The Habit of the Emperor

by J J Moriarty

  For the first three days, Hyzou could see the other groups of Servants riding along on either side of them. However, mid-way through the fourth day they finally split. For the rest of the week Hyzou and his comrades rode through the grasslands with nothing but the occasional shepherd or farmer to keep them company. They kept their path straight east, and on the seventh day, Hyzou’s Qi sensed their quarry.

  “South-east. Two thousand enemies”, Hyzou said.

  “What do you want to do, sir?” Vak, Hyzou’s second in command, said.

  “There are no horses among them. Only oxen and mules. I think it may be a baggage train”, Hyzou said.

  “Does that mean we went right through the enemy’s line?” Vak said.

  “It means the last victory has made Prince Menes arrogant. He heard we were attacking in a wedge, so he decided he wouldn’t bother with the difficult work of screening the baggage train. Instead he just sent the supplies to the flanks on either side of the army. He was expecting a giant battle in the centre”, Hyzou said.

  “What do you want to do, sir?” Vak said.

  Vak had been in the mercenary corps. He was a soldier through and through.

  “Crush them”, Hyzou said.

  Vak nodded. He kicked the sides of his horse and went among the men spreading the message. Hyzou reached behind himself and drew his sword.

  It only took them an hour. The baggage train was barely guarded, and within ten minutes Hyzou and his comrades had massacred everyone, even those who broke and tried to run. The rest of the hour was spent piling all the bodies along with the wagons and dead animals and burning it all.

  On Hyzou’s instruction they set off north. It only took an hour to find their next grouping. Three thousand peltasts, with no infantry to protect them. Prince Menes had clearly assumed he’d only need a third of his army to fight Hyzou. The rest had been left to plod their path towards Piquea in no particular formation. Hyzou had caught Prince Menes with his trousers down.

  The fifty of them approached the peltasts tentatively. The peltasts began to retreat, throwing javelins at them. Hyzou gave the order and the riders split up. They formed a circle around the peltasts, with large gaps between each rider.

  “Charge”, Hyzou screamed.

  And everyone did. Three javelins came flying at Hyzou, but he swerved to avoid each of them. One of his riders wasn’t as lucky. His horse was killed by the contact and he was left sprawling on the grass.

  It did the peltasts no good. The cavalry crashed into them, and Hyzou worked as quickly as he could to kill as many as he could. The peltasts broke early and began to sprint away. Hyzou didn’t even need to tell his men to charge after those who were fleeing, there was nothing quite like the sight of a fleeing man to make a soldier feel aggressive.

  Hyzou saw to it that the fallen Servant was rehorsed, and then he led his comrades in finding another set of enemies. A thousand peltasts survived, they weren’t worth the chase.

  Hyzou and his men searched for the rest of the day but met no one. That night Hyzou let them sleep the whole night through.

  The next morning, they came to the kind of grouping Hyzou had been hoping to meet. Five thousand infantrymen bunched together and marching. Hyzou had had the men gather up all the javelins dropped by the fleeing peltasts, so every man was armed with a ranged weapon. They weren’t spotted by the enemy before they unleashed all the javelins they had, a hundred of them, and struck a soldier with nearly all of them.

  Hyzou ordered his men to fan out and form a semi-circle facing the enemies. Hyzou was only wearing his robes. Armour would just slow him down, and pace would win this battle.

  The infantrymen jeered and banged their spears together. These weren’t organised anything like Hyzou’s phalanxes.

  The Lamyblan infantry carried a horrific mismatch of equipment. There were soldiers in expensive pieces of armour, while others went half naked. Most people had spears, but almost every spear was of a different height. There were a lot of khopesh too, but the soldiers with spears and soldiers with khopesh weren’t organised in any kind of order, a lot of soldiers at the front of their army were carrying khopesh, while the back seemed stuffed of people with long spears.

  The enemy had no formation or organisation. Their line was barely a line, it curved awkwardly towards the end, and each soldier was given a different space. In some places the men piled together while in other some soldiers had five feet of space.

  “Vak”, Hyzou said.

