The guards at the door came to attention, spear butts striking the stone floor precisely together. Slender, medium height, scarred face—the visitor came into the governor's office, dropped to one knee.
"Highness."
"Commander. Your news?"
"This morning a rider came in. Raven clan—from the supply train that set out four days ago. He says the wagons were attacked by raiders—Eagles. Taken, the guards killed or driven off."
"How big was the escort?"
"Twenty riders, a dozen crossbows. He says the attackers were two or three times their number."
"Why would they be raiding a supply caravan? Is there any word of famine on the plains?"
The commander shook his head.
"We're sending the wagons with big escorts. Maybe they thought they were carrying something more valuable than food for your troops, water for your pool."
"We can't have them raiding our supplies; what do we do?"
The commander glanced at the young man standing behind the Prince's shoulder. The Prince answered the unspoken question.
"You can speak openly."
"The Eagles' oasis is a long day's march west of here. The Second has been too long in camp. With Your Highness's leave, I find any Eagles in town and send them back to their chiefs with a message. The men responsible for the raid to be delivered up to us, the supplies, wagons, horses returned, blood money for the dead, hostages against future behavior."
"Will they do it?"
"No. Before dawn tomorrow, the Second, a few hundred light infantry, mostly archers, all the Ravens we can find. We reach Eagle Oasis before dusk, demand an immediate answer. They refuse. We take the oasis."
"What do they do?"
"They can't stay around in force because there's not enough water. They might try to take it back then and there—get killed. Might meet our terms. If not—land with water is scarce. We settle the oasis with our people, maybe Ravens too. Eagles move west, try to take someone else's territory or find a clan with spare land willing to have them as clients. Your Highness's province is a day wider. The clans don't raid us again. All over before the main campaign starts—and the troops get a little exercise."
"Do it. Before you go, I have a favor to ask. I would like my son Kiron to join your staff. You may find him useful; he will surely find what he learns useful later."
The commander looked curiously at the young man, nodded. "Of course."
The Prince motioned his son forward.
"Kiron, Commander Artos. You will obey him."
The young man bowed, saluted. His father turned back to the commander.
"I'm sending Giorgios with him. He finds peace boring."
"Like old times, Highness; sure you don't want to come along?"
The Prince shook his head.
"I would only get in the way. Besides, I have my own war to fight here. I hope my son will learn from the two of you as I did."
The commander turned to the Prince's son.
"You have your equipment?"
"Yes sir. Giorgios told me what I would need."
"He'll know the house I'm using for staff. Meet with me half an hour before dinner. The legions dine early."
When Kiron arrived at the house he was shown up to the commander's office; Giorgios remained behind to gossip with the door guards. Artos was alone. He motioned Kiron to a seat.
"What do you know of the planned campaign?"
"A surprise attack on the Vales to seize their northernmost valley and the river that comes out of it—more if possible. The Oasis as supply base and staging area."
"What do other people think we are doing?"
"Some think His Majesty is failing and the army is to fight my uncle. I've heard a few say that you plan to ally with some of the clans, move against the others, expand the province into the plains. There's some talk about moving south into the Vales, but not much. I heard one legion officer say their chief is the trickiest bastard alive."
"He is. Not chief—Harald's title is Senior Paramount. Worth remembering. What do you say?"
"As little as I can. Talk about horses, women."
"Good. Spreading rumors is a useful tactic, but doing it badly is worse than not doing it. What do you think?"
"Giorgios says the problem isn't finding troops but supplying them—that there isn't a lot of water between the Oasis and the river. I thought, if you had a way of doing it, you might get there before the Vales have time to raise an army."
"Yes. If everything goes right, they find out we're coming when we get there. Against someone else, there's a good chance it would work. Fooling Harald isn't impossible, but I'm not counting on it. What do you know about the pool at the Oasis?"
"Father's swimming pool? I've heard people talking. Seemed like an awful waste of money and effort to be doing . . . Oh."
"When the army reaches the Oasis, your father's swimming pool will have the water it needs to refill and continue south. If we are very lucky, Harald either hasn't heard about it or hasn't figured out what it is. If we aren't very lucky, the river we need to reach will be defended by several thousand cataphracts, under the best general alive."
"I thought you . . ."
"If I thought that, I would lose. Harald has spent the past twenty-five years defeating every army sent south, most of them bigger than his. Remember that. If it makes us too scared, we give up before we start. If it doesn't make us scared enough, most of us don't get back. I plan to break his record, but it isn't going to be easy."
"It isn't fair. You have Harald to deal with; Gavin doesn't."
"I have the fox to deal with, he has the vixen—the Lady Commander's been helping Harald win battles longer than you've been alive."
Dinner, with Artos, a dozen members of his staff, the commanders of the second legion and the light infantry that would accompany them, was mostly spent on plans for the morning's advance on the Eagle clan oasis. Kiron said as little as he courteously could. When the others left, the commander motioned for him to stay.
"What do you think about tomorrow's plans?"
"Father says the nomads are the best light cavalry you can get."
"They are. I recruit them when I can—half Raven clan is taking your father's gold at the moment."
"So why is everyone so sure we can beat them tomorrow?"
"Good question. Always ask it.
"First rule: If nobody makes any mistakes, infantry can beat cavalry but can't catch it. Remember that; it's important."
"We have the best infantry; why don't we always win?"
"One reason is that we make mistakes. The other is that soldiers have to eat and drink—if they didn't, we'd rule the world by now."
Kiron looked puzzled. The commander gave him a moment to think before he went on.
"Infantry controls any place but not every place. As long as the enemy has the cavalry, everywhere we aren't is theirs. That includes all the places supplies have to cross to get to our army. Try to hold the whole supply line, get too thin, they concentrate, break you.
"Eagle clan can't hold their oasis against a legion—and without the oasis they don't have the supplies to hang around and make trouble. Once they're gone, we leave a few lights—more of them than we can use for the main campaign anyway—and settlers. If some of the settlers are Ravens, their clan brothers will keep an eye on things—we don't even have to pay them.
"Fighting Harald is going to be harder, but once we have the river, better yet the vale it comes out of, the hardest part of the supply problem is solved. And he has the same problem if he tries to move north and cut our lines—horses drink a lot more water than men. If we can get a foothold and keep it, we'll settle the vale, raise crops, herds. See you in the morning—early."