Red Queen Read online

  Chapter 3

  A fight on a road

  The morning was bright. The sun shone clear over the deserted countryside. A few run down dwellings could be seen on either side of the road but a lack of smoke indicated their emptiness. Grain grew wild in the rich, fallow lands. Eight figures moved slowly along the verge, grabbing ripe stalks, rubbing the chaff from them for a coarse, uncooked breakfast. They wore chain hauberks in good condition, straight swords scabbarded and shields slung for the march. One figure, on horseback, approached them unawares.

  The horse was fine boned and light footed, as it cantered its way towards the soldiers. Only the lightest of armor could be seen beneath its flowing mantle. The rider wore a surcoat in matching imperial colors, with plumes and ribbons sprouting from all surfaces. The horse’s footfalls were light and the rider approached quietly, closely, before the soldiers, intent on their breakfast, started to notice. He then rose up in his stirrups, spurred the horse to the gallop, brandished his sabre, and gave a high voiced battle cry.

  The soldiers hardly had time to assess before the knight collided into their unit. The horse shouldered them aside as they struggled to free their swords from their scabbards, bring their shields to bear and take direction from their leader. The rider sidestepped his horse to the right and swept his sword up against one as the soldier tried to stagger backwards. The blade skittered up the hauberk, seeking purchase over the gorget on his neck. None was found by the time the stroke ended, so the rider leaned further from the saddle, gaining reach, keeping the tip of the sword in that precarious place. Like a coiled snake, when he had gained enough leverage, he let it loose, thrusting up betwixt gorget and helm. Something less than steel gave, and the knight drew back, regaining a steady mounting. No matter how great or small the wound, that soldier would not return to this battle.

  Another soldier had freed their sword to the rider's left, and used the space that had opened there to raise a cry and charge. But his footing was unsure, and the sun was against him, and with his shield halfway between slung for travel and bound tight for defense, he had but his sword and his courage to defend him. The rider feinted a thrust from above, but crouched in the stirrups, bringing the blade easily around the soldier's, and connected with a solid thrust through his face grill, likewise removing him from consideration.

  The downed soldier's bravado had bought the others some breathing space and they were collecting themselves. The horse swung back as they formed up. Dropping the reigns, the rider brought his shield to the fore, slowly circling. When his path intersected that of the road, he bore down suddenly upon them. No longer surprised, the soldier's training kicked in and they did not bolt. So the rider turned aside at the last.

  With his legs he guided the horse around and swiftly returned, passing again on the same side of them, though this time with his sword foremost. The greater reach, height and momentum of the rider exposed the soldiers far more than the knight and another solder was nearly brought down with the blow delivered in passing.

  Taking a much longer run at them, the knight positioned himself in classic cavalier pose. Leaned out over the neck of the steed, arm extended the curve of the sabre bringing it perfectly down to eye level and pointed straight forward. He grinned as he closed and the soldiers mustered their mettle to stay put. There is no harder thing to stand one's ground in the face of a cavalry charge. The rider's sword pointed to a target but in the last instant of the charge it switched. Their flinch as the hooves thundered close was enough to hide the action and the blow struck true. As the rider wheeled back around, there were only five left.

  As the horse trotted around again, the soldiers moved off the road, to rockier ground. The knight noted this and dipped his sword in salute to them. It was a smart move; not an easy traverse for a horse. He walked the horse off the road as well, just out of the soldier's sight. He slid from the saddle and tethered the horse in a thicket. The cover was good so he found a convenient rock to perch upon, letting it support the weight of the armor and resting shield against the ground.

  Combat is all about marshaling your stamina. Healthy or weak, you only have so much energy. You can expend it quickly and flamboyantly in an attempt to decisively win. Or you can take it slow and steady, and hope your opponent wears faster. Each is right in the right circumstance. The knight rested in partial shade while they stood alert in the sun.

