[DISCUSSION] Tales of Pendor (V3.7)

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As it must be

They ate their breakfast over a low hill north of Torbah, while the warband woke up and began to prepare for the gathering. It was the last day of the moon, last night two hundreds heavily armed and armoured horsemen came from Singal with chests, full with silver. From Turkmani tribe came a large herd of fine horses. The warriors knew, that the time for rewards has come. Some of them were ready to leave their service and to return to their yurts with their loot and their slaves. Another would have merely rest for a while with their families before the war horns to summon them again under the green banner. Many died, and their flesh become feast for the vultures, but those who lived become rich. The wounded, who could be saved, were property put under the constant care of their healers. The newcomers from Burilgi`s warband were corralled and put under heavy guard. Volunteers began to flock since it become known, that the warband will remain around Torbah for several moons.

Rambulhwa hug Sharam and offer her a pillow next to him. During the moons, while she recovered from an axe strike, she become pregnant and they kept her away from the fight. The others sat around the low table, still breathing heavy from the morning`s exercises.
"It will takes whole moons to watch over the drug addicts. Jatu will not sit on their arses all that time. The end of the spring is ideal for invasion in Ravenstern. The northern tribes holds grudge against Gregory and they will not wait for us for long. You know that, but you chained yourself here."
She look at the warlord with expectation. As usual, Sharaz spoke before him.
"We lost too many veterans, dear. The people can not fight every day. The veterans needs time with their families, we need new blood, but the young warriors needs some training too. The new Omen Seekers and the others with them needs time to clean themselves under constant guard."

Sharaa sat more comfortable and bite a tasty morsel.
"The other chieftains will watching us closely. They will not trust us, that the little brother doesn`t want to proclaim himself for a new "Bahadur". Sitting right here, doing only training and healing at the same time, when it is clear, that we can do a lot more ..."
"I get it." Sharas took a warm horse sausage. "But if we want new blood, we must send messengers around. And the sooner, the better."
"Good thinking." Sharaf looks at her with approval. "You have some wits behind all your savageness. We will reward our veterans, and we will send them back at their yurts. Loaded with plunder. Their tribesmen will see them, and they will hear for their battles. The young warriors will come."

"The stories made our blood to boil." Sharad took some kumis from Sharab. "We don`t bleed from it. We don`t worn your boots from it. The stories and the songs for glory make us to want more and more. And later we bleed for it. We die for the next story and our bones becomes a way for the next generation."
"If you want to lay down and to become a brood mother, you are free to go." Sharak offers her another cup.
"Piss off! It was just a thought!" Sharad take it and drank. "For blood and loot!"
The warband began to arrange beneath them. The veterans in the centre, Burilgi`s people stood a bit aside from them, under Singalian`s guard. They finish their breakfast and walk down to them.

They walk between the ranks. All men and women, survived from the battle with Marius and his force were there, weapons in hand, the helmets brightened on the sun, the armours repaired and clear. When the inspection was over, Rambulhwa climb over his horse.
"Brave warriors of "Honourable guards", he began with strong voice. "Murderers, throat slitters, head hunters, blood drinkers, looters and marauders! It ..."
"Oh, come on!" A tribesman from the second rank spoke with annoyance. "Stop that "noble tribesman" pose, chief! I know you like your old cloak, you grew up in the next yurt for Vata`s sake!"
"What are you talking about, Kirahal?" The warlord wrinkles against him.
"You are exactly the same like me and the rest here, that`s what I`m talking about."
The warlord sighed with bored expression.
"Of course, that I`m not "exactly the same" as you, Kirahal. It is painfully obvious for everyone."
The warrior didn`t gave up.
"How so?"

Rambulhwa explain with stone-like face.
"Since I`m your warlord, it means, that I`m better murderer and marauder than you. I thought, that it was obvious."
The more brave grinned. Laugh came from here and there amongst the back ranks. Kirahal bows, defeated.
"Fine, you are right! I`m sorry."
"It`s nothing." Rambulhwa continue as if nothing happened. ""Brave warriors of "Honourable guards!" Murderers, throat slitters, head hunters, blood drinkers, looters and marauders!" His eyes moved slowly over the ranks. "It pleases me to see, that so many amongst you are just like me!"
The warriors grinned and hit their shields with their weapons in approval.
"You followed me for years. You killed for me all over Pendor. You made the "Honourable guards" the most famous mercenary warband and now my name is spoken as the Hero, from the Prophesy of Madigan. Today, I - Rambulhwa, son of Barzubai from Turkmani D`Shar, decide to fulfil that Prophesy! Today I will raise my blade and I will summon all warriors who are willing to support me! Are you still with me!"

War cries and clashing of weapons over shields torn the very air apart. That was what they wanted to hear! They would have fight and winess with their own eyes the fulfilment of a true Prophesy! And their children, their grandchildren would grow up proud with the heroics of their deeds! There would have blood and loot for all of them!
Rambulhwa raise his hand for silence.
"Commander Donavan advices me, to distribute an additional reward for the distinctive victory over Marius imperator. Although I lost many fine warriors, the victory was ours and that was the end of Baccus. Today, all of those, who were there with me will receive a year`s worth of payment and five more horses for each warrior, including the fallen. Tomorrow you will return to your own yurts to bring your loot to your families to make your wives pregnant again. When you are back to your tribes, you will bring the share of those, who fell in battle to their families. They were our comrades-in-arm and killed for me fearlessly! Their families will nor starve, nor sell themselves. Their children will grew up knowing, that their parents went in battle for me, and did not made a single step back!"

Another clash followed and Rambulhwa continue.
"I take what is owed to me, and I give what I owe to the others. If someone is tempted to take a single horse hair belonging to another, his skin will be nailed to the chest of our scribes, and his family will die, slain with my blade. Go and tell everyone, that after three moons I will ride against Ravenstern! And I invites all warriors willing to join me to ride with me!"

Uladai, Ganir, Sherkan and the other senior infantry commanders surround Donavan, who walk toward his own yurt. Jebaru spoke first with low voice.
"How did you manage to do that?"
Donavan look at them.
"It is quite common to receive a reward after such an important major battle, Jebaru. All of you knew that."
"We arranged a mutiny, commander! We all expected no reward for that, but execution!"
"No, no, no!" Donavan waive a hand dismissively. "What are you talking about? Do you forget, that I gathered all of you before that?"
"Yes, we do remember!" Ladani nod. "I do remember, that you said ..."
"... that once when I served under commander Remar Limertal, he hold a feast after his victory over his rival, and during that, an assassin, hidden amongst his own men used the opportunity to stab him in the back." Donavan interrupted him casually. "So I suggested all of you to watch the warriors closely, and to provoke them a little. No doubt any enemy spy would have used the opportunity to assassinate the warlord and we would have hack him into pieces."

Beshrak pull his thick braid.
"I`ve never heard for such ..." He stop and thought again. "Ah, yes! Yes, indeed! I do remember well! We did that! Fortunately, there were no enemy spies amongst us!"
The others weren`t fools and understood him with ease. Donavan spread his hands and hold the shoulders of the nearest two men.
"The warlord is actually quite grateful, that we are so concerned for his safety. So he decide to reward each one of us with additional 500 denari and five horses from his personal herd. I suggest, that you choose them now, and go to the Doomguides for your coins. Now, if you excuse me, I want to visit my wives."
They bowed to each other and separated. Donavan enter into his own yurt and sat next to Messahi Vashat. He gently cleared her wounds. Her left hand was missing, and she wore a wide scarf over her eyes. Messahi was out of danger for her life, but terribly slim and exhausted. Donavan kissed her gently.

"When I saw you in the wagon, I thought that my heart will stop from worry for you! We were so frightened, Eshari and I. Finally, you are here! I`ll ask the warlord to send for his father-in-law."
Messahi smiles briefly.
"I`m both cripple and blind. I have no family, and no one to care for me. What can you possibly may want from me?"
"I said, that I want to marry you!" Donavan began to unlock her dirty kaftan. Her ribs were clearly visible under her thin skin. She didn`t ate well and several new and ugly scars crossing her once beautiful body. He took a clean piece of soft fabric and wide cup with warm water and began to clear her. "You do need to eat more red meat. You must be strong for me and for our children both."
"What children?" She snorted roughly. "I have nothing to live for."
"You have me and Eshari." Donavan`s hand moved over the place, where her left hand finished with uneven piece of flesh. "And you will become pregnant soon, after your body recover from that disgusting seed that you took to prevent pregnancy!"

"While I was Omen Seeker I was someone! Now I`m nothing! I wanted nothing else but to touch you once more before I die." Messahi raise her only hand toward the sound of his voice.
Eshari took it within hers.
"You won`t die. We will live together, just as we intended. I lost a leg, but with some help I`m still able to ride. You too will become accustomed. I wanted to die too. Now you are here again. Everything will be better, if we are together."
"I will never see you again. I don`t want to ..."
"You didn`t send a single word trough all the messengers! We thought you for dead! You can`t left us just like that!"
"Don`t pretend that my wounds are meaningless. It wont work. Most of the cripple warriors prefer to finish themselves. Otherwise they will finish as beggars."

"You will become my wife!" Donavan finish with her legs and dried her with large towel. "Our share from the victory will be enough for ten people to live well to the rest of their lives. And more."
"The horses will not bring back my eyes. Or my arm. What reason ..."
"Reason! You want reason? Fine, I`ll give you a reason!" Donavan throw aside the towel. "I waited for you to return long enough!"
Messahi suddenly felt his familiar weight over her body and moaned when he enter into her.
"When we have a dozen children, you will have a reason good enough!"
Her legs hold him with strength and her only hand hold him tight.

When the camp turn silent, and the breathing of Donavan and Eshari turn soft and even, Messahi`s arm moved around until she found his belt. As all warriors, he slept with his weapons at arm length. She draws his knife.
"It isn`t a true life, Drillmaster, to ... exist like that." Her voice was just a weak breeze. "Not all tales have happy ending. I don`t want to exist at any cost. No matter what you may say to me, it isn`t a life. Not any more. When I see the gods, I will ask them only to see you in the next life. Nothing more."
Her hand moved the blade over her own throat.
On the next morning the desperate howl from commander Donavan`s yurt send the nearest patrol on the run. When the ten warriors and their arban-u entered with weapons in hand, they saw him clutching in the corpse of a mutilated woman. Her cold dead hand hold a knife still covered with half-dried blood.
 
The consequences of our decisions

Hirmakash rode with all haste. His horse was strong and he kick him mercilessly again to run faster. White foam fell from his snout while the grey stallion exert all his strength. Soon Hirmakash saw the first riders, guarding their camp. The Jatu Riders saw a lone Grim Rider coming toward them in full speed and prepared their bows. But he didn`t call for alarm, so he must have had an important message, rather than information about incoming enemy force. He didn`t slow down, nor said anything to them and they left him to ride toward the camp.
Warlord Kardula pour some kumis to warlord Zulkar and spoke again.
"Still I do believe, that our brothers may fell into an ambush. Warlord K`Juda is brave and strong without equal, but the southerners are many. He took great risk, leading most of Jatu with him."
Zulkar drank, but said nothing. Instead him, another warlord spoke.
"Warlord Zulkar is no less capable than Warlord K`Juda! But he is nor reckless, nor overconfident. We have no reason to fight southerner`s battles for them."

"Beilai, he only said, that it would be better if we all went south." Warlord Nurah tried to calm them. "Together no enemy will catch us with surprise."
Shurbalu objected.
"Warlord Zulkar had his own reasons. We must believe in him. He led us in dozens of battles. We all know his skills and courage. He preferred to negotiate with ..."
"Negotiations? With the foreigners?" Warlord Dergu snorted in disgust. "As if their word is worth something more than horse piss! They can not be trusted! They want to kill or enslave all of us!"
Warlord Egadach wrinkles and sat more comfortable over his pillow. He glide an old scar over his face.
"You have a point here, old friend. I support warlord Zulkar, and all of my men too. Yet I do fail to see any benefit for us from negotiation with Ravenstern or Sarleon. They consider us for "barbarians", and believe themselves for superior type of humans, just because they live like sheep in stone sheep pen."

Several other warlords murmured in agreement. A few others supported Zulkar`s decision. Zulkar himself said nothing, waiting for all of them to give voice to their thought. He only watched their body language and mimics. It revealed their true thoughts and intentions to him.
"I do believed, that our people will benefit from negotiations as much as from fighting." Zulkar spoke without raising his voice and the other warlords stop their ruction to listen. "I still believe in that. If we only fight ALL the foreigners, they all will learn nothing for us. They will only look upon us with fear and disgust as they look upon a wild cat into their territories. Hunting them and killing them will make them our enemies. And we can`t fight all of them."
He notice, that they didn`t spoke at once, but spared a few moments to consider his words. He caught warlord Murshak to wrinkle savagely. The man was tough as a wild boar ... and almost as smart as one. All of his decisions came from his scabbard. But he was quite popular leader, despite his rough attitude. Still he had a crutch for Zulkar`s second daughter. Giving her to him earned his support and none of his warriors followed K`Juda in his sudden campaign to the south.

