the commandant wrote years later recalling his speech that day, 'was the turning point. The Dogs put Queen Elsanne in the capital by holding their ground.'

Hold their ground they did at a grave cost, but it was more his wicked groveling, the queen's shamelessness and the company's biggest asset historically –a Gish from the Sinking Isles, hard as it is to believe it- that eventually turned the war's tide.