Coup de Grace
Drunken with Sir Arius’ recent victory on the fields of Korelia, the Coalition gave little thought to Viscount Jorge’s and the cavalry’s whereabouts. Many assud that the news of another victory was just around the corner. Things were looking promising, and discipline was relaxed.
When dozens of cavalryn erged from the forest, the South Hill column cheered for them, believing this to be Lord Jorge’s triumphant return. But their hearts fell when they saw the dreadful Blue and Bronze Chevron heraldry on the battle standard.
Panic set in as the captains flocked to their commander, asking for instructions. anwhile, riders were dispatched to the other columns, warning them of the unsettling developnt.
As for the South Hill n, still shaken by the previous two charges, they could hardly stomach another round. In a flash of inspiration, one of the nobles shouted that the Korelian cavalry was simply evading pursuit, and the Black Knights were hot on their tails.
This gave them a semblance of hope and allowed the column to function. However, that illusion was shattered when the Korelians paraded black helts and pieces of black armor atop their lances.
This was the Lord of Korelia's magic trick: to make two-hundred cavalryn disappear after entering the forest.
Now, the parading Korelians threw fresh taunts and mockery at their opponents, further demoralizing the column.
Yet, the South Hill n persisted. Another charge was probably needed to break them, yet Lansius didn’t see the need to do so. A parade was all he had instructed his knights to do.
After all, what Lansius wanted now was the Coalition’s undivided attention to him. That way, Audrey in the south could roam free.
For Lansius, after the ambush and the elimination of the Coalition’s cavalry, the war was largely over. What was left was simply cleanup and tying up loose ends.
While close to six thousand n were still standing in the field, to him, the best they could do was make noise before their eventual defeat.
***
Audrey, Korelia Town, Southern Gate
Lady Felis knotted three strands of her golden hair into Audrey’s headband. “I wish you the greatest of luck,” said the lady as she completed the knot.
“Gratitude, Lady Felis,” Audrey replied with a smile. She then donned her helt, looked at her n, and gave her command. “Open the gates!”
“OPEN THE GATES!” the n echoed her order and swung the sturdy southern gate open.
The two friends exchanged a glance, conveying much without words. They had only t several tis before Korelia but had quickly beco fast friends.
Felis’ naturally bubbly, happy-go-lucky, and largely carefree personality matched well with Audrey’s daredevil style. More than that, Audrey’s sharp instincts told her subconsciously that Felis was soone she could trust, even more so than Hannei who had saved her life.
“Be safe,” the blonde said.
“I’ll see you soon,” the brunette replied, and then gallantly rode her horse toward the southern gate.
Cheering erupted from the townsfolk as the twenty cavalryn rode out.
Once outside the city, Audrey led her cavalry westward. This late in the fight, their presence and intentions were hidden from the enemy, and they aid to capitalize on that aspect.
Even if soone spotted them, there was a little risk at this point. The Lord was holding a parade to the north to draw the attention of the Western Lords. It was also Audrey’s cue to sortie.
With only twenty riders, they certainly weren’t going to charge into a column of two-thousand n. Clad in only their brigandines, or ringmails, they couldn’t even co close to replicating what Lansius had done with his knights.
Among them, only Audrey was furnished in her black gothic plate armor. However, this arrangent wasn’t accidental. Speed was commanded to them.
Lord Lansius had purposely instructed them to ride light. Only two riders carried lances. Everyone else carried torches.
Led by an experienced scout with a dog in his lap, these twenty riders weren’t interested in charging a column.
Audrey and her riders slowed down as they reached the first spot, confird by the scout’s dog.
The lady in black smiled at the cute little creature before turning to her n, her expression turning serious. “Burn all the caches. Let’s make a big pyre for this wretched Western Lords’ army!”
Every battle is won before it is ever fought.
Even if Lansius' cavalry charge had failed, even if he hadn't been able to bait Lord Jorge, he would have won this battle through fire tactics alone. Failure would only have ant more casualties on the opposing side and not a complete victory for Korelia.
***
Baron Omin
Facing the city to the south, Baron Omin commanded a fresh column of two-thousand n. Because of the distances, he was unaware of Lansius’ parade to the north and thus content to play his part in the siege.
