"If you build an army of dogs and their leader is a lion,

the dogs will fight like lions."



The Witch's potion was truly miraculous.

As early as the day after the administrations began, the patients began to heal one after the other, regaining their strength within a few hours.

Finally, hope had returned to Basterwick too, and within a few days the plague could be said to be completely eradicated.

Daemon tried not to give privileges, but no one blamed him when he asked that Scalia be among the first to be cured; on the other hand, it was thanks to him that it had been possible to save so many lives.

"You feel better?" he asked when one morning he saw her walk into his office at City Hall fresh as a daisy.

"Absolutely. I can get back to work at any time."

"Just try not to overdo it. Lady Sylvie says it takes a few days for the dross of the disease to fully dissipate, and we need you fit for what lies ahead."

"It will be enough for me to eat half a wild boar, and I will be ready to start again stronger than before."

"And Isabela? How is she?"

"The busty one? Unbearable and conceited as always. She has already returned to the temple, to kiss the skirt of her mistress."

"You definitely don't like her and noble Sylvie."

"The Temple Guards have always been the watchdogs of the Circle, and it was the Circle that proclaimed holy war against our people five hundred years ago. I know you said about forgetting the past and moving on, but these aren't things you can just throw away as if nothing had happened."

"I also agree that the Circle is very different from what its founders had in mind when they created it in antiquity. But people like noble Sylvie sincerely try to restore Gaia worship to its original purpose, and think only of doing good. As for Isabela, you can't deny that she knows how to fight and is very devoted to the noble Sylvie, and I assure you that given the unflattering reputation the Guards have recently enjoyed, this is no small detail. You should try and give them a chance."

"Since you're the one asking me, I'll try to get along. But don't expect me to like them."

"I'll settle for it." the boy winked

The arrival of the satyr Thecla, dirty and exhausted from the long run that lasted all night, broke that relaxed atmosphere too soon.

"General Ron has left the Castle and is heading south. The entire Fifteenth Legion is with him."

A council of war was immediately convened in which Passe and Jack also took part.

"We knew they would mobilize." Daemon began «Actually they took longer than I would have expected. Ron must have waited for some supplies from the northern pass before moving."

"I've heard that this legion is even bigger than the others." Passe said with some concern. "Nearly twenty thousand men, not counting the conscripts they must have recruited among the population."

"Where is the legion at the moment?"

"Here." Thecla pointed to the map. "Halfway between the Castle and Dundee. They are advancing along the Via Imperiale."

"They are trying to divide our two forces." said Passe

"The central position strategy. Clever move, too clever to have come from Ron's head. Someone like him would have split the legion into two forces to strike us separately."

Daemon's eyes sparkled as he turned back to Thecla.

"I'm guessing. Adrian, the Governor's son, is also with him."

"That's right. And he has a couple of hundred soldiers with him who seem to obey only him."

"It must be the Army of the Lions. I've heard of it. He put it together right after finishing his studies at the academy. Skilled, prepared and absolutely faithful."

"I hate to say it, but this time the difference in strength seems really considerable." Scalia said. "Do you really think we will be able to defeat them?"

"We will inevitably have to fight a defensive battle. We can't face an army that much superior to ours in open confrontation. What news from Septimus and Oldrick?"

"They've taken position at Chateroi Pass, as you ordered." answered Jack. "They also received reinforcements from Dundee and occupied the narrowest part of the valley."

"I know you've been running all night, Thecla, but I need you to leave right away. Have Septimus reinforce the defensive positions. He and Oldrick have to keep their position at all costs. We will try to get there as soon as possible and give them support."

"Agree."

Thecla left showing no emotion, true to her nature; it was not for nothing that Drufo had always jokingly called her piece of ice for the apathetic and detached way in which she faced her life, even more than him.

"Chateroi is twenty-five miles from the Castle. At six miles a day, Ron will reach the pass in three days."

"We are at least thirty miles away." said Jack "We'll never make it in time to get there before them."

"We will forge ahead in this case. We will need every soldier we have to win this battle. The road that leads from here to Chateroi is dirt and narrow, but there are only a few of us. By marching at a rate of ten miles a day we can be there in time for battle."

