Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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"That's why he canthink of it—not why he can trust us to carry it out."
"Well, we've got good communications." She'd heard that. "We're well organized." She'd heard that
from the horse's mouth, as it were:khyd-hird herself.
She had to turn to see Shkai'ra's nod, the Kommanza's attention elsewhere. "See? Every unit is
supporting every other unit, even as it moves. Damned difficult thing to do on the field. Except for those
Enchians, there, they seem to be vulnerable but…" She wasn't addressing Sova anymore, her voice going
thoughtful. "Sheepshit, he can't think the Arkan'sthat stupid, the man's no Abatzas. Yeolis traditionally
don't have a clue what to do with cavalry, but Gold-Arse ought to be smart enough to listen to his allies
who do."
Sova finally managed to figure out that the Enchian infantry in question seemed to be advancing a bit too
fast for their support, but Lakan cavalry on the flanks was ready to cut to ribbons anyone who tried to
take advantage of that. It just didn't look as if the horsemen could get there. A trap? Lines dissolved into
swirls again, order into chaos that her mind couldn't follow.
Shkai'ra went on following the action with occasional grunts and scattered comments such as, "Now
why? Oh, I see, a diversion… No, wait,that's the diversion, overthere … but they're really charging,
and is that a… a diversionwithin a diversion, oooh, nice. Look at that, Sova, he's got phalanxes and lines
going this way and that way and weaving in and out of each other—hah, fished in, you straw-haired
pig-fondlers! They're taking more losses butwe're taking enough… Maybe he's trying toconfuse the
strawhairs into submission, ha ha… He must have a larger plan that's in too early a stage to see, let's see
it play out."
Half an hour later: "So, Sova! I hope you've been following this!" The girl nodded enthusiastically—it
was true, she had been following, though she'd been able to discern absolutely nothing, aside from a lot
of movement on both sides that didn't seem to be to any use but left scattered corpses. "What do you
think our Gold-bottomed commander's doing, hmm?"
Sova looked through the far-lookers, gazed again without. The battle had raised enough dust that it was
getting hard to see anything. "Uhmmm. Ahhh." She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Shkai'ra, felt a
trickle of sweat on her back.Tell the truth . There was only one thing she could think of that was true.
She hoped for a "Good" and braced herself simultaneously as she answered, "I don't know. I can't tell."
"Damn," said Shkai'ra. "I was hoping you'd see it, because I don't." Sova stared, mouth open.Whap .
"Don't stare like a gaffed fish, it gives away what you're thinking."
Another quarter-hour; then Shkai'ra pricked, and leapt to her feet. "Hah!Ay-galug , hedoes listen to his
cavaliers—look at that, do you seethat , Sova?!" The girl peered; everything looked much the same as a
moment ago. No one else near saw either, apparently, including Megan; those around stared at Shkai'ra
puzzled, saying, "What? What?"
"Oh, beauty! Beauty! Strawhair's speared up the arse again, ha ha! Look and weep, sheep-rapers.
Look, Sova — I'll tell you or you might miss it. See, there." One hand on Sova's shoulder, she leaned
over, pointing to let Sova sight along her arm. "There'sthe strawhairs command post. Their sword-shield
infantry tied up with ours there, there andthere , archersthere , cavalry; well, you can see what's tied up
with what. To defend his center he only has spearmen and light horse, so if he gets pressed to the
left—which is about to happen, see?—he'llhave to shift that way.And call pikers to him. If he shifts…
lookthere ." Her finger moved up and to the right. "What'll be there and there?"