The Homecoming 64.

Woodland Battle...

"Sir wake up" is what Tovis the war engineer hears Larm the workyard apprentice say. The young engineer whose right shoulder is being shaken. Opens his eyes and finds Larm looking down at him from the wagon seat infront.
"Something happening?" asks Tovis the war engineer after yawning then sitting up. He looks around from the back of the wagon he's been sleeping in. And finds that they've moved well forward in the army of baron Harkonin.
"Think we're going to be in another battle soon sir" says young Larm, who points ahead, and adds "Look".
Tovis gets up to his knees and looks between the workyard apprentice and the wagon driver. And spots the cockatrice that the baron has recently acquired as a gift from someone in the king's court in Leeabra.
"By the gods" murmurs the war engineer in surprise at seeing the cockatrice out infront of the army.
That's at the edge of a meadow on the south side of the trade road. There's trees dotted here and there across the meadow. And back at the eastern edge of it, some thirty yards to the south of the road. Tovis finds that the wagon he's in, is beneath one of the trees.
Baron Harkonin's war engineer looks back, and sees the catapults and trebuchets are behind them. Some on the road, most off to the side of it. They're being prepared to be used, with the crews loading the war machines.
The young engineer who is in the back of a wagon full of equipment for repairs, mutters "Shit" followed by "I'm guessing the baron will want to see me before battle commences" Tovis then asks his apprentice, as well as the wagon driver "Has the enemy been seen?".
"Can't see them yet engineer" says the wagoner, while Larm adds "Word is the scouts have seen them" the young workyard apprentice, who is just thirteen years old, points to a nearby hilltop that's behind them, to the north of the road, and he says "Some of the scouts are up there" Larm continues with "They can see the enemy on the road from up there" he briefly pauses before saying "Rumour is that it's an army from across the border, way more of them than what we faced in Falshire sir".
Tovis slightly grimaces when he hears that, then he sighs, grabs his water sack, and his pack, and climbs from the back of the wagon "Come along Larm, it's off to see the baron" says the young engineer "Me sir?" asks the workyard apprentice "Yes" replies baron Harkonin's war engineer who continues with "You're my apprentice, so you stay by my side at all times"
"Yes sir" says Larm as he gets down off the wagon seat, bringing his water sack, and pack too. Tovis faintly smiles, as he wants the young apprentice out of harm's way. The young engineer knows he'll be ordered to the rear after he speaks with the baron. Who he knows, doesn't want his war engineer in any danger during a battle. Though more correctly, in the least amount of danger as possible. Because a battle, and the area near it, will always be dangerous.
Tovis is just wandering if he's been asked for, when he spots a runner coming their way. The young soldier, informs the engineer that baron Harkonin wants to speak with him. The runner leads the young engineer and his apprentice to where the baron and others are waiting.
As they make their way there. The war engineer notices that the ranks are already in position. He frowns as he sees that the archers, and those with crossbows are infront, with regular foot soldiers. Those in both, light and heavy armour. Behind the ranged squads. Many of the mounted soldiers, including the nobleborn, are on the flanks.
Tovis frowns as he sees this formation, then he looks ahead to where the cockatrice are. He figures they've got their blinders on. As their heads are moving about as they stand out infront of the army.
Then their riders, give the two naturally magical creatures a nudge and a prod with their sticks. And the cockatrice head to the left. To a clump of trees, where a small squad of scouts are.
Baron Harkonin's war engineer slightly nods when he sees this. As he figures the cockatrice won't be visible to anyone on the trade road coming from the west while the ten and a half foot tall bird like creatures are behind those trees.
Smart, Tovis thinks to himself, who then frowns as he continues to look around, paying particularly attention to the fairly open ground ahead, in what's predominantly woodlands.
The war engineer figures you wouldn't find a better place between here and the border for a battle to take place. The young engineer is immediately suspicious that the baron and his army are here, and basically ready for any sizeable force coming from the west along the trade road.
This is way too much of a coincidence, Tovis thinks to himself as the runner leads him and Larm to the left flank of the army, the furthest south from the road, that the baron's army has set up along, and to the sides.