  After enough time for the knight's heart to slow down, he heard their hesitant movement. By the noise, they had made the smart decision not to send a single person to check it out, but to move as one. They were well trained indeed.

  In one motion the knight burst from the thicket hard upon them. His shield overbore the nearest on his left, confusing their close formation. The opponent to his right was caught between holding formation and bringing sword to bear against him. In direct contact with the knight managed to get his elbow past the inside of the shield of the hesitant one on the right. That was it for him. The leverage was all the knight's and it was a simple matter to prize his shield back to give room to bring the sword around in a close circle, pivoting on the elbow first up from under, and then down from above, seeking concussive force where his mail was strong and cutting force where it was not. A good slice to his inner arm drove care of the battle from the soldier's mind, and, as he fell, the knight took the opportunity to quickly do a step and thrust at the, yet unprepared, comrade behind the soldier. A lucky shot to his groin also brought him down.

  The knight's position was no longer viable. The shield charge had disrupted the soldiers, but they were well back to their footing now and clearly had the advantage over their single opponent. So he withdrew slightly faster than they advanced. One soldier led, though, less hesitant than the other two and not aware of the increasing gap. Before he could be called back in line by the others the knight stayed his retreat and engaged him hard. From low to high he tested the extremes of the soldier's defense; aggressive enough that his own offense was token. Breaking pattern the knight repeated a second high attack, winning over his shield and glancing against his helm. This was enough of a distraction to bring the momentum back in a backhand shot on his sword side, which bypassed all defenses. The solder's breath rushed out with the crack of a rib. The knight withdrew.

  The wounded man sat heavily and the others came up about him. The knight backed to a nearby tree and leaned his weight upon it. Any opportunity to let something else bear the weight of the armor was an advantage, for it preserved stamina. The wounded man made a brave attempt to regain his feet, but the pain was too much and he subsided, wheezing. The other two gave up and directed their attention to the knight once more.

  The soldier's commander was left handed, and the two formed up with a shield to either side. There were no words to be had. The soldier's numbers were much fewer than the start, but the odds were mostly unchanged.

  They came on at last, though in a carefully measured pace, no headlong assault. The two sides exchanged tentative blows at range, testing defenses but accomplishing little. The knight pressed them once in close. Using their own shields as a defense in addition to his own. But everyone's defense was too high to get a direct blow in. It was largely a stalemate. The knight feinted high to bring their shields up, and while they had blinded themselves, tried to roll around their flank. But they quickly turned, reversing the facing of their small unit. The knight withdrew once more.

  They stood for a while. The knight had found his tree again, and they stood, resolute. The man with the cracked rib had managed to get out of his armor, and lay wheezing; occasionally hurling abuse at the knight and encouragement to his comrades.

  Once the knight caught his breath, waiting was to no advantage. He pushed off from the tree and strode determinedly at them. They braced and the three engaged again. High and low they fought, over the mutual barriers of their shields. Strength ebbed on both sides, and the battle became almost a caricature. Shields drooped lower from effort, though swords struck lighter, faili
ng to gain advantage from it. Breath came heavy and neither side had time for shouts or even brief instructions. Sweat flowed from all pores as the morning threatened noon. The left handed one parried wide, and the knight struggled to bring his blade around to take the opening. The sword managed to get in, but lacked the pressure to press upon his shoulder to any effect. The right handed one brought his shield down, pinning the sword. Stupefied by his exhaustion, he failed to realize the knight's position and merely flailed at his shield with his sword. The knight sucked what breath he could and shield punched him in the face. That sent him staggering back and sitting heavily, freeing the knight's sword. The other soldier backed away, alarmed at the split. The knight staggered towards him and nearly on top of him as he backed over something unexpected and went down.

  The knight's coup de grace was barely token, and unworthily did the job to a skilled opponent. His comrade just shook his head as he approached, all but spent. The knight swept his shield with his foot and finished the job with the same lack of grace. It was over.