Voices came outside and they turn toward the yurt`s entrance. The Grim Riders hold their weapons. Two of them went outside and soon returned with third one, covered with dust from long riding. He bows.
"Warlord Zulkar! They are coming back! K`Juda and his men are back!"
""Ha!" Warlord Murshak hit his open palm with fist. "Lets go and welcome him back!"
"Probably he is coming back with plenty of wounded. Lets prepare our healers."
Warlord Shurbalu look at Zulkar for confirmation. Yes, it was quite possible, that K`Juda came back defeated. Zulkar led the others outside and send order to prepare their healers. He send another man to order a welcoming feast. He would have met K`Juda with soft words and no accusation for his defeat. Amongst his tribe it wasn`t necessary. There always were enough people to throw blame upon other`s defeat. He rode toward K`Juda at the head of his own warlords.

When they saw the caravan, spreading over three kilometres columns of hundreds of wagons, loaded with women, the thousands young boys, tied behind it, and the herds, overloaded with loot, warlord Zulkar felt his heart miss a beat. Behind him, the other warlords issued welcoming cries toward the incoming horde and he felt almost physically, that he lost them. Who would have listen to his peaceful ideas now? He turn his horse back, unable to look at K`Juda`s triumph. Barely a few of his warlords followed him.
Zulkak waited into his own yurt when the first shouts came. Only a few first, then most of the camp came together to congratulate K`Juda for his victory. The shouts came closer and closer. He forced himself to appear calm and order to his Grim Riders to invite K`Juda inside. All of the warlords came with him and they sat upon the soft pillows, prepared from the slaves for the feast. They bowed to each other.

"Warlord K`Juda, I`m glad to see you again. We were worried, that the foreigners may lure you into a trap. It pleases me, that you returned to us, with Indar`s own blessing."
K`Juda removes his helmet and put it next to his place.
"I`m pleased, that you are pleased. Although I do not recall your support when I decide to went south. It does seemed to me, that you somehow disagree with me about it, and hold yourself away from the battles."
"I do believe, that there is benefit in the peaceful ways. Not everything in our life is fighting!"
"I do respect that. I truly do." K`Juda bows to him. "But I see, that Jatu didn`t get more numerous or wealthier for all that time, spent in negotiations. So I brought you a gift."
He wave to one of his Kajahars. The man disappear. A few moments later he returned. leading ten young women, dressed in transparent silken robes, that hide nothing from their beautiful bodies. Another ten strong men slaves came behind them, wearing five heavy wooden chests. They unlocked it, revealing the gold, silver, jewelleries ...

"I do value your ways, Zulkar." K`Juda was the politeness itself. "I do understand what it costs you. So please, accept this humble gift from me."
The eights warlords, who stood nearest to Zulkar hold their weapons. It was customary for Jatu to bring some gifts to warriors, crippled in battles and unable to care for themselves. The warlords supported their invalid tribe members. To bring such gift to a strong, capable warrior however it was nothing else but open insult. In practice, it declare to everybody, that K`Juda threated Zulkar as a cripple, unable to fight and take anything with his own sabre.
One of K`Juda`s warlords, Iksadar, draw his blade and tried to rose. K`Juda was faster. Using his sheathed sabre, he strike at him into his blind eye. When the man fell, K`Juda took his weapon and throw it to another. Two slaves brought water and helped Iksadar to rose to his feets. K`Juda spoke.
"One Jatu does NOT fight another after the trials, that made us warriors. I do not forget that, Zulkar. Do try to remind to your followers the same."

Zulkar`s eyes thinned.
"You can not control your own dogs, for all I can see!"
The provocation hang into the air. Instead the expected tantrum, K`Juda only snorted briefly.
"You heard for my hounds already?"
"Hounds"? Zulkar inclined his head confused. "You hate dogs!"
"I found a new breed, that entertain me." K`Juda gave the signal. Agjaga went outside and came back, accompanied by tall woman in scale mail, holding a chan with ...
Zulkar and the other Jatu warlords could only stare at the sight of a man, wearing rich emperor`s garment and heavy crown, covered in gemstones ... who began to bark against them.
"I decided to went south by the invitation of one of our D`Shar cousins. The looting of Baccus went well. We came back with a lot of plunder and scores of good slaves." K`Juda smiles savagely. "And I found myself a new hound. Their emperor!"

Zulkar throw his cup and rose.
"And for that dog you sacrificed HALF of all the men under your command! The men, who trusted you to lead them to victory!"
"I lost two hundreds and fourteen men."
"You came back with only half of your forces!"
"After we looted Laria, I left warlord Jursahar with half of my men. A message came from a spy, that the famous Marleon cavalry will leave the town to join their main army in Sarleon." K`Juda look at the other warlords and notice their thoughtful expressions. "Jursahar will attack them from ambush when they stop for the night. Unlike us, their knights are helpless on the ground. Too heavy armour!"

"You began war with two nations at the same time!" Zulkar wasn`t able to believe of such stupidity. "You are mad!"
K`Juda`s men began to stand from their places, but he only said.
"Baccus is already fallen. Laria is taken. Avendor is besieged from Fiersdvain. Marleon`s main force will be massacred soon, if they aren`t already defeated. Sarleon will be overflowed with so many refugees, that they will fell from only a short siege, when D`Shar move to the north."
The other warlords began to look at K`Juda with new eyes. He wasn`t only the ruthless warlord they knew, he was something more. They underestimated him before, deceived from his obvious bloodlust.
"Meanwhile," K`Juda continue "I will wait a few days until the Noldor army join us at the Talon castle. I will show them my other hound, their former king. Then we will take their food supplies, for we will need it for our campaign against Ravenstern, where the Mystmountain clans already gather their men to join us. Will you sit idle again? All of you?"
No one else, but warlord Murshak was the first to offer his support, and just a heartbeat later, the others began to declare their allegiance one over the other. Zulkar sat back over his pillow, crushed from his defeat.

K`Juda turns to his own.
"Come brothers, lets feast with our warriors outside!"
Zulkar remained on his place while the other warlords followed K`Juda. The defeat tasted sour on his tongue.
When K`Juda enters his yurt, he chase the slaves outside and turn toward Iksadar, who turn red in shame and bows low, expecting his execution.
K`Juda hold him in bear hug for a few moments and laugh.
"You are cunning and capable as any bard I`ve ever seen! For a moment even I believed, that you want to strike at warlord Beilai!" He tap the man`s shoulder. "Well done, well done!"
Iksadar stares at him in confusion.
"I ... I wanted to, but you strike at me. I admit my guilt, and I`m ready to accept my punishment."
"Punishment?" K`Juda look at the man. "But Agjaga told you to pretend, that you are offended, and ready to strike at them." He turns to Agjaga.

"I decide not to. I know him, and felt, that it will look more convincing, if it came naturally." Agjaga incline his head toward Iksadar. "I trusted, that he will act accordingly."
K`Juda roared in laughter.
"So it came all by yourself, eh?" He unlock his own sabre and offered it to the stunned warlord. "Please, take it with my gratitude. When we attack Ravenstern, you will lead the vanguard, Iksadar!"
Iksadar hesitates, but accept the weapon. It was great honour, and he didn`t miss the envy of the other warlords. He bows again.
"I only did what any of us was ready to do for you, K`Juda."
"But acting in respond of Beilai and the rest, you made Zulkar to lose face in front of all warlords!" K`Juda laugher fills the yurt again. "By Indar, the look on his face! It was priceless! Oh, lets see now how he will be able to convince anyone, that we need his NEGOTIATIONS!"
Now Iksadar understood him. K`Juda just provoked Zulkar, and make him to look weak as an old cripple. All of his strange ideas for negotiations and peace offerings with the other "civilized" nations would have fell into deaf ears now. The victory over Baccus, and all the plunder would have convinced even the most thick-headed ones amongst Zulkar`s supporters, that his way is ineffective. He smiles.

"We will went against Ravenstern, as you intended. But this time it will be all of us. Together. And nothing will stop us!"
"When Mystmountain tribes came down from their frozen caves with all their infantry, and the Noldor came with their archers, when D`Shar came with their herds, I do believe, that the victory will be ours! Go now, invite all warriors to the feast and tell them that!"
The others made their bows and left to fulfil his orders. Accomplanied by Agjaga only, K`Juda enter into the next yurt. Kassim, Riva and the Snake Cult Priestesses look at him with expectance. K`Juda spoke directly to Riva.
"You were right. They all will flock under my war banner. I am ready to went north tomorrow!"
Riva bows to him.
"You proved to your tribe, that you are better warlord and more capable leader than the others. But if you allow me to say it, I suggest to wait a few days until the Noldor catches with us."
K`Juda thought for a moment.
"Are you afraid so much from Ravenstern archers?"
Riva didn`t allowed his mockery to affect her.

"Kassim`s second wife came from your own captives. She bested all archers who dared to compare to her. Including many Jatu. And she said, that she isn`t an exceptional archer amongst her race. When they came to our aid, we will manage to inflict them dreadful casualties, while our own will be quite light. As a first warlord amongst Jatu, you knows how important it is to achieve victory with most of your warriors still alive. Lure them in the forests. They will chase you, thinking that they will best your horsemen there. The Mystmountain clans will ambush them there. Lure their cavalry away from their archers, and you will chew them separately with only a small loses. Just hold onto the general plan, as you agree with our warlord. And you will not regret for lending your support to him."
"Speaking with women about battles and strategies isn`t exactly a common thing amongst Jatu. I still ..."
"... feel yoursself uncomfortable?" Cilessa Elarni hissed against him and K`Juda`s arm seek the hilt of his own weapon as he saw her fangs. "You will become accusstomed with it. You already ssaw our power. And you choose to become our friend, not our enemy."

K`Juda forced himself to turn to Riva, ignoring the strange Priestess.
"Tell me something. How did you manage to convince the Noldor to help us? I thought, that nothing in the world will convince them."
The women against him exchange smiles, and K`Juda felt himself even more uncomfortable, looking such snake-like women around him. Still he manage to pretend indifference. Riva spoke with light humour into her voice.
"I didn`t convinced them to help you. I merely challenged them." 
 
How to persuade the Noldor

Hinaraniel from the house Elendalanal look at the crowd. Mostly females, but she saw and a few males here and there. Surely they were here only from curiosity, but it was some beginning. She climb at the feet of Qualis`s statue. The small talks faded. All waited for her to speak.
"I am Hinaraniel from the house Elendalanal. One of the last Jatu captives. These, who actually were freed from captivity and given as a gift to another tribe of the stinking humans. Nor I, nor anyone else expected to see Elacrai alive. Yet we came back. But while the males amongst the captives were greeted as heroes when we came back, we, the females were treated as disgraced outcasts, for we were raped and used for sex toys from our captors. As if we had any choice."
She notice the crowd`s reaction. Some of the females looks ashamed, others just thoughtful.
"Some may think, that we should kill ourselves to avoid such miserable fate. I thought for it myself more than a few times. Yet I found that I lack the strength to end my life. Instead, listening the screams of Naranilin, from the House Gwinalanien, I still kept a tiny hope, that some amongst you will come to my rescue."

This time more than few faces twisted in open shame.
"He was strong warrior and capable leader. He tried to face his death with courage and dignity. But when his arse was torn apart from the stake, he cried as a little child and scream his lungs in his own agony. Just like Sariniel, Ternalatan and the others before them. I knew, that I`d scream just as himself in the next day or so. As any of you would do in his place."
Uncomfortable shifting follows, but none objected her claim. To be impaled on a stick wasn`t a pleasant death.
"It is easy to say: Die with honour and dignity, show them your courage. But it isn`t a matter of courage or dignity, just a physical endurance toward pain. And I`m telling you - none managed to endure it with "dignity". To die in battle is something that frighten none of us. Yet nor I, and I`m sure that nor you want to finish on a Jatu stake. Even lord Aeldarian himself will not be able to endure it without screaming! Yet he look upon us, the beaten and raped survivors with disgust and turn his face aside from us!"

Hinaraniel felt the growing tension amongst the crowd. One of the males raise his voice.
"And how did you survive, since all captives before you died?"
"I said, that I was given as a gift to another human tribe. They gave me and the other captive Noldor as for some sheep. I was given to a member of a human tribe, called D`Shar, who obviously had some blood ties with Jatu tribe. Their representative told me, that his chieftain want to win the Noldor support for himself. Because he intent to claim the title of "The Hero of Madigan`s prophesy". The D`Shar male gave us food, armours, weapons and horses, and he send us at home. I was so happy, that I will come back alive! But the moment I face my own kin, I saw that I no longer have a home. They look at me with disdain, for I was raped, but I did not killed myself! I look into the faces of my parents, my brothers and sisters ... and my own husband, and saw that I was nothing into their eyes! A walking, living disgrace for my entire family! So the males are heroes, for they manage to escape alive from enemy`s hands, yet for the same the females are STIGMA! WHY? Did I not fought as well as any male? Did I not killed as much humans as any other Aion`Telai? I did that and more!"

