I
As the guards of Amul applied themselves to the search of their vicious attackers, the scenery for the magnificent Sangar campaign had moved along uneventfully.
They had advanced at a good pace for the first two days with minimal losses of time, arriving at the forested area that surrounded Sangar castle by the morning of the third day.
Upon arriving they sent their scouts into the forest and immediately started to make plans to set camp in a very specific manner:
The force of 105 soldiers (plus 46 volunteers) divided itself into three different groups, all roughly the same in number.
Each of the three forces set camp in different positions.
The main force (with captain Parkus as its leader and Tigranes as second in command) set camp directly in front of the forest.
The second force was commanded by the lean and handsome officer Vache, known for his skills with the bow, and was set up to the west of the forest.
The third and last of the forces was commanded by a respected warrior among the Guards named Shapur and was located to the east.
After each force arrived at its designated location the immediately started building fortifications and setting camp.
By having this configuration they had surrounded the castle of Sangar in a semicircle that would prevent any enemy force, be it man or beast, from escaping through cracks.
The scouts would continue their jobs and if any one encountered a rabid enemy like the ones Vicha and Andras fougth they were instructed to escape, scream and report back to the nearest camp so they could detain or kill said enemy.
After this, they decided to give the scouts three days of work before any attempts to invade Sangar's castle were proposed.
It was at the end of the first day of scouting that Parkus asked for all three of the commanders to join him in a meeting to discuss their situation and how they would approach the next few days.
"The situation in Amul came at the worst of times!!" the big-nosed Tigranes screamed while striking the table.
The other three in the room remained silent but were thinking the same.
Parkus in particular was clearly uneasy.
The Magi had arrived a few hours ago and the information they brought about the situation in the city made all the color on Parkus's face to disappear.
This sudden attack on the city could ruin everything for him for several reasons.
The council was already asking for him to send 20 soldiers back with the 5 that escorted the Magi to use them to defend the city from the criminal force.
This was already a setback for him but he could deal with it. The bad part was that they could do it again later and take more soldiers from him even if they weren't really needed, basically using the attack as an excuse to debilitate his forces even more.
Parkus even entertained the idea of the entire attack being a machination of that old bastard Ahriman but with the number of soldier dead already it wasn't likely to be the case.
"Maybe we should hasten the attack on Sangar for tomorrow Captain" said the flowery voice of Vache, "That way we could dodge the necessity of sending back too many soldiers by actively engaging them".
"It's a risk still…I'm not sure" Tigranes retorted.
Shapur kept silent and looked at Parkus.
The captain closed his eyes in deep thought, working his brain in search of a way of fixing this situation in his favor.
After an eternally short minute of silence Parkus spoke.
"First; we in the main camp will only hasten our advance by half a day in order to avoid suspicion" he spoke resolute, "The forces of both Vache and Shapur will advance tomorrow and invade the castle as quickly as possible and complete the job".
"Yes sir" the two men answered as one.
After this the meeting ended and the commanders were about to leave the tent.
"Sir Shapur, stay were you are" Parkus suddenly said.
The man was surprised but sat back anyways, without saying a word.
"What might our captain require of me sir?" he said in a monotone and formal voice.
Parkus rubbed his knee in a clear sign of unease.
"I'm afraid Sir Shapur"
"Afraid?"
"You are a man known for his honor so I trust you enough to say this but…I feel like the other two commanders are not as worthy of that trust!!"he put special emphasis in the word "Trust".
"That's….quite the claim milord" Shapur's squinted eyes sparkled alert.
"But they are truth…" Parkus responded and started revealing all of his conversations with the city chief Ahriman to Shapur (making sure to downplay his own ignoble intentions from him) in order to explain that the recent events were most likely a move to weaken the power of the campaign.
"I'm sure that the old man has many spies on our camps Sir Shapur…including one of our dear commanders".
"And milord is telling me to keep an eye on them?" his icy voice resonated.
"Precisely" Parkus gave him a pleasant smile and put his hand over the warrior's shoulder.
"Please give me this favor"
Shapur stayed silent for a few seconds before responding.
"I would be honored to so milord"
Shapur kneeled while saying this.
"The rumors were certainly true…" Parkus clapped his hands, "you truly are an honorable man".
He gave another pat on the shoulder to the kneeling warrior and then gave him permission to leave.
After Shapur left the tent Parkus asked his aide to call for someone else to come to the tent.
It was the handsome commander Vache.
He entered the tent with a flowery sprint to his step and too the same seat that Shapur had occupied a mere minute ago.
"Why call me so suddenly… oh my captain" Vache jokingly said, clearly a bit annoyed.
A similar silence would have happened if not for Vache , either intentionally or not, clapping his foot against the floor.
Parkus was slightly annoyed but decided to ignore it.
"I'm afraid Sir Vache"
"Afraid?" the young commander sneered.
A smile of satisfaction appeared on Parkus's mouth, barely contained, as he continued to read the script in his mind.
The plan was in motion.