The second key element was to leave an obvious line of escape open to the enemy. If in their panic they saw no means of escape then self-preservation would cause them to fight rather than to run.
Third there was the battleground itself. For surprise there would have to be cover, and in this area it would need to be trees and undergrowth. This posed its own problems for a cavalry leader. To operate with full effectiveness a cavalry unit needed some open ground.
Finally there was the question of motivating the men. Although the general needed to have a cool mind, the soldiers under him should have fire in their bellies, and a determination to succeed against any odds.
Gaise thought all these problems through as he walked to the town square. Men were still arriving, moving to their horses and saddling them. Gaise walked to his own mount, a tall grey gelding. Someone had already saddled him. Gaise mounted the gelding and sat quietly as his riders prepared.
The moon was bright in a cloudless sky, and the men continued their preparations in silence. Hew Galliott, a nephew of Galliott the Borderer, stepped into the saddle and guided his horse alongside Gaise.
‘What is happening, sir?’ he asked.
Gaise called out to the men. ‘Gather round, lads.’ The four hundred and fifty riders rode their horses into a circle around him and waited. ‘We have been betrayed by the southerners,’ said Gaise. ‘All through this war we have suffered their jealousies – aye, and their envy. Northern scum, they called us. They gave us the hardest tasks, and when we performed them with distinction, still they looked down on us.’ There was a murmur of agreement from the riders. ‘Did we let it stop us from our duty? Did we?’
‘No,’ chorused the cavalry.
‘Now they have decided to kill us all. Don’t ask me why, lads. As we speak General Macy is leading the Second against us, seeking to find and slay us in our beds. I’ll be honest with you, as I always have been. Our escape routes are blocked to the north and the west by hidden cannon. This leaves east and south. As we know the east has some rough country, ideal for infantry. My belief is that Macy will send his musketeers and pikemen from that area. Our own musketeers are waiting for them. To the south will be Macy himself and his Lancers. I for one will not wait to be slaughtered here. I will ride out and smite Macy and his men and scatter them to the winds. We have little time for discussion on this matter, but any man here who wishes to avoid this action has my leave to try to find his way home as best he can.’
He sat silently, eyes scanning the group. No-one spoke. For a moment he wondered if he had over-gilded his words. Tension was heavy in him, and he wished that Mulgrave were here, or even Lanfer Gosten. It was tempting to break the silence, but he held back and waited. Finally Hew Galliott spoke.
‘When we have thrashed the Lancers,’ he said, ‘will we be going home?’
‘Aye, Hew, we will bid farewell to the curs and head north.’
Hew Galliott swung in the saddle. ‘We are going home,’ he called out. ‘We scatter the bastards and then we go home!’
A ragged cheer went up. ‘Very well then,’ shouted Gaise Macon. ‘Make sure your pistols are primed and your sabres ready. In formation of twos, follow me.’
Back through the town they rode, and over the humpbacked bridge, passing the church with its crooked spire. Gaise called Galliott to him, and another man who had performed well and coolly in previous battles, Able Pearce. Able was popular among the Eldacre men, not just for his bravery, but because he was the son of the bootmaker Gillam Pearce, who had been murdered four years ago for speaking up in defence of Maev Ring when she was accused of witchcraft. This put the Pearce family at the centre of the legend of Jaim Grymauch, giving Able and his mother celebrity status back in Eldacre.