The uproar came without delay. The other females knew only too well that she wasn`t the only one in such situation.
"So I was rejected from my own family. I was expelled from my House and from my home. The only roof I found was the communal shelter for the poorest, the most inapt and the homeless amongst us. The friends, whose support I seek closed their doors in my face. For them, I was a stranger. I spent the next ten days in the shelter, wondering what to do with my life. No one from all Noldor I knew for my whole life came to me! So I took my sword and my horse, and I left. I found the D`Shar tribe and I took the male who freed me for my husband."
Another male spoke with despise.
"Since you love the human filth so much, why are you still here?"
"I never said, that I like them." Hinaraniel spit on the ground. "They treat their females with not much difference than our outcasts. But I bested their most capable archers with ease, and I defeated others in duels with my sword. And they began to respect me! The illiterate, the unwashed savages, who shi* where they eat, showed me respect unlike the very Noldor for whom I spilled my blood!"

Hinaraniel turns toward the tall male, who spoke to her last. His garment was well made and his weapon was of good quality. No doubt he was from some of the noble families.
"You asked why I came back. I will tell you. Because the Noldor were supposed to be better than the filthy savages, THAT`S WHY! Because we are supposed to be ancient and knowledgeable race, superior to them in all things! Yet I found, that despite all our superior strength, agility, skills and knowledge, we possess the same male chauvinism as them! On the surface it may seems, that we consider the male and female as equal, under the surface it isn`t the same. I wasn`t able to see it myself, until I become its victim. There is no equality in the army, for there are not a single female amongst Aion`Naol, nor amongst Aion`Saal! There is not a single female warlord amongst the whole Noldor history too! I will ask you now, how are Noldor better than the human filth?"
The male open his mouth but he didn`t manage create an answer immediately. Finally, he said:
"Obviously, the females aren`t as good as the males in the war. Some things are better performed from the stronger ..."

The female, standing next to him, step forward. Half meter taller than him, with hands, tough as iron from the working at the forges, she spoke gently.
"Do you consider yourself stronger than me?"
"I am son of ..."
She didn`t wait him to finish, she only took him by the throat and raise him in the air with one hand.
"I did asked you a simple question. Yes, or no?"
Two more males removed their hoods and came closer, their hands on their weapons.
"Leave his lordship right away!"
"And that is the other reason, your lordship!" Hinaraniel spoke again. "I saw, that you gave weapons to the females only because we have not enough males to keep the fight! Not because you consider us for your equal!"
The crowd waiver. The bodyguards were surrounded from more females with weapons in hands.

Eleintariel from the House of Ithilrandir throw the young lordling over his bodyguards and they all fell one over the other.
"I too fought at Laria. I came back with no less than fifty human heads but no one seem to recognize my deeds. Yet my commander, Maegalcarwen, was promoted, and he killed about half of my score. I don`t like it either."
The young lordling came to himself.
"You don`t understand! The human scum just want to turn us one against the other! If we began to break our unity, if we lost the trust in our comrades, we will be lost!"
"And how many humans you killed, little one?"
"I ... I ... "
"None. All talk and no deeds on your own name. While the others spill their blood you drink wine and recite poetry, waiting for others to fight for you. I don`t want to hear your mewling again!"

He looks around for support and find none. With the expression of wounded pride, he walks away. Eleintariel turns toward Hinaraniel.
"What do you offer us to do?"
"The human warlord who freed me, will went against Ravenstern. He persuaded Jatu to went with him. They will bother us no longer. He already defeated Baccus, so our south border is secure too. The west is in turmoil, Sarleon is in battle in three fronts and they are in no position to attack us. Fiersdvain are too far away to be a threat for us. At least for now. Which leaves only Ravenstern. They claim, that they are the best archers in Pendor. I find such claim ... doubtful. The D`Shar are shi* of an archers, so they will welcome us. They offer horses, silver and whatever loot we are capable to take in exchange for our help. And I, for once, am curious how long the males will endure, if we, the females leave them alone."
Several females weren`t able to hold their laughter. Elentariel shook her head.
"You are a cruel female!"

"I`m tired to be insulted, humiliated and underestimated. I had enough!" Hinaraniel suddenly felt herself very tired. "I have no home now. You still have. If you come with me, be sure that it is what YOU want for yourself. I can not offer you safety. If you want respect, you must take it yourself. No one will give you anything for free. You may ignore me now, and the next time you may be in my situation. It is up for you to decide."
Another male removes his hood and the nearest Noldor bows to him.
"I offended you too, Hinaraniel from the house Elendalanal, not only the lord of your House. I did nothing to repair the injustice that fell upon you and the others like you. Yet you accusing nor me, nor the head of House Elendalanal. Why?"
Hinaraniel look at the long, pale face of Ithilrandir and bows.
"I did not come back to beg in your feet, lord Ithilrandir. Now I am no one and I will not stay into your town for long. In six days I will leave Elacrai forever. Lord Elendalanal is no longer my master. He abandon me, and I will abandon him in return. I found, that there is a whole world outside Elacrai`s walls. Perhaps I will find someone there, who will not look upon me from above as some king of strange insect."

Ithilrandir close his eyes for a moment, before to speak with calm voice.
"Is it too late to apologize? To make amends? To persuade you to try again, but here, not into the human world?"
"You are a powerful lord, you live in a palace and no one hurt you for a long time. Can you imagine, what it means to escape from enemy`s hands only to discover, that you have no friends at your very home? No Noldor came to my rescue, nor you, nor lord Aeldarian. YOU HAD ARMIES, FOR QUALIS`S SAKE! AND YOU DID NOTHING! You cowered behind the walls and left us to die on the stakes! Why?"
"So you wanted to risk the lives of ten thousand Noldor for the vague probability to save two hundreds forty one? Saving the whole Noldor race is more important that your life or mine."
"And again the whole is more important than the separate parts." Hinaraniel said without anger. "But I found it, that without its parts, the whole is no longer "whole", but something else."
"So you left the savages to tells you how to think. A pity."

The Noldor look at them unsure how to react. Hinaraniel smiles.
"Do you know, how the savage persuaded Jatu to free us?"
"No." Ithilrandir spoke with interest. "Did you find out?"
"Their chieftain send my new husband, Kassim, to persuade them. When K`Juda threatened him to impale him and to deal with us directly, Kassim told him, that if he didn`t return alive, his warlord will aid us and the Ravenstern king against Jatu." Hinaraniel`s voice was full with sorrow. "He was ready to kill the entire Jatu tribe, if they kill his messenger. A single human. You and Aeldarian didn`t move your armies for two hundreds forty one of your Noldor."
 
"We managed to take back some land from the humans." Ithilrandir tried to persuade her once more. "We will be able to expand our territory and influence beyond Elacrai. I ... failed you, but you still can live amongst your own kind."
Hinaraniel felt her heart heavy with sorrow, but gave him no quarter.
"My own kind proved to be not even a little better. I will not let Enardanal to touch me ever again. I revoked our marriage in front of two Seers! I disowned our children! I want nothing from them any more! I will went to kill as many humans as possible. I will live amongst them, since my own banished me as a filthy rat from our home!"
Ithilrandir bow to her.
"I will accept your decision. I can only hope, that one day you will return to us, when the rage, burning from your wounds turns cold."
Hinaraniel froze on her place.
"When my rage turns cold?? My lord, for all the years since the Genocide, your own rage burn brighter than ever. Do let me ask you something: what would you do, if Salohaniel was amongst the captives too?"
In a heartbeat his sword flashed toward her throat.
"Do not dare ..." He understood too late the significance of her simple question. But the others around them already saw and heard them.


"Do have a bit of rest."

The visitor, cloaked in common traveller`s cloak trace a strange symbol with his right arm and two of Gaduilm`s men step aside from his path, letting him to enter inside. He found Gaduilm himself lowered over a piece of parchment.
"I received your message. I came as fast as I could."
"Good." Gaduilm put the scroll aside. "Your reports were detailed enough, but the mistress wants you to find a way to bring me into the warband. The distance could be a problem sometimes. She will be able to influence him directly trough me. By the time he conquer the whole Pendor, he must be already her puppet."
"I don`t understand." The visitor`s voice revealed his surprise. "He hold it next to him day and night! Are you trying to tell me, that he still have some degree of free will?"
"Some degree? Are you such a fool?" Gaduilm hit the table with one fist, breaking it instantly. "It isn`t a fireball, you cur! The mind control is a subtle art! The victim`s willpower must be weakened enough slowly, before he becomes vulnerable to our "suggestions"! If he finds out the changes between his ordinary actions and thoughts he may break the spell! And all our hard work will be for nothing!"

Gaduilm rose and step closer to his quest. Nothing could be seen through his helmet and garment, yet anger radiates from his entire being.
"And if it happens, YOU will be the one, hold responsible! The mistress will not tolerate failure!"
"I will not fail." The cloaked man bows. "I heard from his bodyguards, that he often dreams of some woman. Tall. Red skin. Wings. Large ti.."
"INSOLENT CREATURE!" Gaduilm roared insanely and the other person bows deeply and froze. "Do you want to lose your tongue?"
"I can only repeat what I heard. Its just a report, nothing more."
Gaduilm tried to calm himself.
"Yes, you must report to me all that you knows about your mission." He left a tensed sigh and continue. "You were supposed to become your most faithful servant. Did you succeeded in that?"

The other person giggle.
"No. I managed to become his friend."
Gaduilm, ready to erupt in fury, suddenly erupt in laughter.
"Oh, that`s good, really good! Perhaps he even thrust you a bit."
"Not only a bit. I`m one of his strategist and I have his full confidence. He believes me."
"Just like that? What about your family? Your ... personal history? Your Order?"
"We all have our history. My family concerns nobody but myself. As for my Order ... well, as long as they are willing to fight on his side, he will not question their motives. We have our secrets, and he respects that."
"Perhaps." Gaduilm thought for some time. "Then you will be able to use your influence over him to convince him, that I can be more useful to him, if he allows me to join his warband."
The cloaked man issued short mocking laughter.
"He is so grateful for your weapons, that you may walk right into his yurt and he will hug you and offer you a hundred horses and slaves for dozen ebony sabres more."

"Is that so?" Gaduilm look at the male more thoughtfully. "What are you trying to do?"
"To fulfil my mission, as you are trying to fulfil yours. We are servants of our mistress and we are ready to do whatever is necessary for our success." The cloaked male add after a short silence. "And Netherworld shields along with the sabres will be greatly appreciated. He is much more attached to his bodyguards, than it seems from outside. Can you arrange it?"
"YOU ... YOU ..." Gaduilm gasped in anger. "You want to arm the mortals with armament, allowed only for the higher beings!"
"The higher ranking servants are allowed to use it too. And he will pay for it with enough slaves to satisfy the mistress for some time. The empire is already defeated, D`Shar are already under his control, Sarleon needs only a little more time, Ravenstern are the next and then Fiersdvain. The victory is closer than ever! I can almost feel it!"

Ularde watched the caravan`s road from the battlements over the eastern gate of Valonbray. She waited there from the first sunray, since she took the first shift in the left tower. The new shift came to replace her after the lunch, but she remained there, just to be able to see the road from that vantage point. She wore the new plate armour and the winged helmet of the Valkyrie along with the distinctive Dragonspine axe or her Order. She won the honour to join the Order just the last moon and Boadice didn`t knew it yet.
"Still waiting for her, aren`t you?"
Ularde jump when Nejal`s voice came behind her back and the hand reach for the hilt by instinct. Her older sister giggle.
"Patience, my little hatchet, patience. The way from Torbah is long. She may come tonight, or even tomorrow. Meanwhile you may come down to eat a piece of meat. You`ll not miss her, she wrote, that she will came to the east gate, don`t worry!"

Nejal led her downstairs to the guardroom, where the last shift ate their lunch before to return to the town. They took their portions and sat on the nearest table along with several Berserkers.
"Do try to convince her to have more children. Mother told me, that having only one grandchild from you is a disgrace to our family!" Nejal look at her younger sister with rebuke. "She have nine children! I have five and our brothers have at lest seven more. Only you have only one daughter. Think for your family!"
Ularde wrinkles at her.
"Stop for at least a day! I`m tired from that! When I will went to fight, if my belly is constantly full with children!"
"Nonsense!" Nejal waive at her with her tankard, full with water. "How many from the garrison here fought in the war, eh? They just patrol and hunt the occasional brigands around. Not all of us must went to fight in the other lands. Some of us must remain here to protect our homes."
"It is easy for you to say that, Nejal! You just return from Avendor. You and our brothers fought the Sarleon army while I served my time just training and patrolling around. I don't want to remain into your shadow forever!"
Nejal throw her black braid aside.

