Giggles erupted from the command tent. The men on watch shared a smile. Their commander was at it again. Rumor had it half the women in the city of
The giggling stopped and a few minutes later Lysander Hammersong, head of the First Imperial Infantry unit stepped out, strapping on his armor. He winked at the two men standing guard outside.
“Good morning, men. How stands the camp?”
“It’s well, sir,” the guard on the right replied. “Slept well?”
Lysander laughed. “Not so well as I might have.” He swaggered off to inspect the troops. He was excited. The prospect of action on the field of battle had his blood pumping. Lysander was widely respected as one of the greatest fighters in the Empire. Many a man had found this out the hard way by insulting Lysander.
He wandered up and down the lines of tents pitched here on the northern border of Thasash. Just a day’s march to the north lay the great western desert, Yometh Robak. He was waiting for the griffin cavalry to join him from their conquest of Kolam Robak before launching the invasion.
Lysander disliked the idea that he was incapable of handling this on his own. Yes, griffins had been the driving force behind Imperial expansion, but they were only so useful. You still needed men on the ground to mop up. Hadn’t it been the Imperial Infantry that had conquered Et’alash? For jungle warfare griffins were nearly useless.
Still, he had to admit, for open field warfare, the griffins were useful to have around. They had a habit of breaking the spirit of the enemy. Still, Lysander liked a spirited enemy. They gave a greater challenge. Slaughtering people who were running scared held no appeal for him.
He paced up and down the lines, not really seeing them. He wanted to start north now. Who knew how long it would take to pacify the eastern desert? His hand made its way to his sword hilt and squeezed it in frustration.
He stopped walking and took a deep breath. Losing his temper wasn’t going to do him any good. His time would come. He would earn much glory for himself and his men.
For now, he would just have to content himself with drilling his men, to make sure they were ready. He had never fought any of the desert men. He didn’t know much of their tactics. He wasn’t concerned about his own abilities, but his men had never seen real battle. The Empire was a mostly peaceful place. He knew some of them, the younger ones, were nervous.
He set off to find some of those younger men and put their minds at ease.
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