The Reformation Wars: A Hero's Peace

Chapter 9

By noon, Captain Sloan stood at the head of several battalions of Monteraynian troops, girded in a suit of polished Alcontean armor and holding a well-crafted pole-axe in his hand. Through the eye slit in his helmet, he surveyed the horde of Innutukian invaders assembled opposite his men, a generous gap of open field between the two sides. Scores of the bearded brutes sat atop armored horses with hefty spears and battle axes in their hands, while those who stood on their own two feet wielded large shields of uneven thickness and irregular shape. And of course, all wore traditionally primitive Innutukian armor, a few disparate pieces of raw metal patched together by leather bands.

Sloan adjusted the shortsword scabbard on his hip for optimal mobility as he awaited the first offensive move from the enemy. Princess Kate had briskly called a meeting of the available members of her war council upon receiving news of the approaching Innutukians, and her orders at that time had been to fight defensively. Conserve the men's energy while forcing the invaders to waste their own strength in being the first to attack whenever possible.

Though Sloan had to admit to himself that in his agitated state of mind, his hands itched to smash open some Innutukian heads.

Movement in the enemy ranks caught Sloan's attention. A company of Innutukian cavalrymen had broken off from the front lines, and they now charged straight for Sloan's battalion. Thankfully, he had arranged them in a sturdy formation—two rows of shieldmen wielding spears, with a line of archers behind them, and then more shieldmen to take the place of any who fell.

Sloan glanced back at his men and barked out a command to ready themselves for impact. Then he himself planted his stance and prepared to hack away at the legs of incoming horses. The thundering of Innutukian cavalry grew nearer, until he not only heard their approach, but felt it as well.

As he'd intended, Sloan sidestepped the first cavalryman who attempted to stab him with his spear. Then he swung his pole-axe with all his might and tore into the horse's legs. The animal screamed as it toppled over into the first line of shieldmen, but Sloan had no time to watch further, as more armored equines charged closer.

Sloan's hammer head crashed into the next horse's snout. Though the equine's armor absorbed much of the impact, the blow still forcibly turned its head, causing it to veer off course and right into another horse's path. The collision of armor, riders, and hooves was disastrous and bone-crunching.

The barrage of armored horses charging in continued. Parts of Monterayne's front lines faltered and buckled, but extra shieldmen came forward to repair any breaches. Archers continually picked off the riders, leaving directionless equines behind who either fled the fight altogether or wandered about and often obstructed the path of other cavalrymen. A few Innutukians found themselves tossed off rearing horses and were then forced to engage the Monteraynians on foot. Dozens of spears opposed their progress no matter where in the formation they threw their attack.

One such dismounted Innutukian ran at Captain Sloan with a spear in his hands. The sharpened point sped for the sliver of an armor gap at Sloan's waist, but he batted it away with the shaft of his pole-axe. Then he swung back around and hit the Innutukian's shoddy breastplate with his hammer.

The Innutukian stumbled away with a grunt, but he soon recovered and thrusted with his spear once more. Its point simply glanced off Sloan's angular breastplate. Sloan hacked deep into his foe's thigh with his axe blade, and there the fight ended.

And so the battle continued. The Innutukian cavalrymen who had retained their mounts drew back to charge a second time, while those who had been thrown off continued to engage Sloan and the men in the front lines, attempting to compromise the Monteraynian defense. All the while, the much larger Innutukian force still loomed across the field, like an ocean wave waiting to wash over Monterayne's battalions and the castle behind them.