"My shadow?" She snorted with doubt. "Since we heard, that commander Boadice from "Honourable guards" won the great battle against Marius, you have a torn in the arse. I don`t think that it is my shadow that you are trying to avoid. I tried to warn you, that the Veccavia women are tough to compare yourself with, but you are as hot head as all these Berserkers at our table. Is that right, Bjorn?"
The nearest man, a large brute with braided beard nod in agreement.
"I was amongst the spectators at her trials. She could become a good Berserker."
Ularde shouted at him enraged.
"You are such a ****! You want to see me in that pathetic imitation of "armour" you wear! I`d be better naked!"
"Well, if you insist ... who am I to say "no" to that?"
The whole room busted in laughter and Ularde was forced to pat her sister`s back for she gasped with her food in laughter.
A voice came from the upper level.
"A group of soldiers approaches. About a hundred and twenty or forty. They lead a lot of packhorses too. Tell the Valkyria who waited for them."
 
Fifty horsemen separates from the caravan, along with their pack horses, the day before it reaches Taloncrag and they went deeper into the woods. Despite the late spring, the snow barely began to melt. Their leader, covered with warm travellers cloak led them with such certainty, as if she followed some paved road with landmarks. She spread her hand toward a low branch, took a handful of snow, made a ball and suddenly throw it at the next horseman.
Ansen raise his armoured hand and the snowball scatters.
"I still don`t understand why you didn`t try to cover our tracks. Every half-blind dog could track us here."
"Because my people just LOVE to meet visitors, following our tracks. Why do you think there are still free clans in the North, despite all that snow around? For all that time you spent in fighting, you are still a town boy."
"Fine, fine, have your fun." Ansen tried to sound angry, but he failed gloriously into his attempt to deceive her. She knew him far too well. After ten years of marriage and five children, his face blushed each time when she openly called him "adorable" and went in great details about their private life into her conversations with her girlfriends amongst her clan.

"What took you for so long, you two lovebirds?"
The voice, coming over their heads startled Ansen, while Adonja just throw another snowball toward it, hitting the sentry in her chest.
"Majura, can I believe into my own eyes? You`ve managed to raise your fat arse from the hides to actually DO something useful? The world must coming to its end!"
Laughter came all over the horsemen and the other Cats Claw clansmen left their cover. Majura came down from branch to branch, until she stood in front of the newcomers.
"You better hope, that you came with good reason. I lost five kilograms of fat, just climbing here. And if I don`t receive a proper compensation, I may decide to take your pet to keep me warm."
This horsemen, watching the slim as willow girl, began to laugh with Adonja. Only Ansen look at her, worried. He could never tell if she was serious or not. Some of the clan`s customs were ... well ...

"Catch!"
Adonja throw a war hammer at her. Majura met it with her shield, then lower herself to collect it. She notice, that unlike the other war hammers, this one was made entirely from metal.
"It`s too heavy for me, brood mother."
"It`s because it isn`t for you, boor. One bird told me, that you keep your eyes over Djeral. Give him that hammer, and even he will notice, that you stalk him since you were on twelve." Adonja throw a military pick at her. "This is for you."
Majura catch the weapon with swift movement and tried a few strikes.
"Nice, very nice. Sharp beak to pierce their armours, and a blunt end to take captives. I like captives!"
"Whole ones or on parts?"
Majura giggles as a young girl as she was.
"Depends from my mood at the moment." She put the military pick into her belt and put the hammer over her shoulder. "About fuc.ing time to show your pale arse here, girl. Your father was sick from worries about you. It`s a bloody miracle that you are still alive, from what I`ve heard."

"How is he?" Adonja came down from her stallion and both walked toward the caves.
"He is growing old, what else did you expected. But he managed to arrange a truce and the meeting with Wolfbode the Slaver, or whatever the big pig calls himself these days." Majura whistle wishfully. "I heard, that he is really big man."
"You have not a chance." Adonja`s evaluation was merciless. "Smash Djeral when he is careless enough to turn his back on you, and call your sisters to drag him into your corner of the cave. Or ..." Adonja wink at her. "... just wait a bit more, until a whole horde of tough, fierce Jatu came along with our warband."
"Jatu?? What the hell? JATU! You will bring JATU here? For Vejovis`s sake, when they came here we will never be able to drive them back! They are worse that Ravenstern! Crazy warmongers, all of them! Have you ever heard of K`Juda? The greatest pig`s arse in existence since the beginning of the time itself! I heard, that even Noldor are afraid from him!"
Adonja waive a greetings toward two of her nephews, coming at them.
"If you can like a male with face like battle axe, I suppose that he can do the job. Although he is a bit grim for my taste. I saw him to smile only when he impale the Sarleon warlords. But he promised us three armies, so I can live with his face."

The heavy wooden door opens, and one while haired old man tried to focus his weakening eyes toward the visitor.
"Who are you?"
Diev`s eyes betrayed him and he felt tears, streaking down his face.
"Father! Its me!"
The familiar voice overwhelm the weak eyes and Baral Toman came closer so he could see him clearly.
"Diev, my son! Welcome home! Come, come, your mother will be delighted to see you!"
Diev hug the old man carefully. His stepfather`s eyes began to fail him a few years ago.
"In a moment, father. Just let my men to unload the horses. Then I`ll send them in "Bow and helmet" to have some rest too."
"Your men?" Baral saw only shadows, that moved behind his son.
"Yes, father. We have three moons leave from the warband, so I brought those, who wanted to see Rane. They are good boys and girls. We have a lot of loot to sell. I hope, that Cenar is still alive."

"First time you came in two years, and you seek only an old smuggler! Boy, you are still the same as always! I wonder how your wife can live with you!"
"I too wonder about it." Lesle weren`t able to hold her trembling jaws any more. "I`m freezing here!"
"Sorry, lass. My eyes aren`t as before. Come in, come in. Your daughters will be happy to see you."
They enter into the house. Since Baral retired, he needs the large storerooms no more and Diev spend part of his loot to rearrange the place to fit the needs of his growing family. Baral and Iline haven`t had any children of their own, but they were happy to have their "grandchildren" under their roof. Iline`s younger sister had three sons, who were also merchants, so she convinced him to invest part of his new fortune into their trade. A good decision up to now.
Cheina, Valene, Ilorha and Danera were brought from the hired servants and Lesle was able to hug them with all her love.
 
Looking at their daughters, Diev spoke to his stepfather.
"What happens with Brinual and his gang? Did they continue to harass the homeless?"
The old man smiles and the web of wrinkles upon his face softened a bit.
"I don`t know what you did to them, but Lakmar said, that he often sees them to ate the food we provide for the beggars and the homeless townsmen of Rane. You have good heart, son."
"You taught me to become a better man than I was then, father. I`ve become a rich man, a man with loving wife and beautiful kids of my own. The life changes for me. I`m no longer a deserter, a street thug for hire. I still remember how I hunted boars, deer or wild cats, so at least some of them could have a piece of food into their stomachs."
Iline heard him, put the youngest girl into her nanny`s hands and came close to them.
"Don`t speak for this again, son. The clansmen here becomes restless each time you visit us. I`m worried, that they may try something. The servants are frightened. Six of them left their service, despite that there was no better chance for them to find another work any time soon. Cermal took his family and joined a caravan for Ravenstern. The caravan was ambushed and none survived. I`m worried for you!"

Diev tried to calm her.
"It`s all nonsense! These barbarians with their superstitious about their god-cat or something are just silly savages, covered with badly tanned furs. I pity them, I`m not afraid from them. Lets forget about them and go to the market. I want to purchase something good for the girls!"
They went toward the town squire, along with the servants and four guards, where was the largest market in the town. Nobles, commoners, guardsmen and beggars, all gathered together into a thick crowd, selling and purchasing, gesturing and shouting during their bargains, summoning all deities to become witnesses to the truth in their outright lies. Just as usual.
While Iline took her pouch to pay for dried fruits for the children, a scrawny old man with only one hand and face, half-covered with dirty rags, came and become to beg for a copper. Diev look at her with disapproval, as she put a hand into her pouch again. Iline had a soft heart, and she always gave them some coins, despite his disapproval. Lesle took Danera and began to turn toward him, then she shouted.

"Behind you!"
Diev throw himself aside toward the nearest counter of some cloth maker, and the knife missed his artery with barely half centimetre. He felt the knife deep into his right thigh, but his body already rolling. He manage to unsheathed his own sword and saw Drenian shouting and running toward him, he heard the piercing Mystmountain war cry, so the moment he was stable on his foot he swing low behind himself.
The blade met something and Diev turn back. The Mystmountain man was short, almost a child. His legs were cut off under his knees and he was screaming in pain, yet he made efforts to crawl forward toward him. Diev rise in his full height and put the tip of his sword at the dirty neck of his opponent, then press it. The blade moved between the man`s vertebras, killing him instantly. Lesle came closer to him.
"Who was that man?"
"I don`t know, love. Not yet, anyway."

Diev removed the knife from his foot and drop it next to the corpse. He knelt and torn apart the rags, covering his unsuccessful assassin, then cursed. It was a girl, no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, with muscular frame and the bear claw of her clan, tattooed over her breastbone.
"Bloody religious fanatics!" Lesle hissed furiously. "They are using even the children! But why did they want to kill you? You didn`t fought against them for years, since you become part of the warband?"
"Adonja don`t like me much, but I doubt that she will hire someone else to do her killings." Diev began to bind his wounds. "Who can say why the savaged do this or that anyway?"
The town guards asked them a few questions, then dragged the body aside and all resume their usual activities. Only the old one-handed beggar came closer to the crime scene, place his only hand over the blood, still covering the cold stones, then removed the rags over his head. The left side of his head was clawed from the hair down to his jaws from huge cat`s talons. He wet the old scars with the fresh blood and spoke with calm voice, looking at his daughter`s blood.
"Vejovis knows!"

Ser Ralad Baluent came down from his warhorse and throw the leads toward the stable boy.
"Give him full portion and clean the hooves."
"Yes, m`lord!" The slave bows and hurried to obey him.
Ser Ralad entered into his mansion. At the door, his own butler bows and lead him toward the bath.
"I`m pleased to see your lordship. I hope that your fight was successful?"
"Yes, Uglaf, all went quite well, thank you. I am not entirely pleased with all of Rambulhwa`s decisions, but he always hold to his word. My share will be more than enough for the temple. How goes the construction?"
"Very well, my lord, master builder Hrolf Nordenson actually sent report, that they are a bit ahead of the schedule. Master Hogmund sent message, that he agrees to paint the temple, along with his students. His school is the most famous in Pendor. The new temple of Astraea will be the most beautiful one, I`m sure of it. Not the largest one, as the other one in Valonbray, of course, but surely the most beautiful one! You will be proud with it!"
Ser Ralad smiles was childishly happy and he began to unlock his plate armour.

"Me and my brothers knights brought a lot of packhorses with out loot and rewards from our battles. Please, send someone to master Jorvik, that I`m willing to negotiate about his offer." He saw Ugalf`s expression and add. "Let him to wait for me about a candle time, then inform him very politely, that I`m too busy with viscount Marol, so he will bargain with you as my representative."
Uglaf Sigalson smiles broadly.
"I can assure you, my lord, that I will bring a healer, when I`m telling him that."
"Why? Is he sick?"
"He will surely suffer from heart attack when he hear about it!"
Ser Ralad`s laughter was heartily and sincere. Naked, he went into the small pool with warm water.
"Ah, the civilization, at last!" He sat onto the stone bench under the water. "What about my ... girls?"
"The orphans are plenty, and some lucky refugees managed to reach Windholm, as usual only with the clothes on their backs. They are ready and eager to sell one or two of their useless girls to feed the rest, so I choose a few new ... companions for your lordship. I hope, that you will find them acceptable!"

"Bring them to me!"
"Of course!"
Uglaf pull a string, leading to small silver bell in the corner. Six girls from ten to fifteen years old came into the bathroom, wearing thin, half-transparent white robes. They arranged themselves in a line and bowed.
"The midwife says that they are virgins, my lord." 
"Where is Semira?" Ser Ralad`s eyebrows came together. "She was supposed to wash me now!"
"She reached 16 last moon, so she is fully grown woman, by law. Your vow for celibacy forbids you to lay with women, so I kept her from welcoming you today. In accordance with your orders she will not be your concubine any more. She is separated in the north wing. The midwife also said, that she, Medana and Lura are close to giving birth, so they must not be ... well, you know. After they give birth to your children, I`ll speak with Madame Guevra Sevdenson. She is always willing to pay well for girls, tamed and trained from your lordship." Uglaf bows deeply. "The girls must be very grateful for your generosity, my lord! They will have food and roof over their heads for the near future, at least! Otherwise what else they could do, if you decide just to kick them on the street, eh?"

