Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Claiming that the force currently under Saulus’ direct command was a true legion’s cavalry would be an example of a perfect white lie. Now that the last group of the footmen dropped to the ground and jumped to unpacking the materials that the carrier horses brought with them, the rest of the group consisted of people used to fighting on horseback.

And it was them that perfectly executed this single order, even though it was a bit more challenging than simply speeding up or slowing down.

At first, everyone rode towards the citadel, as if attempting to provoke Rena, who was most likely hiding there. During this maneuver, the heavily-armored part of the horsemen changed their position from the left wing to the right one, before the trumpet’s high blare announced the start of the change.

With the slow and heavy part of the cavalry suddenly taking a gentle curve, the rest of the group followed. During the reshuffle of the ranks, the fastest group in the entire unit – the scouts – took the outer rim of the formation, speeding up like madmen to catch up with the otherwise gentle turn that the entire unit was taking.

“Pace…”

With his sword acting like a beacon that gave direction to the entire army, the troops already started hurrying their mounts before he could even finish his sentence.

“JUMP!”

This time, Saulus’ order wasn’t just to accelerate. With the herald beside him instantly extracting a long and sharp cry from his instrument, the atmosphere changed. What had been nothing more than a smokescreen to Rena so far, now turned into what this unit was truly designed to do in the first place.

Frantic gallop all the way back to the place where it all started.

There was no time for reservations. There was no place for saving the horses’ stamina. There was no room for any doubts.

“RIDE!”

When the cavalrymen under his command finally managed to angle their direction to enter the designed path, Saulus no longer could restrain himself. Giving out the order to increase speed even more, he could hear the trumpeter beside him repeating the previous noise.

“Ride!”

At this point, even the herald beside him couldn’t hear Saulus’ words. The noise of hundreds of horses running down the path beside the walls was simply too great for anyone to hear anything. Thankfully, Saulus’ presence was still big enough for the unit’s eyes to gravitate towards him. His hand raised in the air with his lustrous sword in it pointing forward.

Just a little bit more…Before long, Saulus passed by the second gate they had stopped at just a few moments ago. With the footmen he left there already safely hidden behind the makeshift embankments, there was no point worrying about this position.

Saulus could say a lot about Rena. Given the years of preparation that he put in for this uprising, he had had all the time in the world to learn about his potential opponent. And after this extensive period of preparations, one thing was pretty clear.

Rena could be a coward acting on impulses, but he wasn’t an idiot by any means. Even the bit of firstborn’s blood that flowed through his veins wouldn’t be enough for him to reach the high and comfortable position he had in the Patriarch’s regime if he was a damned slowpoke!

“Ride!”

Shouting more for the sake of his own morale rather than giving orders, Saulus glanced at the men manning the fortifications before focusing all his attention on what was in front.

Because right now, only the curvature of the nearby protrusion of the city wall was obscuring the most important scene of the ongoing battle.

“HERALD!”

Shouting at the very top of his lungs, Saulus didn’t have much hope of reaching the ears of his subordinates. So he simply let go of his horse’s reins, leaning over the side of his mount to smack the man’s side with his now freed left hand. Being in the middle of the entire formation, he didn’t really need to worry about his horse going off track.

Only when he received the hit, did the herald notice Saulus’ wishes. Raising his trumpet high in the air, he glanced over at the general, awaiting his signal. This last command had to be given as late as possible before crossing the line of no return.

Not yet…The distance that separated the cavalry from the curve of the city walls was shortening at a visible rate. In just a few moments, unless ordered otherwise, they would jump in the open plain beside the gate they had first visited.

Not yet…Watching how his troops started to appear when the walls could no longer hide them, Saulus could feel something warm spreading through his lower abdomen.

Not yet…Just a few meters remained. In a fraction of a moment from now, they would pass by the curve of the wall, exposing their presence. The sounds of the battle coming from right in front of them were so loud that they managed to reach soldiers’ ears even before they could see what was going on.

Not…Saulus suddenly froze. For a single moment, it seemed as if the world had decided that time was no longer necessary. For just an instant, Saulus’ head cleared, with all his doubts and hesitations disappearing.

And then, following his inner voice, Saulus nodded.

Up and down. High and low. Quickly interchanging tones of the trumpet made it seem as if some kind of lightning struck the entire mounted force. Jumping forward as soon as three tones were sung by the metallic instrument, the entire army executed just a single command.

A command ordering the charge!

And it was perfectly timed. Any later, and they wouldn’t have the time to angle their path, striking their own forces, or even worse – their own fortifications instead. Any earlier, and the enemy would learn of their approach too soon. But now, it was all decided.

Jumping into the open plain and finally catching a look at what was going at the first gate, Saulus couldn’t help but smile. It seems that his plan had worked! This damned coward really did follow his impulses and had attempted to thin out Saulus’ forces by striking at their main concentration point, while Saulus was away chasing the winds around the city!

“CHARGE!”

And now, the thick crowd of soldiers doing their best to squeeze out from the city was blocked by Saulus’ fortification. With no other place to go and under constant pressure to move forward applied by the constant influx of clueless soldiers from behind, a huge portion of Rena’s army amassed in the thin plot of open land between the city walls and Saulus’ reinforced encampment.

And it was exactly this narrow stretch of land that was Saulus’ aim to charge through from the very beginning!

Seconds passed.

The first individuals amongst the crowd of city defenders noticed the approaching wave of cavalry. With the heavily-armed horsemen taking the first row of the entire force, those poor enemies attempted to flee the scene, only serving to increase the chaos and reduce the maneuverability of Rena’s force.

“Attack!!!”

Right now, Saulus’ command couldn’t be heard at all because everyone that belonged to his forces united and uniformly shouted this single word.

And then, Saulus’ cavalry crashed into the dense sea of enemy soldiers.