"Ten miles a day is a lot." observed Passe. "Are you sure our people will be able to handle such a march?"

"Many of them lazed for fifteen days. A little salt on their tails can only do them good. Moreover, they have endured fatigue all their lives. Trust me, they'll make it."

"There's one thing I still don't understand." Jack said. "If we leave to reunite with Septimus, who stays here to oversee the situation?"

"Drufo will stay with a couple of ours. Verus and his men will take care of maintaining order."

This could not but arouse some concern among those present.

"Daemon, I understand that baby has agreed to cooperate, but do you think it's wise to give him the city?"

"The plague has been a great nuisance, but it has also had positive implications. By solving it, we've demonstrated our good will and won the people's attention, and he knows it."

"I don't doubt it, but in any case it doesn't make me feel calm. He is not like Septimus and his men, who have sworn to follow us to the end and have already fought against their old comrades."

"Frankly, I think the same as he does." Scalia said "After all, what prevents him from taking control and returning Basterwick to the Governor?"

"He certainly will, if we are defeated. Maybe I wasn't clear enough, but this battle will decide the future of the Revolution and of our cause. Therefore, defeat in this engagement is not an option."

Everyone in that room had already understood it, but they had to hear it from their commander in order to be fully aware of what was at stake.

Drufo himself entered the room after a few moments announcing the arrival of a guest.

"Sorry for the interruption. Daemon, there's a Mr. Hans asking to see you."

"Let him pass."

Mr. Hans was an esteemed maker of spectacles and magnifying glasses whose services were highly valued by the leading nobles, scholars, and professors throughout Western Erthea. Daemon had already turned to him in the past to have some of his strange contraptions built.

"I have been building lenses for more than forty years, but something like this had never occurred to me. Is it possible to know where certain ideas come from?"

"And so? Did you succeed?"

"Who do you think I am?" he joked "Of course I succeeded."

At that point the old craftsman opened the box that he was carrying under his arm.

"But what is this?" asked Passe

"Something that will come in very handy."



The Chateroi valley took its name from the small village that stood inside it.

In a largely mountainous land like Eirinn the roads through the valleys were the only way of securing communications, and the valley of Chateroi was the most important of all, being the only one wide enough to allow the passage of an army.

It was not for nothing that the Empire, after occupying the province, had taken steps to lengthen the old ducal road, transforming it into the large and practical Via Imperiale, which starting from the border and passing through Dundee reached the Castle.

Just north of the village the valley became so narrow, and the woods so close to the road, that a small army could easily block the pass and hold their position without being outflanked: the perfect place to set up a defensive position.

After occupying the area Septimus had tried to get along as well as possible with the locals, strictly forbidding looting and ordering his troops to stay away from the village.

He was nervous and worried, but he tried not to show it so as not to cause further panic; as Decurion he was used to having men at his command, but he never would have expected to find himself having to lead troops into battle so soon.

Even if Oldrick was at his side and ready to help him, he was in command, and at the decisive moment everything would be heavy on his shoulders.

Because by now everyone knew that a fight was inevitable.

The scouts had reported the arrival of General Ron with the whole legion well before Thecla did. And even if their numbers had increased in the meantime, the difference between the two sides was there for all to see, not to mention that for almost all the soldiers of the rebel army that would have been the first real battle.

"By now we have well exceeded the limit beyond which we couldn't go." he had said when someone had brought him word of voices in the troop speaking of surrender. "We have only two choices. Fight or be slaughtered."

On the other side of the barricade, the advance of General Ron and young Adrian had proceeded without a hitch, and once they entered the valley the Imperial army was advancing rapidly towards the battle site.

"It seems you were right. The latest reports say that the rebels have barricaded themselves just north of the village, near the Giants' Mouths."

"It was obvious. From there they can block our way and force us into a face-to-face fight."

The young man took a moment to admire the extraordinary spectacle of the peaks of Khoral around him still covered in snow.

"Did you know, General? According to legend, this is where the combined forces of Eirinn and Patria halted the advance of the Dark Lord and his army, defeating them for the first time. In a way, it's like we're walking on sacred ground."

