A driving rain pounded down on the column as it slogged through the deepening red mud as the soldiers, oxen and wagons struggled to make their way forward. Intermittent thunder was all that broke the sound of the rain smacking against raised shields lofted above heads to protect themselves from the driving rain and of hooves forcing their way forward filling the air with a wet sucking sound as they sank deep before straining to break free of the earths muddy grasp. With great effort they lifted their legs and took one more step only to sink in once more, sweating, panting and grunting under their packs as the soldiers fought their way through the muddy quagmire that had once been a dusty road. Wagons were the worst however, wheels sank deeply into the mud which had been churned into a very fine, gooey paste from the passing of so many hooves and the wheels constantly caught in the mud threatening to swallow them whole. Many wagons had already become too bogged down to move and while oxen where driven forward soldiers struggled from behind to help push them out of the mud. Success was measured in how many collapsed into the mud afterwords as the wagon lurched free and moved a few yards before the process had to begin all over again.

Halim stood to the side of the road beside his personal, covered wagon and watched the rate of movement and continued to count off in his head how long it would take to advance just two more miles before being forced to stop due to exhaustion. The expeditionary teams had done exceptionally well at mapping everything but the weather had turned sour quickly, from a light drizzle which hid their dust cloud from prying eyes to a deadly, muddy embrace which now threatened to halt their advance entirely. Their marching speed had been quite good for most of the early campaign but as he continued to count off he realized their speed had not just been cut in half, but was less than a quarter of what it should be while worsening with every hour.

"They mapped the roads but no one thought to check if those roads were made of loose, powdery clay or simple earth... And why would they." Watching a few soldiers slip in the mud as they struggled with a wagon Halim returned to his wagon and climbing inside pulled his hood off. "Captain, are the wood cutters making any progress?"

"Yes prince, but it will take time to properly prepare the logs for use as road building material... Also the distance we must travel precludes the ability to find, fell, prepare and transport suitable logs quickly enough. There is no shortage of material prince, it is just that so little is suitable for a corduroy road."

Halim thought it over and opened his mouth to speak but a shaggy mud covered scout appeared at the door wheezing and after bowing waited.

"Report."

"The forward scouts are at a stand still, there is a river blocking our path and-."

"River?" Halim quickly scanned his map and shook his head. "There are no rivers here, we are to far east and..." He stopped and sighed realizing what the scout meant. "How bad is the flood?"

"It runs quite deep and fast, we urged the mercenary scouts to send a fording party across, even furnished them with ropes but... Two were swept away and the rope snapped, it flows much too quickly to ford it. They now refuse to make any attempt."

"Sensible of them, do not attempt another fording for now. Have them sweep the river banks in both directions for a narrower area we can build a bridge across if we must."

"There is more, worse I believe."

Halim scowled at the map. "Speak."

"We found an outpost. Abandoned, but only by a short time."

"Did they flee before or after the flood?"

"It can not be found out as it lays on the opposite side of the river but the steam rising from inside one of the buildings makes us believe they doused their fire and fled quite recently."

"I see... Is the water draining off or is it still rising?"

"Risen my prince, by at least..." The scout held his arms out. "This much within an hour, last I saw."

"Does it threaten to swallow up the column?"

"No my prince, our commander checked the are and found a place for the column to stop and avoid being swept away but it shall not advance, in his opinion, to a threatening level."

"Perhaps not threatening to the column but enough to severely threaten the plan." Halim sighed. "Very good, when you return make certain to leave behind a party to divert the front of the column so it does not enter the flooding area. Also, inform your commander that a party is to follow the river down its path and look for blockages that may be holding the water back. Before you go, exactly when did the foremost scouts reach the river and discover the outpost?"

"Understood my prince and they were the mercenaries, they discovered it two days ago in the afternoon."

