Tides of Blood and Steel by Christian Warren Freed Read Free Book Online

is a good idea. It will take away the advantage of our long bows and place them within enemy range.”
    “Just do it. I accept full responsibility for any consequences.”
    Prost nodded, against his better judgment, and issued the order. He was about to stalk off when Piper stopped him.
    “Never question my orders in front of the men, Prost. Never.”
    Prost took the warning for what it was worth. He hadn’t gained his current rank by meekly obeying every command blindly. That got men killed more often than not. “Sir, what kind of leader would I be if I didn’t have the concern of my men in mind?”
    Piper cracked a thin smile. “A poor one indeed. We must remember the mission comes first though. It is impossible to bring them all home alive. The campaign must come first.”
    “I understand, sir.”
    Roars went up from across the plain. Piper opened his spyglass. His pike men were fiercely stabbing over the barricades. A new man stepped into the gap whenever a man fell. Piper watched his enemy cast spears and crossbow bolts into the lightly armored pike men. He and Rolnir willingly sacrificed armor for speed. Unfortunately it meant that men would die. There was nothing glorious or romantic about it. Hot blood splashed the once pristine snow. Viscera and body parts flopped down. Screams howled across the air, weakening knees and worse from those not yet engaged. Piper watched the battle unfold and snarled. His infantry was getting mired down.
    “Now, Prost. Send in the cavalry. Both wings, double assault. We break them here.”
    A full hundred heavy horse launched their attack. They were the heaviest forces in the Wolfsreik. Rolnir like to call them his line breakers, and Piper agreed. There were very few formations capable of withstanding a charge of heavy horse. Piper relished the feeling of the ground trembling beneath the charge, silently thanking the infantry for breaking down the snow enough. Enemy commanders caught the incoming riders and frantically tried to shift their defense. It didn’t matter. There was small chance of success.
    Time slowed. Piper never bothered with the why or how of it. Another twenty meters and the cavalry would make contact. Piper shifted his focus back to the fighting. Men from both sides were steadily dropping, either dead or wounded in the melee, but his forces were getting the better of it. The enemy center was slowly breaking. He allowed a tight smile. Several of the barricades were already lying broken on the ground. He guessed he outnumbered the defenders by at least three to one. The sheer weight of his numbers was driving them back.
    The cavalry on the right wing struck a fraction of a second before the left. Rogscroft defenders were trampled and speared. Horses and riders smashed into them from both pincers, each driving towards the center. Piper watched as his counterpart was trampled under the wall of horseflesh. Satisfaction entered his thoughts. This battle was effectively finished.
    “Commander, bring me my horse. I am going to the front,” he told Prost.
    The few enemies alive and unharmed broke free of the press and ran for their lives. Dozens more were either run down or hacked to death before the Wolfsreik calmed down enough to take prisoners. A handful escaped over the low rise. Piper didn’t care. Those few would tell others of the defeat and spark the terror for him. The road to Rogscroft would lie open and waiting. He passed a glance at a file of fifty prisoners being escorted away. None of them bore the look of defeated men. He sighed. The capital city was still many weeks away. Until then it was one battle at a time.
    Piper frowned despite the ease of victory. Perhaps it was that ease that left him troubled. It didn’t make sense. Their stand resulted in heavy losses Aurec could ill afford. He supposed it could be blamed on the vagaries of war, but experience suggested otherwise. He was missing something. Anxious, he struggled to sort through the random