  He kept his eyes on the enemy, his stallion dancing this way and that.

  “Yes, Your Majesty”, Vak said.

  “Be patient”, Hyzou said. “They’re not organised. Pick them off one by one.”

  Vak smiled.

  “I look forward to it”, Vak said.

  “Retreat once you’ve killed. We’re not engaging in combat”, Hyzou said.

  Vak nodded. He levelled his sword, and charged straight at the enemy.

  The Lamyblans bunched at the anticipated point of impact. A few feet from the enemy, Vak swerved and stabbed his sword out in a few short bursts. He stabbed three soldiers and left them bleeding on the ground. The Lamyblans stepped forward to try and take Vak, but he turned and rode away from them. They gave chase and didn’t notice the two other Servants who swooped in and killed the foremost chasers until it was too late.

  Now Hyzou joined in, and the rest of the Servants joined him. Swooping in to the enemy then riding away before they could engage. He took two lives then retreated again. In Lamyblan, a shout went up.

  “Charge! Kill them!” Came the screams.

  “Retreat”, Hyzou shouted in Ancient Kheme.

  The others understood. At a canter, Hyzou and his fellow Servants rode away from the soldiers. The infantry men kept up the pursuit. Hyzou glanced over his shoulder. He saw a huge man, only ten feet behind him, face red, screaming, and chasing Hyzou at a full sprint.

  How long can he keep that up for? Hyzou thought.

  It turned out he couldn’t keep it up for very long at all. That man fell back, and others took his place. Upon occasion the whole of the Lamyblan army would start to slow down, as if they thought they’d chased Hyzou and his allies away. When that happened, Hyzou and the other Servants would stop chasing away and attack, sending four or five Lamyblans to the underworld.

  The Lamyblans, infantrymen all, even began to throw their spears and khopesh at them. It didn’t do much, given that spears weren’t made for throwing, too heavy, and the khopesh was easily avoided.

  The day passed.

  The Lamyblans ran for eight hours before they stopped properly, exhausted.

  The Lamyblans needed to sleep and to eat. Hyzou soon put those hopes to rest, doubling back and attacking the infantrymen, making them move some more. The enemy was stretched over three miles now. The best runners had kept up with the chase, but the more unfit had failed to do so. Hyzou rode along the line, stabbing wherever he was left unchallenged.

  In the morning when they’d attacked first, each Servant had been able to kill three each time they engaged. Now, with the enemy tired after running more than a marathon, and their reflexes appropriately sluggish, Hyzou could take out as much as fifty enemies before he’d be forced to flee from the line again.

  This kept going for hours and hours. The Lamyblans milled about, and when it got darker it grew even worse for them. They were exhausted, tired, and half blind with only the starlight for guidance. Hyzou and his Servants, with the help of their Qis, could see perfectly. They moved silently through the clumps of people, cutting down anyone who wasn’t properly protected. The Lamyblans began to panic, but Hyzou killed those who tried to flee too. In the darkness, some of the soldiers thought they might survive if they played dead, lying on the floor among the bodies Hyzou and his comrades had left. These people didn’t know that Servants of Qi could sense when someone was alive, so when Hyzou encountered someone like this, he just rode right over the pile, trampling the soldier.

  Earl
ier the soldiers had shouted in anger, issuing threats and swearing. Now they screamed in pain and begged for mercy. Hyzou ordered his men to show none. Anyone left alive was another soldier the Pharaoh could use to conquer Piquea. Only when the battle in its entirety was won would Hyzou start taking prisoners.

  The night continued. Any who tried to flee were tracked by their Qi and chopped down. By the time dawn approached, there was barely two hundred enemies left. In the light, Hyzou saw the handiwork he and his comrades were responsible for during the dark. The ground was littered with bodies, thousands dead on the battlefield. The blood had gathered in pools, while those wounded and dying were groaning lowly hoping for the absolution of death. The morning light gave them the chance to see their wounds and realise that there was no happy resolution to their problem.

