I clucked to Lucan, and he moved off, Karjan behind us. I turned as we went out the gate, onto the street, and watched her never-moving form until it disappeared in the river mists.

And the war reached out and took me.

TWENTY-THREE.

Disaster at the Imru Riverm eneral Turbery had requisitioned every available "T

craft to carry us upriver to Cicognara, at the head of ^t_ -**"*

Latane River's delta. There, the army would a.s.semble and march east toward the Kallian border.

I didn't see Tenedos-he was on the flagship with the general, but he told me later of his fumings at how terribly slow we moved.

I had little time to notice, because it took eight huge cattle lighters to transport the Lancers, and I was constantly shuttling back and forth between the ships with my new adjutant, Legate Bikaner, in a small sailing boat helmed by a villain whose politest speech reduced the most profane lance-major to respectful silence.

But once we disembarked at Cicognara, even I saw how glacial was our progress. For three weeks there was nothing but interminable staff meetings as to how we should move, in what order, which regiment belonged to which division, and so forth, further confused as more and more units trickled into the city.

Some of the snarl was understandable, since the Numantian Army hadn't moved in such a ma.s.s for generations.

Eventually there were over , soldiers camped in and around the city, everyone in awe at the size of the host. This sounds laughable, since a few years later I'd be comfortable personally commanding many times that number, just one part of Emperor Tenedos's forces, but it's necessary to remember that the army had fought in no wars, only border skirmishes and internal disputes, for years.

The eventual order of battle was as follows: Each regiment, now augmented to about , men, was grouped with four others to form a division. Five divisions then formed a corps. These , men formed a wing, of which there were three: Left, Center, and Right.

The thirteen elite regiments that'd been called to Nicias to suppress the riots were built back up to strength, given additional support elements, and used as either forward or screening elements of these three wings.

On a blistering day, the second of the Tune of Heat, we set off for Kallio, a long, multicolored snake curling along the road that leads to the border. I'd been angered before by how slowly the Khurram Light Infantry moved, but that pace was that of the cheetah compared to mis c.u.mbersome monster. I had learned that a good soldier could carry all his possessions on his back or on a packhorse. If that was true, I marched east with over , idiots. I include myself, because Maran had had new uniforms designed and made, and I hadn't had the heart to tell her no, nor to leave them in Nicias. In fact, to be truthful, I rather admired them, with their silk facings, their exact fit, their gold and silver embroidery.

I tried to rationalize this by thinking I'd provide better leadership since I was so easy to mark, and that soldiers always wished their leaders to stand out. But in fact, a previously unknown streak of vanity showed itself. I'm not that ashamed-has there ever been a cavalryman without more than a trace of vainglory?

I couldn't maintain the silly rationale for long, not after Kar-jan looked at my wardrobe, and asked, expressionlessly, where we'd cage the peac.o.c.ks we'd need for replacement feathers. So my personal gear filled two handsome leather wardrobes, *and I was by far the most conservative of the higher-ranking officers.

Soldiers had cases, warrants had trunks, legates had cabinets, dominas had private wagons, and generals had trains.

On the march I had something to keep me occupied other than duty, since the Lancers ran of their own accord, like a perfect clockwork mechanism, needing little attention. Maran had written at least once, sometimes twice, a day, and I savored each letter as it arrived, reading and rereading the small delights of peace. There were pleasant surprises: Her husband would not contest the annulment; she'd encountered surprisingly little rejection for being a scarlet woman; and, best of all, her monthly time had not occurred yet.

She was also surprisingly explicit about what she wished me to do to her, when and where, in bed, standing, or in the bath, when I came home. I rode around with a seemingly perpetual bulge in my breeches, and wondered if I'd have to find a convenient bush to shame myself behind before the campaign ended.

Two days into the march, when we could still see the not-terribly-tall buildings of Cicognara in the distance, I saw a young, and obviously rich, legate shaving. He had his own tent, a clever folding table, desk, chairs, a personal cook with his own stove making breakfast to one side, two servants attending him, and a canvas bathtub beside. As he finished, a rather attractive young woman came out of the tent, pulling on a silk robe.

