Lucius Caesar looked up thoughtfully at the enemy cavalry on top of the pass south of him.

He had taken his men to within sight of Side and been able to report back to Perge that about 25,000 infantry had it under siege. Enemy cavalry had also been seen, but in small groups that made an accurate count of their total numbers impossible.

Having accomplished this task he had then ridden to Etenna at the top of the pass to Galatia, and found it unoccupied. He had pressed on towards Cotenna and the border, where he had also found no sign of the enemy.

Now, however, he was within sight of Etenna and the pass once more and had found his way blocked by a large force of enemy cavalry, some 1,500 strong. Had this all been a trap, he wondered?