Notes: Garcian is pronounced gar - thee - an.
Reviews: Thanks to my first reviewers: LANELOTTRISTANBABY and BlackPaintedWhite
Chapter 2 :Traps
"We must send for reinforcements my lord, we can not win this fight on our own, and if we wait any longer the fort will fall and it will be too late. Please my lord send out riders."
"I sent them out 3 days ago"
"And so the messengers are dead, we have no hope."
"Don't be a fool boy, if they rode hard they'll have reached help, help will have had to prepare and then get here still with strength to fight. There is no reason to despair yet. At best they will arrive today or tomorrow."
"It will be too late. The blue demons kill so many there will be none left tomorrow, our rescuers will be saving corpses not men."
"They will be here and we will still live when they do come. Now aren't some men working on reinforcing the doors? I suggest you join them and lend a hand. If we can keep them from breaching the walls we have a fighting chance to be alive in the morn."
"Of course my lord, but I am not the only one despairing, if you could say something to the men perhaps we would all be better off."
"I'll see. You're dismissed."
"Yes my lord. Good day my lord."
General Septimus Orinious IV slumped in his chair once the young soldier had left the room. The boy was right of course, the men were dispirited and scared, the forces at his disposal were now less than half of what they had been a week ago.
He could only hope the missives he had sent had reached Sir Arthur and Commander Antonius and that both men's forces rode as fast and fought as hard as the stories said they did.
Nothing but the best was going to beat this army of woads and Romans who had revolted against their commanders and had overrun the fort 10 miles away from Septimus' own.
The fierceness of the native forces combined with the knowledge and strategy of the Romans. A formidable opponent at the best of times, even more so now that he knew he had less than 150 men against the 400 outside the walls.
It was possible to be optimistic in front of the men but once alone the vastness of despair one again came back to him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A mere 5 miles from this battle, a scout returned to his leader.
"Arthur, the fort is 5 miles south east and another force approaches from the west."
"Is the approaching force enemy or ally?"
"I was unable to tell, their commander wears the cloak of Rome but the others are cloaked in a darker colour. I could not make out the insignia on their shields. They are 20 strong."
"Thank you Tristan. I'll think we'll intercept this approaching force. Commander Antonius was supposed to be arriving from the south west so it is possible it could be them."
"Or someone who has ambushed them and is disguised as them."
"What a lovely thought Tristan! Either way we'll find out who they are. Lead the way."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In a small forest, a group of warriors that were officially under the command of Antonius Garcian waited quietly in the gathering dusk. The only noise, the breathing of the men and their beasts, and the occasional creak of leather or scrape of armour.
In this quiet atmosphere the hoof beats of 16 horses were perceived as soon as they came into hearing. A few horses in the woods shifted but a murmur from their riders kept them still again until those 16 horses came into sight.
They were led by a tall imposing man in full roman armour, which proclaimed his station among others. Beside the leader was a dark man with hair tangled into haphazard braids and a hawk on one arm. Following them, the remaining 14 Sarmation Knights rode in pairs.
As these men entered the woods they slowed to a trot and the group waiting there finally moved. Slowly, carefully and quietly they worked their way around the Sarmations and their commander, so when the company came to a halt at the word of their scout, they were completely surrounded.
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