  Hyzou passed Vak. From far away it was hard to see him, but once he pulled up close Hyzou could see that he was exhausted. His head and torso were covered in sweat and it had even soaked through his robes. He was spattered with blood and filth, and his eyes were dead with the exhaustion of fighting all night. Hyzou knew that he must look the same way.

  “Finish them. Then we can sleep”, Hyzou said.

  Vak was out of breath, so he just nodded and careened back towards a soldier who was kneeling and praying for divine intervention. Vak decapitated him.

  It only took another thirty minutes, and finally they had demolished the entire infantry division.

  “Just one casualty”, Hyzou said. “I think.”

  Vak nodded.

  “I can’t believe that worked”, Vak said.

  “Prince Menes is a fool”, Hyzou said.

  Vak nodded.

  “Lead on Vak, we need to find somewhere to sleep that isn’t doused in blood”, Hyzou said.

  They found, eventually, an old hut and riceshed where a family must have lived. It was beside some well-tilled rice fields, ready for the summer to grow. There was even a well, and the water seemed clear and clean enough to drink. Their horses had some anyway.

  “The family must have left”, Hyzou said.

  “Not long ago either”, one of the Servants said. “There’s still some butter here that hasn’t gone off. It must have been too heavy to bring with them.”

  Hyzou gestured in front of him.

  “Go. Find somewhere to rest. We might be moving out again soon, so make sure to get as much sleep as you can”, Hyzou said.

  Hyzou could sense their happiness. There was nothing quite like success to boost morale.

  Hyzou sat on the small wooden fence that had once enclosed a pigsty. He reached over to his tired stallion and from a small pouch took out the tiny bottle of ekstasis. The stallion wandered over to graze some of the weeds by the roadside. Hyzou opened the tiny bottle and dabbed a small amount of ekstasis on his finger. He placed it on his tongue.

  The darkness surrounded him. Using his Qi, Hyzou reached out and tried to sense anyone that was in the near environs. Any other Qis searching for someone like him.

  He found one. Sixty miles to the west, he sensed someone wishing to speak.

  “Who is this?” Hyzou said.

  “I’m Gyar. Who’s this?” Gyar said.

  A Drascian Servant of Qi began to form before Hyzou in the dark space.

  “Hyzou of Nuyin”, Hyzou said.

  “Your Majesty! I didn’t realise”, Gyar said.

  “That’s quite alright. Who are you? Where are you fighting?” Hyzou asked.

  “I’ve been searching for an hour for someone to speak to. I have news”, Gyar said.

  “Tell me, where have you been fighting?” Hyzou said.

  “Yes, sir. I led a company, and we were riding through the enemy territory together with another one. A hundred Servants. We came upon twelve thousand men, well armoured and organised. We waited until darkness fell last night and killed a lot of them, set fire to their camp then cut them down as they ran from the fire. We killed thousands, before the others fled. We’re resting now until we can give chase to the remaining three thousand. And our only cost was six Servants”, Gyar said.

  Hyzou whistled lowly.

  “That’s successful”, Hyzou said. “And using the fire was very clever.”

  “Thank you. But there’s more. We didn’t realise until this morning who we were attacking”, Gyar said.

  “Who’s that?” Hyzou said.

  “We found his body this morning. Prince Menes, sir”, Gyar said.

  “Prince Menes is dead?” Hyzou said.

  “Yes, sir”, Gyar said. “We have his body.”

  Hyzou whistled lowly.

  “Burn it”, Hyzou said.

  “I will, sir”, Gyar said.

  “You must have attacked their centre, where the generals and Prince were staying. It’s no wonder it was so well guarded. You must give chase once you’ve rested, do you understand? The fate of the West Country campaign relies on you killing everyone you can from that group”, Hyzou said. “Without leadership, the line will break and never be remade.”

  “I understand”, Gyar said.

  “And congratulations”, Hyzou said.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty”, Gyar said.

  “You sleep now. You deserve it”, Hyzou said.

  “Goodbye, sir”, Gyar said.

