Horseclans 16 – Trumpets of War – Adams, Robert

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flanks by both night and day, he soon was losing as many men to desertion as he was losing to enemy action or disease; furthermore, the deeper that the host penetrated into the hostile land, the larger became the percentage of loss figures, with severe malnutrition of men and beasts added into the horde of

troubles, as the hyperactive partisans now closed in to his rear picked off most of the supply trains bound for the army.

 Nothing that High King Zastros did or ordered done seemed to work to his advantage or that of his hosts from the moment that any of them set foot into Karaleenos. Gallopers sent back into Zastros’ own lands with messages had a distressing tendency to not return; so too did the various units he sent back to organize and /or guard trains of the desperately needed supplies. When message arrows loosed by

unseen bowmen rained down on camps of sleeping men promising uncontested passages and guides to potable water to any man or group of men returning south, out of Karaleenos, whole units began to desert Zastros, noble officers and all. One understrength squadron of his lancers even defected, went over into the service of his waiting enemies.

 Nonetheless, the host he- led into camp on the southern bank of theLumbuhRiver still was formidable enough to daunt many a captain. But those high-ranking heralds who crossed over the ancient stone bridge—the only way remaining to cross the swift-flowing river short of rafting, which would have been suicidal in the face of the solidly fortified north bank—returned long of face with exceedingly bad news.