He was not the only one to bring a mistress or wife-one general broughtthree. Since he was slightly older than Irisu, no one knew what he did with one, let alone all of them.

Camp followers, ration wagons, sutlers' carts, bullocks for the slaughter-we looked like a migrating nation, not a fighting force.

I found a new pastime as our horses plodded onward across the countryside. Captain Petre and I returned to one of our old amus.e.m.e.nts-designing the army we'd rather lead, rather fight with. I even took to keeping a notebook with schemes we thought particularly valuable. This is an odd thing for a domi-na and a captain to waste their time doing, and is rather the pastime of freshly commissioned legates. But it must be remembered I was only twenty-three and Petre a year older, so our foolishness can be understood. But considering what happened a few weeks later, it turned out not to be foolish at all.

I encountered Tenedos when we'd made camp, a week after we'd marched out of Cicognara and inquired as to how it was going. He looked around to make sure we couldn't be overheard.

'It is not going at all, as you should know," he said. "No one, not even General Turbery, seems to be aware that the Time of Heat will not last forever, and we must be across the border into Kallio and dealing with Chardin Sher before the monsoons begin. Instead, we stroll along at our leisurely pace, stopping to pick a flower here, investigate a byway there-" he broke off. "Damastes, is there anyone in your army who knows how to fight?"

"Afy army, sir?"

"My apologies. I mean no slur. I'm fresh from a conference with the general, and I seem to be speaking a different language than he does." He sighed heavily. "I just hope things will come right when they must.

"Oh. By the way, you may congratulate me. Turbery's given me general's rank."

I blinked. "Well, my heartiest, sir. But... you turned that down once before."

"That was before," Tenedos said. "And that was when I wished to keep some remove between me and the army. Now I must not. There is a time to watch, and then a time to swim with the current."

I wasn't sure what he meant, but congratulated him, saluted, and went back to the Lancers.

I told Mercia, Captain Petre, of my conversation. He made sounds I knew I was supposed to take for laughter.

"The seer general is quite right, I think. But he's hardly blameless."

"Why so?"

"Oh, you haven't heard? He's brought his lady along." And so it was; not a day later I saw him riding with Rasen-na. I waved, and they waved back. If it wouldn't have been a scandal, I almost wished I'd brought Maran. But an army on the campaign isn't the best place for gentlefolk unused to harshness, although the manner in which we traveled was, indeed, more like rich, happy wanderers on a vacation than hard soldiering.

Then the word came: Chardin Sher had crossed the border into Dara! Now it was open war.

Scouts and magic discovered that his army was waiting for us, in prepared positions along the Irmu River, not far from the small Daran city of Entoto.

Four days later, we came on them. We were near the headwaters of the Imru River, so it wasn't particularly wide, no more than thirty yards. It runs south-southeast to eventually join the Latane. We were moving across rolling, fairly open countryside, scattered with groves of trees-open country ideal for warfare.

Chardin Sher's army held an excellent position, a choke point that we must pa.s.s through to reach the border between Kallio and Dara. The road we'd been following ran down to a ford, and across it was Chardin Sher's main force. Across the river to the west reared a heavily forested mountain, the a.s.sab Heights. Downriver, past the ford, were Chardin Sher's reserves, and beyond them to the east the river forked and pa.s.sed through a marsh.

_______t^^vIua, auu waiiea see what would happen next We estimated Chardin Sher's forces at about , , surprisingly close to the exact number revealed after me war. Outnumbered, they made no move to attack, but waited for us.

I was surprised to see they'd prepared no fighting positions other man shallow trenches near the river, since they planned to be on the defensive.

I began to feel the fire build. This might well be a battle decided by the cavalry, and I would be in the forefront Mail reached us.

My darling, darling, darling I AM pregnant. A seer confirmed this only today. I asked her what else she could see about the child, as to its s.e.x or its future, but she said nothing more came to her.

But this is for certain, my love.