The war engineer, correctly guesses that some serious long term planning has been going on. Which has to of included the taking of Falshire, and the defeat there. Which has lead the border town to fall back into the hands of the enemy from the Lé Dic fief.
Was that all a trap? Tovis thinks to himself in disbelief, who then slightly grimaces again, as if he's bitten into something sour. As he realises who it is that's most likely planned what's going on.
Palvarc, the young engineer thinks to himself, who then silently adds, this reeks of something that he would do.
And as the war engineer makes his way to where baron Harkonin sits upon his warhorse chatting to his fellow noblemen. The young engineer wonders what else the dark druid Palvarc has planned.
"My lord" says the young engineer when he and Larm are allowed forward through the baron's personal guards to speak to him.
"Ah Tovis there you are" says baron Harkonin as he sits upon his warhorse looking down at his war engineer. He gestures to the war machines, and tells Tovis "I want you back behind them, keeping an eye on them" the baron continues with "Make sure the crews know what to do if something goes wrong with any of them" he briefly pauses before adding "Want them working at their full capacity, they're vital in what we're about to do" he then tells the young engineer "You understand?".
"Yes my lord" says Tovis, who doesn't exactly know what the plans are for the impending battle, just that he's got to keep the war machines in working order.
"Sir Taevar's senior captain Malcené is in command of them, he knows what to do" says the baron, the war engineer nods, as he knows the army commander's adjutant, and has worked closely with him before.
"Get going, and keep an eye on that lot Tovis" says baron Harkonin by way of dismissal, after a brief pause as the young engineer turns and is about to walk away, baron Harkonin tells him "And Tovis keep out of harm's way, i don't want you amongst any of the fighting".
The war engineer nods, and walks away. Behind him he hears the baron tell those around him "Not that the fighting will get back there". Causing him and his fellow nobles to laugh.
And as Tovis and Larm make their way back through the ranks towards the war machines, the runner who took them to the baron, joins them. After baron Harkonin tells him to go with his war engineer, and to act as a messenger for him when, and if he needs one.
With the two youngsters in tow, Tovis walks to where he sees the adjutant Malcené next to one of the older trebuchets that's been hauled all the way from castle Harkonin with the army.
The senior captain who has been talking to some of the crew leaders of each of the war machines, sends them on their way. Then greets the baron's war engineer.
After Tovis greets him in return, senior captain Malcené says "They're almost in range". The young engineer looks across the meadow, and down the road that skirts along one side of it, as the adjutant to the army commander tells him "The scouts up on that hilltop will give the signal once they're at three hundred yards" he quietly adds "We've got marker points along this part of the road, have done since the middle of winter. Before the baron gave the order to take Falshire a couple of weeks ago".
Tovis nods, as he realises that there's been some serious planning going on with all this. Probably for quite some time too. No doubt if as he suspects, that this is all the dark druid Palvarc's doing. Then the planning might of been going on since the last border conflict with the Lé Dic forces over eighteen months ago.
Although he's not particularly close to Malcené, the adjutant is common born. And isn't as closed mouthed as some of the nobility when talking to commoners.
"I gather taking Falshire, then losing it was part of the plan?" quietly asks Tovis, the adjutant to the army commander glances around them, then quietly tells the young engineer "It was Tovis, well that's what sir Taevar told me yesterday" the senior captain, a lean man in his late thirties, greying, with a close cropped beard, quietly continues with "All to get the Lé Dic army to push into our fief".
"Damn" murmurs the war engineer, who then dryly adds "Would of been nice to of known that for those of us in Falshire".
The adjutant slightly nods his head, then quietly says to him "Lord Sarvaine didn't even know" he continues with "You lot who went to Falshire were basically bait to draw them further into the baron's lands" Malcené then adds "Hell, sir Taevar didn't even know until after we left castle Harkonin. And he was the first person the baron told".
Tovis nods his head, and isn't at all surprised at all the secrecy. Especially considering it's if he suspects, is all the dark druid Palvarc's plan.
After the senior captain calls the scorpions and the wagon mounted ballistas that Tovis has designed, to be brought forward.
The adjutant to the army commander says "We're probably the safest lot in the army here" he gestures to the right flank, and adds "Sir Dontast is in command of this side" Malcené grins then adds "Nothing but the best for us".