Halim waved the scout away and returned his attention to the map for a moment. "At least two days ahead of us for warning, it will take us no less than four times as long to reach the river and if the water does not drain enough it will slow us down considerably..." He traced his finger from where the outpost was most likely situated and began counting how long it would take a runner to reach the capital and then send word to all the forces in the area to muster and protect the city. "If this rain does not abate we will run out of time and be unable to continue our advance properly..."

"My prince?"

Halim looked up at the noble who was standing quietly across from him, waiting. "Yes?"

"Does this change of events alter our couse of action?"

"Most certainly. It will take more than a few days to reach the new river which blocks our path, assuming the rain were to stop within the hour." Halim stood and leaned outside looking up quickly before returning to the table. "Which it shall not, very well then. Here is our new course of action until the weather changes: continue to fell trees for the corduroy road, it will not increase our speed enough to make up for the time we have lost but time is now precious. Second, as you are aware, parties will look for places to build a bridge across if the water does not relent by our arrival. If it is being held back by something or worse, is in a shallow area where it can sit and form a natural swamp then we will have no choice but to bridge it or find another way around farther up. Third, should the water still be standing by the time of our arrival trees will be felled and prepared not only for bridging material but also for building a road on the far side. We can re-use the logs we have already laid if they have not sunk too deeply into the clay pit road. Every log we can pull back out and bring with us will save time later but do not exhaust the soldiers more than they already are on this task. We will build a camp on a higher spot upon our arrival, rest the soldiers and oxen for at least a day before making further plans. Understood?"

The gathered nobles nodded. "Understood prince."

"Then see to it."

"My prince?" One of the older and more seasoned nobles cautiously put his hand on the table.

"You may speak."

"They have been alerted and I feel it prudent to understand now, and not later... What your intentions are in regards to their capital."

Halim watched them for a moment before pointing farther west on the map. "Sisubiso has two columns advancing along their western border at this moment, or should... Our enemy has mostly likely dispatched a large enough force to deal with them while also holding their front in the far south against our "main army," here..." Halim tapped the map. "So long as they are busy chasing down raiders they will be constantly on the move and unable to redeploy in time to face us while calling for reinforcements. I have no doubt we can take them and utterly destroy their forces but it is the other possibilities that weight more heavily. If they recall another portion from the south and combine them to defend the capital we will be defeated in a pitched battle if we are not most careful. Worse, if one force were to dig in and fortify their capital and wait for the other to catch us from behind the time table will change unquestionably in their favor. We shall be a piece of soft metal caught between hammer and anvil. We could still take the city from them, but the time it would take shall become... Deeply problematic, thus giving them time to break us from behind. They need only hold the walls a few days longer. Time was alloted for this event but the rains and flooding have deeply complicated matters, without proper drainage of the river we face it is quite possible we may be unable to lay siege to their capital."

"Then we must hope they are too busy chasing the raiders to face us."

"I do not believe in hope, I will make this situation work for us one way or another. There are many roads for us to take as you can see, all of which suit a smaller force such as this. If the worst were to come we have more than ample terrain to bypass their forces and move south, away from their advances but that is not what concerns me."

"My prince?"

"Should their royalty abandon the city, take as much of their stock as possible and combine all the forces and meet us in the field or leave us to capture an empty city..."

"It is we who would become rats caught in a trap instead of they."

"Correct, a pivotal point of this plan is that at the moment the entire royal family is celebrating in the capital, had things gone perfectly we would simply besiege them, kill as many of the royal family as possible and thus cut the head of the snake off and move on... But that is no longer possible, they will be aware of us and left with more than ample time to make a decision: Flee, or stand their ground. They may have lost the last war but they are not fools, most likely they will flee and confront us from a more advantageous position with superior force or they shall make preparations and hold us in place."

"Then if that is case..." The noble put his finger on the western edge. "What if there are no raiders now?"

