Once the war began, Swadia's army sprang into motion like a finely tuned machine. King Harlaus led nearly a thousand cavalrymen surging into Nord territory like a tidal wave. Besides his own Lion Cavalry Regiment, the force included lesser lords willing to follow him, who brought their household cavalry and clustered around their king. Allen and his ten men were no more than a single splash in that wave.
Meanwhile, Earl Kleis of Dhirim, the chief marshal commanding the war, led over two thousand elite infantry and more than ten thousand serfs to surround Rud Castle. Besides his household troops, his force included nearly a thousand elite infantry assigned to him by King Harlaus. These soldiers belonged to the lesser lords. Although most of those lords had followed Harlaus with their elite cavalry, they had left trusted subordinates behind to command their troops.
Though the nobles had sounded like a flock of quacking ducks during the meeting, once they received the king's orders, every one of them became a loyal soldier. King Harlaus's ability to inspire morale was extraordinary indeed.
As for Earl Kraggs of Sunno and his troops, Allen watched them march toward Tilbert Castle. But he knew those several hundred soldiers would turn back toward Sunno somewhere out of sight, then wait for a chance to ambush his family's army.
That, however, was a matter for his father in this world, Dilinard. Allen could do nothing about it. He was following at Harlaus's side, racing toward Ambien, the largest village nearby. It was easy to imagine the miserable fate awaiting its people.
After Swadia's cavalry passed Rud Castle and charged into Nord territory, they descended like ravenous wolves upon a flock of sheep, tearing into the flesh and blood of the Nords at will. In just a few