This is beyond my happiest dream. I said I wished a boy, but if it's a girl, that is also perfect. All that matters is that he or she is yours, is ours.

I wonder which time it was that our love so pleased Irisu he let our child-to-be leave the Wheel? Was it when we f.u.c.ked on the balcony, and you managed to break the gla.s.s table? Or was it...

But the rest doesn't matter.

So I was to be a father.

Now I hoped the campaign would be a very short one, or else I might have an interesting wedding ceremony, with my firstborn as ring-bearer.

Then it began to go wrong.

General Rechin Turbery called all regimental commanders with their adjutants for a briefing one morning. We would attack on the following day.

Such a major move required far more notice than the eighteen hours he'd given us.

He'd made no consultation with his corps or division commanders.

He'd sent no patrols to the far sh.o.r.e to make reconnaissance.

The size of the briefing guaranteed no one could ask anything but the most obvious question, let alone raise objections.

The soldiers would be ready to move at midnight, and the attack would begin at false dawn.

*Too long a time would pa.s.s between a.s.sembly and battle. The army was completely unpracticed at moving, let alone fighting, at night.

Each wing would attack frontally, crossing the river at once.

No soundings had been taken to see if the water was shallow across our entire front.

The Right Wing was to swing right after it reached the far bank and immobilize Chardin Sher's reserves to the east, near the swamp, while the Center and Left Wings were to close Chardin Sher's main force in a pincers.

The Numantian Army might have survived the other errors, but this last was the worst: "What was on the other side of the a.s.sab Heights?I was about to ask that question when the general laid the final stroke of the whip.

The cavalry was to be withdrawn to the rear of the Center Wing and take no part in the initial fighting.

Once the Left and Center Wings had broken Chardin Sher's main force-this was an automatic a.s.sumption by Turbery-we would then charge across the mm and settle the Kallians' hash for good, the so-called final moment of battle.

I reddened in anger and disbelief. It might have been a good idea to have a strong striking force ready to seize any opportunity, butall the cavalry? I barely knew the names of the other regimental commanders. That we were supposed to fight together as a team without plans, order of battle, rehearsal, without field exercises, was utterly absurd. If General Turbery had planned on using us in this manner, he should have had us practicing in Cicognara and on the march east, rather than letting us skylark about with no purpose. Turbery's plan would also leave the army without screening riders, flank security, or frontal scouts-in short, completely blind in its attack I glanced at Bikaner, and he was as aghast as I. General Turbery went on to describe what was to be done with Chardin Sher when we captured him, although he'd not said anyone knew he was actually with the Kallians across the river, then closed with some inspiring remark about how Numantia would now prove its iron, its strength as a great nation. I was too angry to hear him.

I headed straight for Seer Tenedos's tent, which was not far from Turbery's headquarters. It was large, divided into two sections, one for an office, the other for the seer's bedchamber. I saw no sign of Rasenna. I started telling Tenedos what idiocy I'd just listened to and he held up his hand, stopping me.

"Did you notice I wasn't present?" Of course I had, but idiotically had a.s.signed no importance to it "The general informed me of his intentions last night I objected strongly, as strongly as I could, but he insisted he knew better, so I refused to honor the farce with my presence. "I'll tell you two things that you must not repeat to anyone, not even your adjutant, that will make you even angrier, and this is why I refused to take part in the briefing, because I know we face potential disaster.

"First is that there is great magic swirling around this place, magic such as I've never heard of before, never encountered." "No one has told me anything about the Kallians having a great sorcerer," I said.

"But considering the disregard the army still holds magic in, that means nothing. Can you detect who's casting these spells?"

"That's the unusual aspect, for I detect no single... signature might be the word, the sign that one man or woman is working these incantations. I almost fear Chardin Sher has a magician who's perfected a Great Spell, somehow getting others to work together with him.

"But I can't believe that. I'm prideful enough to think if I couldn't produce anything cohesive from those master magicians, arrogant fools that they are, of the Chare Brethren, no one else, using other wizards, can either." "What's the other problem?' I asked. "I brought half a dozen magicians with me, and we've been trying to cast searching spells across the river, since General*Turbery has refused to send scouts out, fearing to lose the element of surprise.