  The Servant disengaged, leaving Hyzou alone in the darkness. Hyzou reached out far to the south-east, towards Piquea. On his instruction there was always a Servant there ready to receive messages.

  “It’s Hyzou here”, Hyzou said.

  “Your Majesty”, the voice came.

  A Kheme Servant appeared before Hyzou.

  “I must sleep now, but I have messages”, Hyzou said.

  “Yes, sir, I shall pass the word on”, the Servant said.

  “Have you word from the north?” Hyzou asked.

  “Phatmose has held his position successfully. He is holding the line but has yet to engage with the majority of Lamyblan forces. He and his men are dug in well and will defend with their lives. No change”, the Servant said.

  Hyzou nodded.

  “Good”, Hyzou said.

  “Did you say you have messages?” the Servant said.

  “Our campaign is a success. So far, we are taking a thousand soldiers for every one Servant it costs us”, Hyzou said.

  “Sir, that’s unbelievable”, the Servant said.

  “It is, I don’t know everything, but we have had remarkable success and managed to cripple the enemy’s movement”, Hyzou said.

  “How could you be so successful?” the Servant asked.

  Hyzou frowned, the question was very informal for such a formal report.

  “Prince Menes fractured his army. We outpaced them. It’s the same tactic I’ve always used when fighting something bigger. When they attack we retreat, when they retreat we attack”, Hyzou said.

  “Wow”, the Servant said.

  “There’s one more message”, Hyzou said.

  “Yes, sir”, the Servant said.

  “See to it that Kyria Iset is informed that her husband has died in battle. He died bravely, fighting for his life and his Pharaoh, and I’ve seen to it that his body is burned so that it may return to the underworld”, Hyzou said.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “Hail, Hyzou”, Tsy shouted.

  Hyzou rode over the hard ground to the group of horses. He got off, landing on the dust beneath him.

  “Archaier Tsy, it’s good to see you”, Hyzou said.

  “And it’s good to see you. What a great situation to meet each other in”, Tsy said.

  Hyzou smiled, but he kept walking past Tsy. Forty feet or so behind him, among the press of horses, was Safia. She jumped from the back of her horse and landed on the ground below. Hyzou took her in his arms, squeezed her body close to his own. She was filthy, dirt and blood covering as much of her as it covered him. She smelled exactly like someone who had spent months in the saddle in battles should smell. He still held her close. He could only have smelled wors
e.

  They held their embrace for five minutes, just her warmth against his own, before eventually she pulled away from him.

  “I’ve missed your face”, Safia said.

  “My face?” Hyzou said.

  Safia nodded.

  “It’s been too long”, Hyzou said.

  He was whispering now. There were a lot of people around, but Hyzou didn’t want any of them to hear.

  “I’ve so many news”, Safia said.

  “I only had ekstasis enough for military purposes”, Hyzou said.

  “I understand, Your Majesty”, Safia said.

  “We haven’t been that long apart, have we? You remember my name, don’t you?” Hyzou said.

  Safia smiled.

  “I think Tsy wants to discuss strategy with you. He’s been waiting for weeks”, Safia said.

  “He can wait a bit longer then. You’ve grown”, Hyzou said.

  Safia touched her stomach, the bump was huge.

  “Months will do that”, Safia said.

  “Are they safe?” Hyzou asked.

  Safia nodded.

  “Both are alright. They’ve started to kick, I sometimes think they’re fighting each other”, Safia said.

  “They’re sisters”, Hyzou said.

  “Tsy will be angry if I keep you any longer”, Safia said.

  Hyzou kissed her.

  “We can speak soon”, Hyzou said.

  Safia turned him around. Tsy had gotten off his horse and was waiting for Hyzou.

  “Tsy”, Hyzou said.

  “Your Majesty”, Tsy said. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

  “Well let’s sit over there then, the ground looks nice under that mango tree”, Hyzou said.

  The winter air was mild, and Hyzou needed some rest. Tsy nodded and followed Hyzou over to the tree. Hyzou found a spot without any stones and sat down there. Tsy sat on the ground beside him.

  “How are you? Are you injured?” Hyzou asked.