A veteran of several battles, Omin held command under a large umbrella, offering protection from the sumr heat. From there, he periodically sent out scouts, rotated his troops, and listened to reports.
Nothing had piqued his interest until a scout reported movent to the south.
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“Cavalry to the south, you say?” Baron Omin craned his neck in that direction, frowning when he saw nothing from his seat.
“Yes, My Lord. A small group, galloping without a banner or colors.”
“How the hell-“ one of his staff began, grimacing. No one had assud that Lansius still had another cavalry at his disposal, and they were the closest to this new threat.
“Not now! Get the captains and form a square formation,” Omin ordered his staff, who sprang into action.
Omin, too, was surprised but concealed it well.
What are these Korelians thinking? They’ve launched reckless charges against the northern column. Surely, they put all their cavalry on that charge to even have a chance of success?
Despite pondering further, Omin couldn’t fathom why the Korelians had split their cavalry. He put that thought aside as he watched his troops assu a square formation.
Though this formation was naturally slower to move and lacked concentrated strength, it offered protection on all flanks.
“So, where are they?” Omin asked the returning scout from atop his horse.
“My Lord, the Korelian cavalry doesn’t seem to be heading here,” the scout reported, doubt evident on his face.
Omin sensed sothing was wrong. In a spur of the mont, he pulled on his horse’s reins and rode southward, willing to take more risks to learn the Korelians’ intentions.
Eleven riders followed Omin. They had no more horsen available. They had barely traversed two hundred ters through the yellowing wild grass when Omin noticed sothing.
Smoke. White puffs billowed from multiple spots on the southern horizon.
Unsure if he was seeing things correctly, Omin reined in his horse and ca to a stop.
His accompanying riders noticed it too and reported, “My Lord, look. Fires, the Korelians are burning the wild grass.”
Sothing bothered him, so Omin dismounted. Once on the ground, he found himself surrounded by grass taller than his knee, almost reaching his waist. He drew his knife and cut the closest bunch of grass.
The husks in his palm were yellowing from the sumr sun. As he ripped it out, he found it was sturdier and thicker than usual, but not old enough to be harvested for hay. He discarded the grass and started looking around, noticing an odd uniformity in the grass.
“Scouts,” Omin suddenly yelled.
A man quickly dismounted and approached him.
“Haven’t the Korelians been grazing their livestock here? Why is all this grass full-grown?” His shock was apparent.
The scout looked perplexed but quickly knelt to inspect the roots of the grass. His wide eyes confird Omin’s suspicions.
“My lord, the fire is spreading,” one of the riders reported with so urgency.
With haste, Omin mounted his horse again. His gaze swept across the plains, now filled with smoke. A gust of dry wind swept past his face. The heavy scent of burning grass filled his nostrils, and in that mont, he realized sothing: The Southern Wind, the wind that blew from the south to the north.
“Lansius, Lansius, Lansius!” he cursed, full of rage, slamming his fist into his armored thigh three tis. He had just realized that the opponent had outmaneuvered him, trapping him in a precarious position.
Perplexed by the Baron’s behavior, his captain queried, “My Lord, why is the small fire angering you? They tried it before against Sir Arius with little effect.”
Omin had no ti to explain. Biting his lips, he calculated his next move.
“Should we move the column to the south and try to put out the fla?” his captain suggested.
“There’s no ti,” Omin snapped. “Don’t you fools get it? The Korelians are trying to burn the whole plains!”
Omin’s outburst failed to sway his staff. The thought of soone attempting to burn the vast Korelia plains was easily dismissed as a joke. Even at the height of sumr, it wasn’t easy to burn wild grasses. If it were, their attempt at cooking the previous night would’ve burnt down their entire campsite.
“Go now! Ride to the column and get them back to the encampnt imdiately. Sound a retreat if you have to,” Omin ordered.
His staff nodded, albeit with skepticism. They probably thought the fire was a distraction at best. However, they welcod the chance for an early rest. Standing in armor under the sumr sun was far from comfortable.
“My Lord, where are you going?” asked one of his staff as Omin steered his horse away from them.
“I’ll head to the encampnt and alert them. We need to start packing before the fire reaches them,” Omin said as he rode away.
Accompanied by only his Nicopolan bodyguard and four horsen, he raced westward toward the encampnt.
***
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