"Fine, fine!" Ser Ralad raise and step closer to the new girls. He admit to himself, that Uglaf knew his taste. He brought quite different selection this time. From all nations in Pendor, actually. "A bit of variety will be refreshing to me, that`s for sure!" he thought. He pointed a dark haired girl, slim and with small breasts, barely grown to be visible under her thin robe.
"What is your name?"
"Geruda, my lord."
Her voice was soft and submissive. Just as he liked. Ser Ralad lift her head to look into her brown eyes.
"Where are you from?"
"My family lived near Avendor, my lord. When the Fiersdvain army came, my father took us and ran toward his distant relatives in Windholm. He said, that they refused to acknowledge his blood ties, so we starved. I was the eldest, so my mother sold me to feed my younger brothers."
"How old are you?"
"I`m eleven years old, my lord."
"Are you ready to serve me?"
"Yes, my lord. The other girls into your household showed me how to please your lordship. I will obey your every order, my lord!"
Ser Ralad smiles.
"Remove your robe!"


 
The females forgive, but they do not forget. The males forget, but they do not forgive.

Hauptmann Forkanor Telaritis holds the medallion into his hand. The familiar face of his first wife invoke tears in his eyes. Orun Feras notices it and spoke with concern.
"Why are you crying, my love?"
Forcanor smiles at her through his tears.
"I can not express to you how happy I am too see you pregnant again with our child, Orun. I`m crying from happiness. We lost our firstborn, but the others lives on, and you are more beautiful than ever!"
"If you continue to lie so bad into my face, I`ll smash your mouth with my Doom mace!" Orun moved into more comfortable pose into their yurt. "I`m looking as cow right now! Better go to Ilestre. She may even pretend that she believes you. And she isn`t in the ninth moon, so you may have a roll with her. Or with Edarra."
"They are too busy, enlisting the volunteers who flock toward the warband." Forkanor glide her big stomach with lovely care and saw her smile.
"And they will be relieved from the distraction. I doubt they like their scribes duties any more than me."

He tried to comfort her.
"I can assure you, it isn`t because you are women. I know for sure, that he trusts you to guard all his silver and loot only because you are extraordinary good warriors!"
Quick smirk moves through her face.
"And he didn`t asked you who gave us the Noldor short bows or the plate armours, that resembles so much to leather? Truly?"
He took offense.
"If he wants to know that, he will ask you himself, not through middleman."
She looks upon his scared face and actually believed him.
"Yeah, sure it is. Still it is a bit strange, that he never asked where are we from, or how we advance from the humble Seer Fafourites."

He kissed her passionately.
"There is nothing strange into it. Just like me, he is grateful, that you decide to return to our warband after you went to win your advancement into Doomguide. We respect your secrets, just as you respect mine or his own." He smiles again. "Not that I hide much from you."
She shakes her head.
"Many warriors speaks behind your back, my husband. They do not know you as well as me. They speaks, that you are growing old and become weak. They believes, that you are afraid from Ser Rayne."
His face froze.
"Who said that?"
"It doesn`t matter. I wont reveal my sources. Nor I will let you to harm them. It is enough, that I learned for it, despite all your efforts to hide it from me and your other wives."

He tried to calm her.
"I don`t want to upset you, my dear! I tried to speak with him, and I asked the warlord for permission to behead Rayne, but he refused."
"You are a decent man and a good husband. But you can`t force the people to stop gossiping about your lack of dignity!" Orun Feras reaches for her mace. "If you lack the strength or the will to defend yourself, I will kill him for you!"
He reaches for his two-handed sword and put it onto his back.
"I`ll deal with him myself. Please, take care for yourself."
"A Doomguide will not have a child from some coward or weakling!" She traced the scar over his right cheek. He received it from herself, when she smash him in the face with her mace, when she was only a Favourite. He took her captive, when her patrol was ambushed from him and his soldiers. "Bring me his head!"

Forkanor found the warlord with the newly arrived Omen Seekers. All of the them were carefully chained and under constant guard. They were never alone, even when they relieved themselves from their natural needs. Despite all his efforts, two of the warband`s members tried to use the drug addicted under their care as their personal sex slaves in exchange of small dozes of drug. Rambulhwa`s reaction was predictable. He mutilated them brutally in front of the entire warband and hang their remains in the middle of the camp to feed the crows. Forkanor smiles on himself. He knew, that the people weren`t inherently decent, noble, good or evil. They become what they were in accordance with the rules into the community, in which they grew up. When the ruler was a decent person, and the laws were enforced with raw punishment, most of the population becomes good-natured and helpful people. But when the ruler was thief and a cheater, his people turns into criminals and lawless bunch quite fast. The simple truth, that he knew himself, was that if the punishment of a criminal didn`t inflicted physical pain over his neck, he would have repeat the crime over and over again. For if most people in the community wanted to live in accordance with some rules, some of them, who decided for themselves to break that rules must have been killed.

The warlord saw him and rose. His patient, well tied at a thick pole, deeply struck into the ground, screaming for another dose so loudly, that they were forced to move aside to hear each other.
"What can I do for you, my friend?"
Forkanor saw only sincere wish to be of some help into his face and ask bluntly.
"I want Sir Rayne`s head."
Rambulhwa wrinkles.
"I thought that we already spoke about it. He is prudish and blinded from his noble birth, yes, but he is my companion too. Just like you."
"He gone too far this time, warlord." Forkanor spoke with iron voice. "Finally someone told me what he speaks behind my back. I can not allow you to speak for me like that, and I will certainly not allow it to HIM!"
The warlord nods in agreement.
"What if I persuade him to apologize to you in front of the others? Will you ..."
"No, chief. I will not. My wives also heard for it. And they will leave me, if I don`t cut off his head. So I`m asking you for this favour."

"You fought for me honourably for ten years and your service and loyalty are flawless. I owe you much for that, I will gladly admit it. But I can`t simply kill another loyal and trusted man because of personal grudge between you both."
He saw, that Forkanor opens his mouth to object and raise a hand to stop him.
"So it must be a duel."
Forkanor smiles with satisfaction.
"I`ll chop the pompous snob into pieces!"
"You refused to teach Ansen only because he wasn`t started his training as young as yourself, so don`t call him names so easily." The warlord sighed. "But I do understand, that you must do it."
He whispers something to one of his bodyguards, and she disappear. Soon she came back with two-handed sword in scabbard.
"The Noldor representative gave it to me, in exchange of a personal favour. I thought, that you are the most worthy to use it. Please, accept it."

Forkanor unsheathed the sword and gasped. The strange, unmistakable delicate Noldor craftsmanship was easily recognizable.
"It must have been a hell of a favour, chief! Noldor never, ever gave some of their armament for small favours!"
He saw the change of expression over the warlord`s face and understood, that he gave him something to think over. Yet Rambulhwa just nod briefly and said only.
"I`ll arrange the fight into the local arena right now."
"Thank you." Forkanor swing the blade a few times to test it. It was perfectly balanced and he felt it as comfortable as his own hand. A sudden thought forced him to ask. "You didn`t asked Sigi to take it?"
"No. Despite what he thinks, he is far better with his Dire axe." The warlord smiles briefly. "He is far faster than he looks, and that huge chunk of metal help him to deceive his opponents just fine."
 
The arena was crowded to its limits, yet more and more people shouted at its gates to be allowed to look at the grand duel. Nevertheless the guards closed the doors, deaf for the pleas of their customers.
The arena master raise his hands for silence.
"Today I can give you a rare spectacle - a honourable duel to death between two great warriors, members of "Honourable Guards". He pointed toward the north entrance. "Here I present you the noble knight from the Order of the Falcon, Ser Rayne Reinuald!"
The crowd erupted in welcoming shouts for their valiant hero. Armoured from head to toes in shining armour with the distinctive mark of his order, that he wore despite the considerable threat to his own life, Ser Rayne slowly rode inside the arena over his powerful Ravenstern warhorse. Armed with lance and painted kite shield, Ser Rayne was the embodiment of the knighthood itself. He removed his helmet, revealing his noble face with sharp features, and bowed to his spectators.

"During his service in the Order of the Falcon, Ser Rayne fought bravely in Ravenstern defense during the siege of Pointsbruk against the fearsome Jatu horde, he fought in two campaigns against the Fierdsvain and in many smaller skirmishes." The arena master waited Rayne`s supporters to cheer a bit longer before to continue. "Then in the "Honourable Guards" he fought all over Pendor, showing his knightly virtues and skills with arms. Today he is one of Rambulhwa`s Twenty, renown military commander, trusted ally and companion!"
Ser Rayne bows to the arena master from the saddle.
"And from the other side, a mercenary from the distant land of Mettenheim, a glorious member of their elite "Forlorn Hope" regiment, a high-ranking officer with even higher skills with two-handed sword, comes Hauptmann Forkanor Telaritis!"
Done in masterwork Forlorn Hope heavy armour set and wearing the exquisite Noldor two-hander, Forkanor entered into the arena on foot. The crowd cheered him modestly, but their shouts quickly turn into silence when they saw his disgusted grimace.

"Ser Forkanor fought his way into the ranks of the fearless members "Forlorn hope" and becomes the most renown master of the greatsword amongst them. He came in Pendor as a leader of a delegation, who died in shipwreck and ambush from the Snake cultist, but he survived and joined the "Honourable Guards". He led the assault of the castle of Seven Cross that broke the imperial ranks and took the town for his warband! He fought in the plains against the Marleon`s heavy cavalry and gave them no quarter, slaughtering dozens of their noble members, and he led a warband of his native soldiers into a trap, that captured king Ulric from Sarleon for his warlord!"
Barely a few dozens spectators cheered their champion. Their warlord himself watched them with stone face from his place in the middle of the first raw. The arena master shouted with whole throat.
"FIGHT!"

Ser Rayne kick his warhorse and rode in full gallop forward. Forkanor put his helmet on his head and support himself carelessly on the wall. Ser Rayne was too experienced to fell into his trap, so he slowed his warhorse and drop the lance. Forkanor would have waited for him to charge, then to slip away from the lance, leaving him to crush into the wall, so it was of no further use. Rayne draw his exquisite long sword and rode slow against him.
"Hey, old man, don`t let your arthritis to take you over, I`m coming for you!"
Forkanor said nothing, but showed him a gesture, understandable for all nations without any explanations. Ser Rayne push his warhorse forward in trot.
When Rayne came closer, Forkanor took a small crossbow from his back and shot the horse into the head. The animal fell heavily, and Rayne almost lost his head, yet he manage to rise on his feet just in time to met his blade with his shield. The engraved shield crack almost on two and Rayne felt the blade that sliced his armoured gauntlet and his forearm right to the bone. He countered with skilled riposte, who barely left a scratch over Forkanor breastplate.

"Ten years I suffered from your noble nonsense, your pompous attitude, your baseless arrogance, you little prick!" Forkanor pressed forward with powerful slashes, that left deep notched marks over Rayne`s blade, then his blade bite deep into Rayne`s right thigh. Rayne took the pain and respond with faint that brought him nothing but sliced shoulder plate.
"Save me your Mettenheim speeches, you old geezer, Rambulhwa himself came to me before the battle. He knew that I will bested you on your old age without too much problems." His sword flashes and left a deep scratch over Forkanor`s helmet.
Forkanor took the strike without flinch and push Rayne away to won space for his longer blade.
"Really? And what did he said to you, two denars worth Falcon stable boy?"
Ser Rayne response was careful but more accurate, leaving more scratches over Forkanor`s heavy plate, but without any success to inflict him injury. Nevertheless the old man would have fell exhausted soon. Despite his overconfidence, Forkanor was nothing more but an old boot and his strength no doubt would have left him. He needed only to provoke him a bit, until he spend all his energy. He tried to repeat the D`Shar words as best as he could.

Instead to rush over him, as Rayne expected, Forkanor erupts in wild laughter and rotate his two-hander in wide slashes from right to left, forcing him to retreat.
"For all these years under his command, you don`t bother to learn a few words from his language, boy. Your mistake."
"What do you mean, you rusting pile of armour?"
"His words, you little brat." Forkanor press forward, slashing faster than Rayne could suspected. Rayne continue to parry, but Forkanor showed no sign of weakness and actually pressed him even further. Realizing that the helmet was the weakest possible target into the enormous pile of metal his opponent wore, Rayne concentrate his attacks toward Forkanor`s faceplate. Forkanor respond with such strength, that Rayne stagger back and stare toward the broken sword into his hands. The blade, that was the heirloom from his knight father! BROKEN!
The next slash cut off Rayne`s right forearm along with his armoured gauntlet and Rayne roar in pain, staging helplessly backward. Forkanor throw himself forward and strike low, cutting his enemy`s leg into the kneecap.

"It can`t be, it just can`t be!" Rayne look at his bleeding forearm with stunned disbelieve.
"Oh, it can be, you noble brat!"
Rayne look at his opponent, coming for the mortal strike.
"It can`t be, the warlord told me ..."
"You should really learn a bit of D`Shar." Forkanor look down at Rayne and nailed him through the stomach, then twist his blade to make the wound wider. "I`ll translate his last word for you: "Die well, my brother!"
The crowd stood silent, when Forkanor lowered himself toward the hacked and mutilated remains of Ser Rayne. He took the bloodied head and raise it high toward the spectators. No cheering came, but the warlord and his remaining commanders, bowed to him, as well as the other Mettenheim soldiers amongst the spectators. He went toward the exit.

