They couldn’t see anything through the thick wall of trees. Somewhere beyond, their friends and brothers were dying. People they knew were fighting to their last breath or had already given it away. The czar didn’t speak. He didn’t encourage them, didn’t try to spark fire in their hearts. They had to be silent.

The sound of fighting was deafening, but if a lone scout overheard the cavalry, it would spell the end of their army. The end of their country. And the end of Roman’s dreams.

Soon the first horn blew, sounding the retreat of the infantry. Right now, they would be disengaging, falling back to the main body of the army. Leaving behind half-killed friends, their guts hanging out. A mosaic of dead bodies on the grass, much like the tide leaves crabs on the sand when it retreats.

The roars started again, and Roman’s riders shuffled in their saddles. All of them besides his royal guard. They knew their meeting with death was upon them now. When the armies were fully engaged, they would charge out into the open field and flank the imperials. Even their army had a soft belly, and the czar intended to split it open.

There was no way to know what awaited them when they charged out of the forest. A mass of unexpecting imperial infantry full of fear, or a wall of shields and spears inviting them to pierce themselves on them.

Roman looked at the small bird singing on a tree branch above them. It had no perception of what they were doing, no understanding of his ambition. Predators hunt out of hunger. You won’t see a wolf with a full stomach chasing after a deer. Only mortal men kept chasing more and more.

A battle horn blew in the distance. The second one. Its echo stirred horses and their riders alike. The bird Roman watched flew away. Somehow even it knew that nothing good was to come. Birds are wise to run when they hear a battle. It’s men that are foolish enough to charge instead.

The czar drew his sword and dug his heels into his horse, sending it forward through the trees. The drumming of thousands of hooves silenced the battle shouts in the distance, the cavalry slowly creeping forward. Dust rose from the ground, and dark clouds loomed high above. Thunder roared in the air, just like the two armies clashing below.

Beyond the wall of trees, Roman saw the first ranks of the imperial infantry fighting his men. The cavalry rode out slowly, banners high in the air. They had surprised them. When half of the cavalry was out of the forest and lined up on the field, Roman lifted his sword and sounded the charge.