"We may have a problem," Phaedra announced as she pulled her horse in beside Brasidas' great warhorse. Her mare nickered at the beast as they drew close. Syf looked like he had been caught with his hand in the pay chest but didn't otherwise comment. The Miravet were spread out in a broad half circle, forming the fore and rear guards as well as protecting the northen flank. Brasidas' own scouts were out in front with his cataphracts in the center to provide a striking force to counterattack anywhere they were hit. The river provided the anchor of their southern flank, and would do for another two or three leagues before it turned away south and they had to strike out across the desert for the safety of the distant coast.

"Looks like three or four thousand Khareeds are bypassing the town all together," she reported, relaying news that her own scouts had passed to her minutes before. It wouldn't have been politic to say so, but they almost certainly were following up with such unseemly haste because of Tachmeena's reckless defection.

"We can take them," Syf boasted, unconciously puffing out his chest. Phaedra nodded, though there was no agreement in the guesture.

"Likely, but even if we massacre them it will delay us long enough for the rest of them to catch up," she explained. According to Eudoxia the force behind them had perhaps twenty thousand Khareeds and as many infantry at least, though the foot elements were lagging somewhat behind. According to Phaedra's conversation with Tac, that was because the Satrap had already been in the field, marching west before Arbela had fallen to Brasidas and his men. She had been in camp with him and had ridden off in the night.

"One of my spies also told me that the Satrap believes the Emperor is dead, or has been deposed, and that Primate Alpharius is in control back in Kommenia," Phaedra continued. Syf did a slight double take.

"What do you mean spies?" he demanded. Phaedra grinned and winked at him.

"A woman may go where a man may not scout master," she told him. The fact that the information came from an Atvari Princess wasn't something she wanted generally known. The Miravet might be traditionalists about such things, but even they would be tempted to sell the girl back to her father rather than train her. Delays over such negotiations would doubtlessly prove fatal.

"I don't know if the direct route to the coast will be safe, if the Satrap follows up, and he wouldn't have mobilized most of his army if he weren't planning on it, we might not find any saftey along the coast." She paused, the next part was pure suposition on her part, not verified information.

"I think that it is true there has been a coup, Alpharius sent our troops out into the desert to feed the Satrap, and pulled Gregorious and his other loyalists back, probably all the way back to Komennia to crush any counter coup attempt."