"You aren`t surprised."
"It saddened me, that such fine man could be so blind. All members of "Forlord Hope" can keep pace with heavy cavalry in march. Their training, strength and endurance far surpass the average merits of any army in Pendor. "Elites" means "Better than any other" after all."
"You knew, that he will die, yet you allowed the duel."
"I knew." Rambulhwa look at his companion. "Just as you knew, that your father is better warrior than me, and you let him duel with me. What did you thought, that I will let him to rest and feed well, so he could bested me? No, no, no. I challenge him in such a way, that he was forced to attack me still exhausted from the eleven days of riding with barely any food and water, tired from fighting with Burilgi`s men before to face me."
Rambulhwa face revealed nothing just his ironic voice reveal to the young warlord at his left side how much he enjoyed the conversation. Fawzia, from the other side, wasn`t inclined to step back.
"You said, that you will face him in fair combat!"

"And despite his disadvantage, he almost got me. My armour kept me alive that day. Barely. But it was worth it. Now all the desert tribes will follow me." He pointed at Shahid`s chieftain next to them. "Sharmal, do you think that the fight was unfair?"
Sharmal thought over it for some time before to share his opinion.
"It was fair fight. Shalavan was more experienced and more skilled with the sabre. Facing you tired made the fight equal, otherwise you would be dead now."
The other chieftains supported him with few words and gestures in agreement. Fawzia saw, that she will receive no support from them.
"You said, that Ser Rayne is a loyal companion and even your friend! Yet you let him to fight the Mettenheim brute, knowing that he will die!"
"Indeed. The two of them hold this fight for a long time only because I forbid it. I knew, that they will fight each other one day. It was inevitable, they hated each other from the start. I delayed it as much as I could for I truly valued their friendship. Neither of them could or would step back from this fight, and I respect them for it."

"Respect them? You could send one of them away to save their lives!"
"I can not save them from themselves. I ..."
Ediz moved through the chieftains in haste.
"Chief, we have a problem."
"Speak freely. I have nothing to hide from my allies."
"Two of your cousins were caught taking drug and Tajik was caught with a child."
"Taking drug voluntarily is a crime, punishable with death. You know it very well. As for the child prostitutes, despite that we generally disapprove it, it is also a public secret, that all chieftains turns a blind eye for it. He paid for the girl, right?"
"Tajik was with a boy."
Rambulhwa stand and Ediz led them toward the camp.

Almahtai and Erimhan were still a bit dazed and Tajik was tied, but they seemed more or less unconcerned. Until they saw the entire group of chieftains coming toward them. Still Rambulhwa was their cousin. The blood does not become water amongst D`Shar.
They sat over soft pillows under the scorching sunrays. Slaves brought them food and kumis and Rambulwa gave order. Armed guards dragged the prisoners.
"Irgalai, the merchant, confess that he sold the poppy think to Almahtai and Erimhan." Ediz pointed toward the local merchant. Irgalai sweat profoundly and bowed a few times.
"They came to me, asking for it, warlord. I`m just a merchant. I sell what my clients seek. Nothing more."
"Trading and using drugs is forbidden in all D`Shar land. Everybody knew it. Drag him behind some horse until death and execute his familiy." Rambulhwa didn`t spent second glance at him and turn toward Sharaz. "Please, invite Akyola to join us."
Erimhan fell on his knees and began to beg. Rambulhwa refused to listen to him and ordered the guards to stopple his mouth. Soon a slim tribesman about 35 years old came and bows to them.

Rambulhwa spoke with hard voice, with enough strength to be heard from the gathered crowd.
"Akyola was a common tribesman. A man, who lived with his stepfather and fell in love with his only daughter. He becomes mercenary to win a bit of fame and fortune to impress his stepfather enough, to let him marry her. And he did that. They lived happily together, but her older brother Ulnegan secretly took drug. He sold his wife and children to slavers, claiming that they were abducted from wandering bandits. He sold his horses for more drug, claiming that Pashani stole it from him. He begged his sister to keep his secret and to help him to cure himself. She did that and gave him what she had, in hope that he will turn away from his doom. Until she had nothing left to give, but a small piece of engraved amber, that Akyola gave to her before his first campaign. A token of his love, purchased with the only horse he had, given to him as a gift from his stepfather. Akyola sold the horse and went to war as an infantryman, only to give a token of his love to the woman he loved. Yet Ulnegan waited for him to went away hunting, then went again to his sister, asking for her help again. But she had nothing more to give. All that she had was the first token from her husband, the small piece of amber. Ulnegan asked for it, crying for her help as many times before. Jeelme knew his brother and she loved him deeply, but she also loved her husband. And finally she refused to give her brother her first token of love. Ulnegan begged her, then tried to take it with force. To save it from his hand Jeelme swallowed the small piece of amber. But her brother took a knife and sliced her from the throat to her belly to take the last valuable thing she had. And found, that she was pregnant. Then he ran away to purchase a bit more drug for himself."

Rambulhwa continue evenly, with stone-like face.
"An orphan, who came secretly to Jeelme to beg for a handful of food saw him this time and she told to their chieftain. And their chieftain was ... my father. He ordered the entire tribe to chase the criminal, and when they captured him, Burzubai gave him to Akyola. Two days and nights the whole Turkmani tribe listen to the screams, coming from Akyola`s yurt, then Akyola came outside alone and burned it. Ten years ever since, no Turkmani tribesman touched any drug. Until now."
Rambulhwa spoke directly to the slim man, holding a small piece of amber into his right hand.
"Akyola, son of Jagu, I will ask for another favour of you. Take the two criminals here, and punish them."
The dead features of the tribesman remained expressionless, he only bowed without a word and dragged Erimhan. The other guards dragged Almahtai behind him. Rambulhwa spoke to the other chieftains.
"When he realized that he didn`t spoke enough with his own wife to prevent the disaster, Akyola cut off his own tongue and went to war to find death in battle, as warrior he was, and warrior he remains. He taught me, that a man who turn toward the drug value no family, no horses and no tribe any longer. Why he must to live then? To feed upon the others, who live in peace in accordance with the laws and the customs of our lands?"

The other chieftains supported him as he knew they would. None of them had any desire to be torn apart from some maddened from drug fool. Rambulhwa turn toward his last cousin.
"This lesser creature may resembles a male, yet it is not. Still it hopes, that because its father and my father were brothers, I will let it to live. But the day the chieftain starts to break the customs of the D`Shar is the first day of his own downfall." He nod toward Sharas. "Impale him."
Rambulhwa step closer to the frightened boy, tied and hold from a large guardsman.
"Did he paid to you, or he raped you?"
The boy barely whispered.
"He paid me a silver coin."
The knife slits his throat and the boy fell on the ground, twisting into his last moments. Rambulhwa clears the knife and sat back over his pillow.
"My father taught me what the justice really is. With your help I may become the Hero of Pendor, and I will bring law and order in this lawless chaos."
The other Khans nodded to each other with approval. Who wanted to keep criminals around in any case? Hamsul Khan spoke, gliding his beard.
"Many fools pray to their gods to send some Hero to bring them justice. They always forgot, that the justice isn`t always what they want. We will show them what it means."
 
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War in the north

Lord Gustov hold the leads of his warhorse while his scouts reported to him, that his village Bazeck was completely emty. He thought for possible ambush, but there was no place, suitable for hiding large groups of people in the vicinity, so he rode further to look at the village personally. A third of his warband went forward, just in case. He follows them, looking at the empty barns and the houses with open doors. Empty. The village was completely ... empty. No people, no animals and the worst of it - no harvest and taxes for him.
"The village was deserted not long ago, young master. The locals just took everything and left, by the look of it. There is not a single burned roof, not a single corpse. So it wasn`t an attack."
Devon Reminelm was an experienced Knight of the Dragon with grey hair, half nose and unquestionable loyalty to duke Alexis, lord Gustov`s father. He saw, that his young pupil already reaches the same conclusion.
"It seems so. But why? I see no reason to move away from their homeland, from their village, from their homes!"
Lord Gustov seem more curious rather than furious, but Devon just snorted.

"For the last six years you constantly put the local taxes higher and higher, young master. It was a miracle, that they didn`t left three or even four years ago. If you must choose between starvation and losing your home, the simple folk rarely consider it a hard choice. I warned you for the taxes, but you wouldn`t want to listen to me, remember?"
"But, my teacher, they were supposed to be loyal to me - their lawful master! To their nation! To their HOMELAND, for Ullr Vetr`s sake! Does it mean so little to them?"
"When you owns nothing from the country, it means nothing to you, young master. So they took the harvest and left with it, instead to give it all to you, to purchase yourself a new horse. So your duke father must ship a few thousands peons from another part of the country to cover your loses. I hope that this time you will rule them a bit better." Devon Reminelm waive a hand in a gesture, covering the entire village. "At least they didn`t burned the houses. It will be easier for you to start anew."
Lord Gustov tried to overwhelm his frustration and confusion.
"I will try to follow your advise, my teacher. Now is there any point to follow the runaway serf, or it will be better to ride toward Pointsbruk?"

"It is a good question, young master." The knight send a few scouts ahead and spoke with their leader for a time, before to turn toward his pupil again. "Berden says, that it is still possible to ..."
"ALARM, ALARM! ENEMY!"
The shouting came from the scouts, coming back in full haste. No one panics, all just waited for orders to advance or to retreat. With such number of Ravenstern Rangers into their warband, no wandering band of brigands could live long enough to meet them face-to-face. Lord Gustov waited for report and soon a horseman approaches.
"My lord, large force of Jatu approaches in haste toward us! They outnumber us at least three to one! Another large group is riding to block our way to Pointsbruk!"
"We must hide in the north forests, or we are dead! Later I`ll find who from the border watch is responsible for that lack of forward warning and I`ll chop him to pieces!" Devon tried to hold his fury in check.
"We could fortify the village." Lord Gustov offers his opinion. "Our Rangers will decimate them, then I`ll lead the charge with our Knights!"

"The village is empty as your pouch, young master, but all houses are made from wood, not from stones! They will rain fire arrows over us until we all die from flames and smoke. Or, using their numbers, they could attack us at night and we will be finished! Let`s move!"
They left the village in haste and run north. If they could reach the cover of the forest, no Jatu would have follow them there. They were horsemen, and as all horsemen, they were in disadvantage in forests, where they couldn`t use their speed and spears.
 
The first ranks reached the forest just in time to seek cover, for Jatu lancers began to lower their lances for charge against them. The Rangers took cover behind the first threes, drawing their long curved war bows. The infantry began to split on two behind them, the cavalry began to move further, for they could only dismount and fight alongside the others.
Devon Reminelm took cover near lord Gustov and his bodyguards. Soldiers took the leads and went deeper into the forest to keep the horses away from the incoming bloodshed.
K`Juda pull the leads and gave signal to his standard-bearer. The entire horde stop.
"Are you sure, that this is the right place, D`Shar?"
Kassim bows in his saddle.
"It is, warlord. There is no need to charge into the forest with your fine cavalry. The victory is already ours."

And indeed, as if summoned from their words, the Mystmountain savages appeared everywhere around the Ravenstern men. Bloodthirsty roar fills the air when the clansmen`s ambush fell upon the Ravenstern men, expecting enemies from only one direction. In the forest, there were no orders, no battle ranks, no options to use archers and cavalry. Soon the chaos swallow everything.
"Warlord!" A small group of scouts pierced the horde toward the chieftains. "Large Ravenstern force approaches from Pointstbruk`s road! I saw at least four lord`s banners! They have many archers and all coming toward us in battle formation trough the plane! Your orders!"
"So the best archers in Pendor are willing to show us their famous "The Arrow forest"?" K`Juda hold his lance. "Are our archers ready?"
Eleintariel from the House of Ithilrandir snorted.
"I`m ready to face any human with bow in hand any day."

Kassim interfere quickly.
"We are all allies here, and you and your Noldor are more than welcome here. We will keep our heavy cavalry at your flanks, if their Knights of the Dragon charge against your infantry and archers."
The tough female wasn`t impressed.
"Keep yourself behind our ranks. I don`t want my archers to shoot you. For now."
K`Juda was ready to respond furiously, while one Snake Priestess spoke to him.
"Warlord, would you object if we take the captive Ravensstern men for ssacrifice?"
K`Juda tried to figure what was the catch into her words and found none.
"Well, the war require sacrifices, is it not?"
Cilessa Elarni`s hissing laughter fills the air.
"When I came north, I thought, that you are a common barbarian. But I ssaw, that you are alsso a sstrategisst too." She looks more closely at him. Rough and tough as a steel ingot, K`Juda was definitely something more than a common tribesman. She remind to herself to speak more with Riva about him. "Will you lead me to watch the shooting contesst, warlord?"