"If that's the case, the Grand Duchy has come a long way downwards in five hundred years. Had they cared more about war and less about money, they would not have been forced to sell their own land to the Empire to protect themselves from Union expansionism. What's the point of having a rich land if you're not capable of defending it? The Montgomery must consider themselves lucky if the Emperor has allowed them to retain dominion at least over the eastern part."

"It is no secret that both the Empire and the Union were aiming to gain control of Eirinn's mines. The cession of the West to Saedonia was the price that the Grand Duchy had to pay in exchange for imperial protection. If you think about it though, it's also because of that choice that we now find ourselves in this situation. The split led to reunionism, which certainly helped spark this uprising."

"They made a choice, and now they will pay the price. They will set an example for all those who from now on will even dare to think of lifting a finger against the Empire."

A Lion scout came out of the forest just a few hundred yards away from the Mouths, pulling his horse alongside Adrian's.

"Lord Adrian, enemy troops arriving across the Dorian Pass."

"How many?"

"Eight hundred or so, my lord."

"The messengers reported that the army that attacked Basterwick scarcely numbered five hundred." said the General "Where did they find other troops?"

"The downside of dealing with an army of slaves and insurgents is that their numbers grow quickly, especially if there is someone with the charisma to raise them. The good news is that most of them are people with no war experience. Trust me, General, we won't have any problems."

"Look up there, on the ridge. It must be them."

Adrian turned his eyes in that direction, seeing a black line appearing from behind the side of Mount Salt, advancing briskly towards the valley.

"The guest of honor has arrived." he smiled with satisfaction. "Judging by their speed, they'll be here within two hours at the latest."

"Forgive me for saying so, but perhaps it was a mistake to order the Lions to break away from the rest of the army and proceed separately, since they surely know you are here too. Isn't there a risk they'll find out about our plans?"

"Haselworth may be an excellent hunter, but he doesn't have the eyes of a hawk. It's impossible for him to see anything clearly from up there. He soon he will have to slip into the gorge losing sight of the valley, and then my men will take up position. With the entry of the pass under our control, his companions will not even be able to warn him."

Adrian then turned back to his scout.

"Bring this message to the others. They must leave the forest and station themselves at the entrance to the Dorian Pass immediately after the battle begins."

"Yes my Lord."

Eventually the two armies arrived facing each other.

As expected by Adrian the rebel forces had occupied the narrowest point of the Giants' Mouths, in a classic defensive formation with the heavy infantry in the center behind a shield wall supported on the flanks by two wings of light infantry.

To give their operators some protection, Septimus had positioned the ten cannons at his disposal in front of his own lines but sheltered by some natural hillocks, from where they would be safer from archers' fire.

Between the two armies there was a hundred meters of uneven and rough mountain terrain, ideal for limiting the activity of the notorious imperial heavy cavalry.

"Obviously the enemy commander did not go to military academy." observed Adrian. "The wings should be further forward than the center, to contain the impact on the flanks and attempt an outflanking maneuver."

"I don't think Haselworth would make such a mistake. Surely the person he put in charge is no match."

Septimus obviously couldn't hear them, but he was more than aware of his own unpreparedness. He was just a Decurion with no career advancement beyond second-level officer ranks, roles that would never put him in command of an entire army.

All he knew of tactics and field maneuvers was what he had learned the hard way during the wars of the east against the rebel barons.

Nevertheless, he still had no intention of disfiguring or failing his task; he would either defeat the enemy or die trying.

Trying to hide the trembling that ran through his body, he clenched his fists tightly around the horse's bridle and gritted his teeth, rubbing them nervously.

"Relax and keep your mind clear boy." Oldrick told him "I won't lie to you, we all depend on you here. Remember, we just have to hold out until Daemon arrives."

"Yes I know. Let's just hope we succeed."

"We have to do it. If not, as you said, before tonight we will all be guests of honor in the halls of Belion."

A few minutes passed in which absolute silence reigned in the entire valley, finally broken by a blast of trumpets in the imperial line-up which officially started the battle.