"Should they have been turned back, moved far beyond or in any regards, ceased to exist as a problem for them... Then I do not doubt that force will already be making its way back up the main road and not bothering with the side trails, they would be easily found by couriers and turned around without any issue unless they too are being rained on which is doubtful. It appears we have the misfortune of being caught within a strip of heavy rain as we can see sunlight and clear skies far off to our North and extreme South at times. For now we advance, build a temporary encampment and prepare to cross when feasible. During that time I shall make my decision on whether or not we shall continue to advance on their capital or abandon that particular aspect of the campaign."

"If I may be so bold as to inquire, I myself believe we have lost our chance but my prince... How do you see our odds of achieving the campaign objective at this time?"

Halim stood upright and hummed quietly. "Assuming that they are busy chasing down the raiders, I give us a solid fifty-fifty chance of success at this time. Otherwise, I give us less than one in ten odds of success should we stick to the original campaign plan if we do not cross the river in a timely manner which appears most doubtful."

"I see..." The noble looked at the map before giving a quick bow. "I shall see to my forces then if it pleases you my prince."

"See to them and..." The noble stopped and turned around. "Your wagons bear our engineering equipment, see to it they are given priority on being moved down the road even if other wagons must be waylaid. Should a bridge need to be built we must waste no time."

"At once my prince." Another quick bow and pulling a hood over his head the Arabian stallion was gone from the wagon and into the downpour.

"As for the rest of you, your tasks have not changed. We continue as planned."

They bowed quickly and filed out leaving Halim to continue to stare at the map and moving a few pieces onto the board he sat down before calling to the driver to move the wagon forward. With a slow lurch the wagon began slipping and sliding its way onto the road and soon was lurching awkwardly along as the other wagons were. Holding the pieces down with his fingers Halim stared and began counting off the days once more in his head, he had been quite liberal with his estimation on how Sisubiso's little raid would draw them off. There was no doubt what so ever in his mind that right now there was a large force located somewhere far west of them but as for how long they would remain there before inevitably being swung east to face off against him... That was in serious doubt.

Sighing heavily at how his fathers plans were being reduced to ruin while so much careful planning, proper timing and the permanent loss of surprise as they would now forever watch the eastern roads; so much had gone to waste in such a short amount of time. All because of a rainstorm that had blown in rapidly and caught them all by surprise. Shaking his head he remembered something else his father had written into the great pile of notes on the campaign.

"A good army is hard to replace, but time will always remain at hand for the patient and calculating commander who seizes opportunity."

"Very true father..." Halim leaned back a little and closed his eyes. "So this is where the campaign will most likely end, on the muddy banks of a flooded road."

Grinding his teeth a little at being almost certainly unable to carry out his fathers last wish and his own promise Halim looked at the map again.

"If I can not take your capital and conquer your nation in one fell swoop then there is most certainly something else I can do to you..." Scanning the roads rapidly and keeping the time tables in his head Halim stared intently before nodding to himself. "I may not be able to conquer you today, but I can most certainly make you howl in pain at my passing."

Fareed sat down on the large cushion with a heavy thump and sighed, he felt tired. He did not mean to neglect his guests but so many things had come up in the past two days it had swept him off his hooves. It was strange, normally things were quiet but not without their problems. Delegation of power had been soundly used and his nobles and servants had been sent scurrying wildly in all directions to handle the various petty issues that were beneath his notice, but it was not enough.

First, a messenger from Samati had arrived by boat and after reporting to emir Ruhak he knew without looking what the crazed and power hungry bitch had said. His great queen Sana had once more decided to try her hand at him again and was plotting with Salai to challenge his trade monopoly. Well not entirely a monopoly, the merchant council of Piemro held the final word but were far too quiet about it for most of notice. Their war fleet was the vastest in all the coastal nations and they used it without hesitation to break the arms and legs of those who did not bow to their demands.

"So tiny and yet such a powerful bite..." Fareed laid down and rested his head on a pillow. "Here though, I rule. Not one wagon moves without my permission."