"Uh, yes. Well, this way..." K`Juda led them toward the Noldor army, who stood in tight ranks into the Moon formation. Infantry with huge leaf-looking shields covered the frontline, archers behind them and the cavalry behind them, ready to flank any advancing enemy. They went near Hinaraniel from the house Elendalanal, who began to issue orders. The entire Noldor army began to march forward toward the advancing Ravenstern army. The Jatu horde remain close behind them. Soon the enemies came to their sight. Still on an impossible distance from them, they saw the Noldor commander shouted something.
The first three ranks of infantry lock their shields together. The first archery line behind them raise their huge bows and released a volley. Then the second line, then the third and so on. All Jatu commanders watch in disbelieve how the cloud of arrows fell upon the advancing Ravenstern Rangers. They were highly disciplined warriors and endured the first few volleys, they even managed to return with volley of their own. None of their arrows however manage to reach the shield wall. Under the constant rain of Noldor arrows the Ranges fell dead on droves. Soon the survivors broke ranks and tried to find cover behind their infantry. They had large shields and initially it seemed, that they could provide enough cover, but more and more infantrymen began to fell with arrow, pierced they right through their own shields. The Ravenstern advance halt. Their knights began to arrange in line for charge.

"Warlord Iksadar, lead the right flank to surround the enemy. When their cavalry charge against Noldor, strike they hard from aside!"
The though Iksadar bows to him and left.
"Warlord Beilai, lead the left flank to do the same!"
The former fiduciary of warlord Zulkar look at him, surprized that he is empowered with such important position on the battlefield, yet he took the opportunity  without hesitation, bows and left with his Battle Riders.
"And what about me?" warlord Zulkar asks silently, looking how Jatu forces regroup in respond of K`Juda`s orders.
"If you are able to feel yourself as warlord of Jatu, take all our reserves and surround the entire battlefield."
Zulkar`s eyes thinned.
"You don`t want any enemy to escape and to reveal that Jatu, Noldor and Mystmountain men fight together. You will keep it hidden right until you put their mighty castles under siege and starve them to death."
"So it depends from you." K`Juda nod with completely indifference. "Do it or not, as you like."
Zulkar look at the battlefield for a few heartbeats, then rode back toward the reserves.

"You took a great rissk, warlord. Amongsst the Cult, there iss no ssecond chance!" Cilessa Elarni turns her white mare toward him.
"You still have a lot to learn about my tribe, snake-woman. Jatu are loyal first and foremost toward the tribe. Zulkar will do everything in his power for our victory, despite all disagreements between him and me. Any Jatu warrior will do the same in his saddle."
"Perhapss. Perhapss not. I hope, that your trusst will not turn againsst you." But if you win over him, I`ll give you my horse."
K`Juda look upon the fine mare with the eye of an expert.
"And if I lose?"
"Then I will dare you to prove your bravery to me."

Despite the rain of arrow the Ravenstern knight galloped in attack toward the enemy`s infantry and archers. A third from them moved left and right to face the incoming cavalry, while their own infantry and what was left from their archers run after them. The knights met the first Lancers and the bloodshed continue with full force.
In front of the advancing line of heavy knight the Noldor formation began to changes. The shield-wall shifted when the entire line disappeared and began to march backward. Only for about fifty meters, when they build another wall, this time with long spears expecting the horsemen. The archers, who still had any arrows released it almost instantly, then they took the shields from their backs and formed small squires behind the spears. The Noldor cavalry did not moved at all. They just took their small bows and a new rain of arrows fell upon the knights. Men and horses began to fell, others tramples or fell upon them. Covering their heads behind their shields, the knight didn`t even saw the trap. Marching backward, the Noldor infantry left the field covered with small metal spikes. The horses, unlucky enough to step over suck spikes, fell with painful neigh in rolling mass of flesh and armour. More and more fell upon them until the attack lost its initial speed almost completely. Powerful female`s voice shouted something and the Noldor formation marched forward to kill. The field turn red in blood.

The Noldor infantry moved between the fallen horses and the cursing knights, almost unable to move into their heavy armours, killing with merciless precision. Small groups of knights tried to put organized resistance until their infantry reaches them, but the Noldor cavalry surround them and slash them into bloody pieces. The Ravenstern main attack force was massacred mercilessly. Their flanks didn`t fared any better. Charging against far numerous than themselves hordes of Jatu heavy Lancers and Battle Riders, supported from Raider with spears and short bows they were surrounded and killed despite their furious resistance. However the Jatu weren`t their ordinary enemies - hungry, poorly armed and armoured Mystmountain savages, charging over their scrawny little horses with more bravery than skills. One Priestess led her Cobra Knights against the Ravenstern left flank, turning them into chaotic mob after the charge of their powerful Netherworld Chargers, who ramming and kicking the smaller horses no less furiously than their fanatic raiders. Her Anaconda Knights crushed everyone on their path with their inhuman strength, killing the enemy`s commander.
 
The battlefield was covered with blood, corpses and broken arms. The winners moved around, looting anything of value, looking for survivors or dragging corpses toward the pyres. Guards with bows stood around the battlefield, ready to shoot at any enemy, who could have just pretending to be dead. Each body was carefully searched. If he was still alive, he was given to the healers or to the guards. If he was dead, the throat was slit and he was dragged toward the pyres. There was no chance for escape.
Fessia Nelid entered into the tent she shared with Ulessa Temal. Ulessa stretched her long legs in anticipation.
"Where have you been? I`ve been waiting for you!"
Fessia quickly began to remove her garment.
"I`m sorry, dear. I was coming to you when I heard shouting for help."
"YOU went to help the savages?" Ulessa support herself on her elbow, looking with pure shock to her pillow-mate. "Who do you think I am? I know you for nearly thirty years!"
"I did helped, truly!"
"You - helping the barbarians?! I don`t believe you! Did you went with Lesstra? Or with Narssia? Or with ..."
"Oh, for Azi`s sake!" Fessia swore in anger. "I swear in her holy name, that I really went to help the savages!"

The torchlight fell upon her bloodied armour and Ulessa jump from their blankets and began to unfold Fessia`s leather undergarment, looking for wounds.
"Where is the wound?" She whispers breathlessly from fear for her life. "Is it bad? I`ll lead you to the healers immediately! Here, support yourself to me and we will ..."
Fessia hold her wrists.
"I`m fine, the blood isn`t mine. One of the healers shouted for help, when a captive Ravenstern Ranger jump from his litter and ran. I really went to help, I didn`t mean to frighten you."
She hug Ulessa and felt how her body shiver in relief, when her fingers moved down to her spine.
"I really helped. We manage to drag him to the altar just in time to sacrifice him, before he could die from his wounds. I was in a hurry and I didn`t moved back in time to avoid the blood after I pierced his heart with the sacrificial knife. I`m fine, really!"
Ulessa stare at her for a moment, then busted in laughter until Fessia cover her lips with her own.

"The enemy commander, duke Adarian Dementold, is dead. Lord Chonrad is badly wounded and he will die before midnight. Count Bogan, lord Ivanus, lord Odovaskar, lord Gustov and count Clovis are our captives. Nearly a quarter of their soldiers are imprisoned too and await your decision, warlord K`Juda!"
K`Juda nod to warlord Iksadar.
"You fought well today, and won a lot of honour for yourself." His gaze move to all warlords, one after another. "As you all. All of you fought as true Jatu - together! And I saw that the northerners aren`t better warriors than us - the savages! So we will make them our slaves, we will rape their women and we will take their lands for us!"
Jatu warlords issued roar of approval, but one voice interrupts them.
"What about us then?"
All look upon the speaker. A monster of a man, he gave the impression that even the large tent was too small for his huge bulk. He didn`t shout, nor treat them in any way. There was no need of that. All of them knew him and how he unite all clans - killing all chieftains, who disagreed to join him.

"Wolfbode, your clansmen fought well today. Your men will receive their fair share from the loot, as with our agreement. A Jatu doesn`t ... "
"A Jatu word is worth less than sheep`s piss! Never ever a single Jatu helped any Mystmountain clansmen! I do want to kill the Ravenstern, yet you said that you will only enslave them!"
"And your clansmen are here because of my warlord support." Kassim spoke with dry voice. He felt tired to remind them the same over and over again. "You were too busy killing your own clansmen to seek support outside your own clan, while my warlord reached you through the Cat Claws chieftain. You killed many Ravenstern men today. The captives belongs to my warlord, as you all agreed before."
The mountain-man rose until his head touch the tent`s roof.
"I want to kill them all. How di you intent to stop me, little desert-snake?"
Kassim issued short and rough laughter, reaching for the kumis.

"There will be other small battles. And soon we will siege their towns. The Ravenstern men will not escape anywhere. The whole Pendor will bow to my warlord."
"I DON`T BOW TO ANY MAN!" Wolfbode`s roar fills the tent and Jatu warlords hold their weapons.
"Then learn to be a bit more polite." Riva wasn`t impressed.
Wolfbode choke amidst his breath but Riva didn`t gave him a chance to speak.
"Oh, you seem quite surprised to see how a mere woman dare to speak on a male`s venue!" Her face twisted with open mockery. "I can see that as easy as I can see the sun itself. Despite that half of your army is consisted from women, you don`t look at your female warriors as equal to your male warriors. I do wonder, what would they do, if I told them that? What do you think, Bejatir?"
Wolfbode themble.
"No woman could be as strong as a man. As there is no woman as strong as myself! But they will not believe you! They believe in me!"
"Oh, my poor Bejatir!" Riva chuckles a few times.

"I`m Wolfbode the ..."
"... Patsy." Riva snap her fingers. At that signal four persons behind her removed their hoods, revealing four female chieftains of the Mystmountain clans. Their hard, weathered faces look up toward Wolfbode with stone-like expressions, that augur nothing good. "Somehow I do believe, that Mekara, Jerat, Abeje and Bruga would like to discuss a few things with you. As for Ugeje, your wife, well, I wouldn`t bet that you will awake alive tomorrow, when she learn about it. I`ve killed my last chieftain for such attitude. How a Mystmountain woman will react, I wonder..."
"I ..." Wolfbode started but one female chieftain interrupt him.
"You assured us, that we are all equals, Bejatir!" Jerat spoke slowly and the long jagged scar began to jump onto her face when her jaws tightened. "We fight and die alongside our males, yet I alone saw and heard that you do not consider us your equals. What do you think will happen, if we leave "your" army?"
"You won`t dare! Vejovis choose me as his champion!"
"Oh, Wolfy, my boy!" Riva giggles cheerfully. "He can choose another champion. Someone who won`t annoy him with "wolfy-ness", for he is a cat-god, as I heard."

The Jatu warlords grinned openly, enjoying the rare spectacle. K`Juda watched with interest. Kassim forced him to this alliance and he was sure, that he somehow forced Wolfbode to give them his support. Faint smile moved onto his face. He recognized the pattern. Wolfbode had no chance to escape. Agjaga saw it and his tension disappear. He removes his hand from the hilt of his sabre and sat more comfortable. Wolfbode turn grey.
"I will challenge you! All of you! I`ll kill you and ..."
"You may kill us, it is true." Mekara spoke slowly and with hard voice. "We, however, do not fear death. And then the women will abandon you. Then the males will abandon you, for they will have no one female to fuc., if not for any other reason. Until you remain a supreme chieftain - alone in the snow."
Wolfbode`s smile was predatory.
"And where could you possibly go, eh? All women, weak and hungry, alone, without males ... easy prey for the wandering bandits ... or Jatu ... or Ravenstern..."
"We can move south to join Adonja and her warlord. She fought for him ten years and swore in Vejovis`s name that he never lied to her. Not even once. The whole south is already under his rule. There will be enough places for us, after so much death there. And we can fight well enough to deserve a piece of land for our tribes. I saw myself, that Jatu are also good warriors." Bruga look at the other warlords. "Maybe some of them will become good husbands too, if they are durable enough to keep us warm in the cold nights."

The younger warlords swash a bit and look more carefully to the women, who return the look with various degree of indifference.
"They will take you for slaves, or you are so blind to believe otherwise." Wolfbode spoke with disgust.
"The warlord had
 
saxondragon said:
Nice Read..good work.  Thank you for sharing this!

I thank you, Sir, for the opportunity, given through that specific topic. And once more, for your kind words. It means a lot for your loyal fan.
And please, excuse my insufficient knowledge of English.

Yours Faithfully
V.
 