The young engineer briefly grins too, glad that the knight of Althilgah sir Dontast, the baron's most able field commander. Is in charge of the flank that they're closest to.
"Captain they're almost there" says one of the signallers standing nearby. The senior captain looks up at the nearby hilltop, the war engineer looks up their too. And spots some of the scouts up there amongst the trees. They're holding up banners on poles, signaling the range the enemy is at.
Tovis nods his head as the adjutant Malcené tells him "From where they're coming along the road, they can't see up to that part of the hill our scouts are up" the senior captain briefly grins then adds "That's not the only surprise we've got for them from up there" though his grin quickly disappears before he  quietly says to the young engineer "Though it's a major advantage, I'd rather the baron didn't actually go ahead with it".
As Tovis wonders what senior captain Malcené is referring to, the adjutant to the army commander calls out "Two get ready to send that Lé Dic bastard back to them!".
Baron Harkonin's war engineer looks forward and to the right, as does his apprentice Larm. Where they see the trebuchet on the road, is the one with the dead Lé Dic soldier strung up upon it.
"The baron wants that to be the signal for the battle to begin" says the senior captain with a nod of his head to the dead enemy soldier hanging from the pendulum of one of the trebuchets. As the pendulum arm is brought down on that war machine, and members of that crew grab the body of the enemy soldier, to get it ready to be flung away.
Tovis says "That'll end up back in the middle of their ranks for sure" the adjutant to the army commander nods, then says "I know" followed by "That's the idea".
The senior captain then looks over at his signal men, some who are up on the back of wagons, looking to the left flank, to where baron Harkonin is. While others are watching the scouts up on the nearby wooded hilltop to the north of the trade road.
"They're not going to know what's hit them" quietly says senior captain Malcené who nods his head forward to where all the wagons with mounted weapons, have joined the ranged squads, who have parted for them.
Then he nods to the clump of trees a bit advanced than the rest of the army. That a squad of scouts and the cockatrice and their riders are behind.
Tovis slightly grimaces as he can guess what will happen when the enemy comes into view.
"Keep your head down, and your eyes on the ground when the order is given for those creatures engineer" says the adjutant to the Harkonin army commander "I definitely will" says Tovis "You two youngsters as well" says Malcené to Larm the workyard appreciate, and the young runner.
"Yes captain" reply the two youngsters, then the senior captain tells the baron's war engineer "Get behind those war machines of yours Tovis" followed by "Make sure the crews keep them going".
"Will do" says the war engineer, who then adds "Stay safe". "You too" says the senior captain. Then the young engineer leads Larm and the runner, around, and further behind the trebuchet that senior captain Malcené and his signal men are standing next to.
Tovis then looks over at the other trebuchet on the road, that's a little at advanced of the one off the road, that he's standing further back from.
He sees the dead soldier from the Lé Dic army lying on the ground, the sling rope tied to it's legs. The order of silence is called out. And he looks up at the nearby hilltop, and sees one of the scouts lift a pole with a different banner.
There's a few moments of silence, and Tovis figures a signal is probably been given from the left flank of the army, where baron Harkonin and a number of the nobility are.
Then he hears senior captain Malcené call out "Two, release!. The crew leader of the trebuchet on the road yells "Release!". And his squad pull back on the release rope and chain. Sending the large war machine into motion.
The counterweight drops, and the swing arm which is back, swings up and forward, in what's called the pendulum effect. The load rope is dragged back, then up and forward, taking the dead body with it.
The thinner guide rope on the load one, is ripped away by momentum at the very top of the arc of the pendulum swing. And the body of the soldier from the Lé Dic fief is released and sent back the way he originally come from, back to the west.
Though he rode east into the Harkonin fief. He's going back west in the air. Well over a couple hundred feet up in the air. And going well over the normal range of a shot from the trebuchet he was just launched from.
As the dead body goes flying through the mid morning sky, it's the signal for the battle in the woodlands between the armies of the Harkonin and Lé Dic fiefs to begin.
It's just that only one of the armies knows that a battle has begun. The other army, the Lé Dic army, have no idea what they're about to walk into . . . . . . .