He wondered how much the foreign powers were paying for their goods considering it was first taxed, tithed and taxed again by his collectors before ever gracing the ports of Piemro. Once the goods departed by sea even the most simple luxury item must cost a significant amount of gold and be seen as quite luxurious when in fact they were not, at least not locally, but that is just how trade, business and the control thereof worked. A vicious little cycle of seeing who could fleece whom first while maintaining their monopoly and thus eliminate the competition.

"My dear Sana... Should I continue as planned to attack Salai or you this time? Or perhaps just send marauders to burn your plans out again... Agh, the expense of it all." Fareed smoothed his robes out and made himself more comfortable before thinking on it again. "Never matter you though, if I take Salai you will have no one to conspire with."

Smiling to himself as the thought of the upcoming campaign crossed his mind another image popped into his drifting conscious. A young colt now missing a hand. Yawning Fareed beckoned a server over and after having the poison tester take a heavy drink from the bottle first took a goblet for himself and sitting up for a moment drank.

"What a pathetic and trifling affair. Demanding my attention for a thief, one so pathetic he nary got the bracelet off before being noticed and grabbed forthwith." Fareed put the goblet down and huffed. "To demand my attention on something so pathetic! But still, it was worth every moment of my time."

Smiling happily he stretched his legs out remembering the look on Nawra's face, how she had retched at the sight, screaming and smell of blood. He was too tired to enjoy the moment then but now he could relax, remember and relish in the cries. The fool had broken a simple rule: at this time of year hide and never be seen. Worse, he had stolen from a guest. Normally he would just hang but no, a certain little goody two hooves had challenged it and given him a chance for some sport and a lecture on reality at her expense.

"If only I were not so tired but it would have been rude to keep her waiting a day longer... What a pain you are but at least now you know your place in things."

He couldn't help himself, he felt tired and short strung from all the other drudgery which had been heaped upon him without warning which had made his temper a little frayed. It had manifested itself for a moment as the princess tried to argue with him but he could just not suffer her high and lofty attitude any longer, she needed the hard truth explained to her. It had been great fun with every moment of it being delightfully sweet and savory as Nawra squirmed as he spoke nothing but the unbidden truth to her. She was good at politics but woefully either unaware and sheltered or too stuck up to realize the truth of the world. He was most willing and happy to oblige her while having done so made him feel more relaxed.

There had sadly been no rest for the weary afterwords, he had to rush off and conclude a trade agreement with another ambassador. Things had gone very well from there out but Ruhak was now acting a little odd and aloof about their meeting tomorrow, he did not mean to be rude but the emir was simply buying time for his queen and himself, one to plot and scheme, the other to figure out how to smooth things over.

"What a black widow you are..." Fareed sat up and took another sip before laying on his side. "Eating every little bug that dared to touch your manicured hide but only after fully enjoying them. If only Ruhak were to lead in your place our meetings would probably be far more pleasant, even enjoyable. He plots and schemes but is far more reasonable in his tastes than you are. But thus is the price of too much inbreeding, a truly stunning figure befitting your rank but a truly rotten mind."

Almost closing his eyes Fareed remembered Nawra again. "Ah yes... That other matter... Guess I have no choice now." Snapping his fingers he waited on his messenger to rush over. "Find "him" with haste, inform him that he is to pass word along that it will be time to sleep when the party has ended."

"Yes your majesty." His courier bowed rapidly and left.

"She has danced around my advances quite well so far but I get the feeling she is over estimating herself a little... The three have failed in all their other objectives save a few." He yawned again and closed his eyes. "She will be long gone before I can finish what I started but... I still have that option to take, not what I had desired but it should have the desired effect one way or another. All in good time though, all in good time my little princess."

Fareed nodded off to sleep smiling.

Author's Notes:

No rain here, just relentless, flesh boiling heat that is so intense the ground shimmers violently before your eyes like staring into an over-heated oven. Also feels like it.