"All of our efforts have been turned back, as if we were but tin swords lunging at steel plates.

"This worries me more than the first."

"Is there anything that can be done?"

"Very little. Probably nothing. Try prayer-and not to Saionji. We do not need to encourage the Bringer of Chaos to even notice us on the morrow. Return to your regiment, and be very wary of the way you fight on the morrow. If you cross the river, be prepared for surprise. I'm going to try yet again to penetrate this veil of darkness, to see what Chardin Sher is up to."

"One question, sir. Have you, or any of your seers, been able to ascertain whether Chardin Sher is over there in person?'

"We tried, and were rebuffed. I tried another method, and sent a searching spell across the country, aimed toward Polycittara. I detected no sign of the prime minister, but that isn't certain. My spell could have failed, or he could be in yet another location, or have wards up to prevent my locating him.

"But I can tell you I feel his presence. I would wager, with nothing more than that feeling, that he is, indeed, over there, waiting to preside over our destruction."

"Sir," I said. "I mean no disrespect to our commander, but I thought General Turbery had experience; I thought he'd fought the Kallians."

"He has, Damastes. But with how many men? A regiment, perhaps two, against small probes by a company or two of their forces, bom sides breaking off when real blood began to be shed, since neither side wished to acknowledge real enmity. I'm afraid General Turbery's reach has far exceeded his grasp.

"There might also be another problem: It's not uncommon for a man to achieve greatness so long as he isn't the final rung on the ladder. As long as General Turbery could fall back on a superior, such as General Protogenes, all was well and good.

"But now he stands alone, and will be judged."

No longer angry, but worried, I hurried back to the Lancers.

The various units were supposed to wait until dark to begin movement, and the Lancers obeyed orders. Others didn't-I saw dust clouds swirl as various foot units began, literally, stealing the march, dust clouds visible across the river to warn Chardin Sher something was in the offing.

Finally, the Lancers began moving, and if the morrow were not looming close, it might have been funny.

Columns got lost, troops ended up riding with other regiments, men fell off their horses, men rode into tents, men rode into wagons, men rode into latrines ... the list of mishaps was as various as the numbers of swearing cavalrymen wallowing around in the night.

But eventually we found a location approximately where we were to be, and waited for battle.

At false dawn, the havoc began.

The Battle of Imru River is correctly taught as one of the finest, least subtle, most complete catastrophes of war known. It should have been a great victory-we outnumbered the foe nearly two to one, it was a calm day, the heavy clouds overhead were unthreatening, and both sides could see each other perfectly.

Most combats, once joined, are a confusion of blood and screaming, where no one knows quite what's going on, and frequently the victor isn't sure he's won until the next day. Imru River was different. Since my role, until the end, was to sit fuming helplessly on a ridge, waiting for the grand opportunity that never happened, I can tell precisely and briefly of the disaster.

Just at false dawn, trumpets sounded, and the three Numantian wings marched toward the river.

General Hern led the Left Wing, General Odoacer the Right, with General Turbery taking personal command of the Center.

They marched straight into the river, in closed battle order, and the floundering began. The water at the ford was a bit deeper than anyone had thought, and men struggled and yelled, the river's swift current catching their shields and sending them stumbling. General Turbery and the other high-rankers, on horseback, had noticed nothing.

In the Center, confusion began.

General Odoacer, on the right, was perhaps more eager than the others for his share of glory, and so he'd moved forward a bit faster than the other two elements.

Our right flank was therefore exposed.

On the left it was a debacle. The shallows did not extend that far west, and the river deepened to more than eight feet a few paces from the bank. Men toppled into water over their heads, flailed about, trying to swim in armor, and began drowning. The implacable press of the formation forced other men after them, and the water became a seething ma.s.s of helpless soldiery.

On the other bank, the Kallian forces rose out of their shallow pits, and a single man rode out in front of them-Chardin Sher, magnificent in silver armor astride a chestnut stallion, his standard-bearers behind him.