How a D`Shar learns to respect the women

“My warlord had sixteen bodyguards, when he took an arm for his first campaign.” Kassim spoke slowly and slip himself another cup with kumis. “All of them women. No one believed that they will manage to keep him alive for more than five days. When the chieftain of Muqadas tribe saw them for the first time, he asked them if their husbands knew that they stole their armour and weapons. He laughs upon them and ridiculed them.”
Wolfbode laugh too.
“A wise man indeed.”
“I doubt it. He died, his wives died, his sons died, his daughters died, his grandchildren died. His bloodline is gone, just because he laughs upon the women-in-arms he met in his oasis. And then Mansour bey replaced him. I was there, and I was smart enough to keep my own mouth shut, despite that I shared his opinion. And I learned that the women could be not even a bit less hardened killers than any men. Am I not right, Riva Bibi?”
Riva look at him with gentle gaze. The way he pronounce “Riva Bibi” always showed to her how deep were his feeling for her.

“I wouldn`t dare to say such a thing to any of Shavaar Bey`s daughters. You did the smart thing then. You were always the smart one.”
Wolfbode`s eyes moved between the two, completely confused.
“Who the hell is Sharav Bey?”
“Shavaar Bey. He is the only D`Shar alive, who have not a single enemy.”
Warlord Dergu spoke with pure surprise.
“There is no warrior in the entire world, which has no enemy!”
“In the D`Shar lands, there is only one. And his name is Shavaar Bey.” Kassim spoke with deep respect in his voice. “And he have no enemies, because all those, who declared themselves for his enemies … are dead. And all of their women and children are also dead. Jebe Khan dared to mock his daughters, and he was found dead, along with his whole family. Since then, the smart D`Shar learned to respect the woman, who took arms. The stupid ones feed the vultures.” Kassim turns toward Wolfbode. “I`ll give you a friendly advice, as you are an ally to us – be polite and respectful around them. I don`t want to be the one, tasked with digging a hole for your corpse. Such a big man will need quite a big hole!”

Wolfbode froze, and then spoke slowly with voice, heavy with mortal thread.
“Are you threatening me?”
“Do I need to threaten you, you fool? You alone jump into the sh.ts. Your female chieftains’ wants to leave your army, and the others will probably follow them, just as they will not be able to live without their women. If you dare to speak like that to my Riva Bibi, I`ll ask the Snake Priestess to poison you in such a way, that you`ll scream for half a day before you die.”
“Coward, just as I thought.” Wolfbode smiles with disgust. “Poison can not kill me. Once a cobra bite me, and it was no effect upon me.”
“Liar.” Fessia Nelid hissed against him. “The climat here iss too cold for cobrass. There iss not a ssingle cobra in whole Ravensstern.”

Kassim smiles against the stunned giant.
“I wouldn`t try to teach the Priestess from the Snake Cult about poisons. Lie harder.”
“I won`t suffer from your humiliation any more.” Wolfbode turns toward the exit.
“I wish you the best of luck!”
Wolfbode did not respond to Kassim`s mockery and went to the exit. Then he pulls the fold aside and froze. All other Mystmountain chieftains were there. They moved aside to make him a path between them and he went toward his horse, until he notice, that no one is folloing him.
“What is it? Do you dare to rebel against Vejovis`s champion?”
One female, holding a boy about four moons old, steps forward.
“You are our leader, the slayer of our enemies. Not our slaver.”
“Ugeje, I didn`t said that …”

“I heard what you said, Bejatir. I understood, that I`m only a vessel for your seed, just one utensil for your children. Yours … yours… yours… Every time only yours… It seems that you look upon me only as a vessel for children.”
“I didn`t ment …”
“We all heard exactly what you mean, my love. I`m not deaf.” Ugeje walk toward Mekara. “I`ll stay here with them. If you want to leave, do it alone.”
The other chieftains look at each other then followed her. Wolfbode remained alone. Finally, he began to understand the situation. A warlord without warband was just a very lonely person in the middle of nowhere. He pressed his teeth together and step back.
“I`ll remain here too.”

“Fine.” Ugeje spoke with lifeless voice. “Here, in front of the shaman, who married us, I`m breaking the bond between us. You are my husband no longer.” Without turning her eyes from his, she broke the throat of their child and drops the body on the ground. “You are not my master. I am not a vessel for some male`s seed.”
Ugeje turn her back to him and spoke to the first male who happens to look upon.
“Will you take me into your tent?”
Warlord Iksadar nodded without a word and led her toward his tent.
In the stunned silence, Kassim`s voice sound a bit too high.
“Well, it could be better.”
Wolfbode found his voice with considerable difficulties, holding the corpse of his son into his hands.
“What?”
“She could have chosen me!”


Renewed acquaintance

Whlie the Jatu horde turn the night into a great feast, the Noldor camp was silent. The centries stood alert, ready for any sign for hostility. All Noldor went to rest with their weapon at arm reach, ready for any sign of betrayal. Long ago they learned not to expect any good from the humans.
Delentorandel from the House of Faergwethanir sat near her small campfire, her eyes gazing upon the dancing flame, her thought drifting far away. She never ever thought, that one day she will find herself as an outcast of her own kind, yet she choose it by her own will. Pain holds her entire being in strong grip and fills her eyes with tears.
Someone`s hand hold her shoulder lightly, but it was enough for her to lose herself. Tears began to streaks down to her face and blurried her vision. It took her quite some time to calm herself. She could only sit, holding the other person in her embrace, while her tears continue to soak into his cloak.
“Well, it`s good to see that I`ve missed you so much.”

Her eyes opened in shock when she heard the Jatu language and the familiar face of Jehungir`Alat appears into her sight. She almost screamed, pushing him away from her.
“How did you managed to sneak here?”
“To sneak?” The man manages to sound almost offended. “I just asked the guards for you until one of them pointed me towards you. It seems that a lot more of your kind understood our language than I thought.”
“Get away from me!”
“Oh, come on! It doesn`t worked before, you know that. Plus, it is not good to celebrate such a victory over our enemies alone. See, I brought kumis!”
“You stinking savage!” Delentorandel reach for her sword. “Get away from me!”
The man didn`t make any movement even when she draw her sword and push the tip onto his throat.
“We aren`t exactly strangers, you know.”

“You dog! You raped me for four moons before your warlord to sell me to …”
“See? You still remember me! I knew that you`ll think for me!” Jehungir`Alat smiles at her and offer her the skin with kumis. “It`s good to see you again.”
“Get away from here!”
“Why? Are you afraid from me still?”
“I wasn`t afraid from you and I`m definitely not afraid from you now!” Her sword began to tremble into her hand from the intense wish to cut off his head.
“Then if you don`t intent to cut off my head, why don`t you drink with me for the victory?”
His hand still offered her the drink.
“You deserve to die for what you did to me!”

“It`s not that your kind put an arrow upon me, trying to save you. So who deserve what is for the gods. I take what I can.” He looks up to her with the same infuriatingly mocking smile on his face. “I saw you in the ranks while I went with warlord Iksadar to attack their knights. Good thinking, spreading the blades on the ground.”
She step away from him and sat, still holding her sword.
“What do you want?”
“You know what I want. Strangely enough, I still think a lot about you.” He drank a bit before to continue. “You have no other male yet, right?”
“It isn`t your bloody …”
“You could say just “no”. I get it.” Jehungir`Alat looks at her with lustful gaze. “I knew it! You still want me!”
“NO!”

“See, Jatu aren`t a bunch of idiots. We hear things. Some of us even understand your language, just as you understand ours. You left your home, because you couldn`t endure their disdain. And you alone said, that your husband isn`t a little bit better than me.”
Her face turn deadly pale.
“You heard me? So you understand our language?”
“You do not believe that you are the first Noldor that we held captive, right? Some of us have an ear for foreign languages. You complained that Jatu went over you over and over again, yet you didn`t said that your own husband lusted after you so much.”
“You raped me!”
“It`s not as if your kind didn`t shoot any Jatu who entered into your forests. And in the end it turns to be just an enemy plot. K`Juda went into such tantrum, that he almost impaled the D`Shar envoy. And here we are, the former enemies, fighting together against another enemy. The gods surely have sense of humour.”

“How so?”
“Now you can rape me over and over again, and no one will look awry because of it!”
“Get away from me!”
“Let me ask you something – how often your husband lusted after you?”
“I will not …”
“So rare? Honestly?”
“I didn`t said that it was …”
“Once a day? Two days? Ten?” Jehungir`Alat inclined his head. “I can`t even imagine what is the feeling.”
Delentorandel sighed heavily and look him right in the eyes.
“Are all human males like you? Always lusting after a female?”
“Only after the beautiful ones, of course! Who care for the ugly ones anyway?”

“You are such a pig!”
“So do you intent to spend the rest of your life wining about those eunich of a husband you had, or you intent to find yourself a better one?”
She stares at him.
“After all that you`ve done to me, you still believe that you and me …”
“Stranger things happen all the time. Have you ever thought, that you`ll leave our camp alive? Or that you`ll become our ally? Or that you`ll meet me again in the middle of a Noldor war camp, sitting right next to you, ready to pull your trousers again?”
She look at him, suddenly feeling herself very, very tired.
“Have you ever thought for anything else?”
“But of course!” He smiles at her. “I think how you pull my own trousers just as often!”
He closes himself to her, and began to untie her trousers. She didn`t stop him.

Quite some time later, she look at his calm face and wonder why she didn`t killed him right away. Was it because …
“If you intent to kill me, better wait until the end of the campaign. I`ll have a lot more plunder then.”
Delentorandel didn`t bother to deny it.
“I thought of that, yes. Wait. What did you just said?”
“To wait until the end of the campaign? I`ll have more loot then, and killing me will be more profitable for you.”
“No, not that. You spoke as if you know when the campaign will end.”
“Don`t you?”
“Of course that I don`t know! It is a war!”
“So my warlord is better informed than yours. He said to the lesser warlords, and warlord Murshak told us, that we can`t expect any large battles further. Since we won yesterday, the rest will fortify themselves into the main castles, and they will leave the smaller one to our mercy. A good third from their army will be separated into the various garrisons, another third will be hold around the western border.”

“How do you know all that?” Delentorandel asked him blunly.
“You mean that you don`t know?” Jehungir`Alat supports his head over her right thigh before to continue. “The Fiersdvain tough guys will attack the border about the same time as us. It will split the Ravenstern army, so yesterday we fough with so few of them. Some of them must be left as garrisons too. Actually, this time they really have no choice.”
She understood.
“If they concentrated their entire force only on one border, the other one will become completely vulnerable and will be devastated completely. By this way it will be slower, but we will inflict them a lot more loses. What about their castles?”
“We will surround them and without the harvest and meat from their villages they will starve soon enough. If they try to fight us on open ground, our cavalry will kill them. If they try to play archery against us … well, I saw your Noldor myself. No Jatu expected to win with so few casualties, I swear in Indar. I won`t bet a lame horse against you. So we will collect their food and their slaves, then we will wait patiently for them to offer to become our slaves themselves.”

“Slaves?” She asked confused. “I thought that they have no slaves in Ravenstern?”
“Ah, wrong word, I suppose. Maybe I should have say “villagers”?”
“It is quite different!”
“Really” He moved his head a bit to meet her eyes. “How so? Are they free to leave their villages? To refuse tributes to their master? To refuse to fight for him when he order them to do it?”
She thought about it, while her fingers moved over a scar at his shoulder.
“It sounds close enough indeed. Are you sure into your words?”
“What is the point to hide it now? Together they can`t stop us. The clansmen will not let a single soldier to leave the smaller towns alive, so we don`t need to bother with small scirmiches too.” His hand began to move up to her thigh. “I want to be on the winning side. What about you?”
“Again?!”
“Do you have something better to do right now?”
“Convincing argument.”


A siege without fence

There was nothing and no one around Sarleon. No trenches could be seen around the town, no earth embarkments prevented the approach to the town gates, and no enemy army set camp around. Yet no group of travelers or soldiers, who lost its walls from their sight returned alive. Small groups of horsemen gragged their corpses and throw them near the gates. The stench was heavy, but no one wants to leave the protection of the fortress just to bury the corpses. The population was frightened. The king himself disappeared a while ago and no one took his place. No help came nor from Laria, nor from Marleon, nor even from Avendor. No caravans came by the caravan`s road from any direction, as if the town suddenly become a ghost town. No villagers came to sell their stock, no tax collector returns with the king`s taxes, not even a single sellsword came to seek his fortune. The granaries were empty, the numerous populations quickly began to starve, the price of the food jump trice for the last moon and it was harder and harder to be found on the market even against pure gold.

From the other side of the walls Syla Uzas read the latest report about the food delivery and gave it to Aecius Brutus. He bows and took a bag with silver coins from his chest, counts the necessary amount into the hands of the caravan master and signed the parchment, then gave it back. Syla offer it to the merchant.
“With that, you are free to trade everywhere in the Principalities, the Snake Cult Protectorate and here, in Sarleon warzone. Your home is in Janos, so the annual tithe will be expected from you in the first moon of the next year. Is that clear?”
The merchant, who didn`t expect to leave with his life, and even less with payment for his stock, bow a few times as quickly as he could.
“It is, it is perfectly clear, your lordship! I will not disappoint you, I swear in …”
“Just “Ser” is enough, Tercius. By the way, I`ll be grateful, if you manage to delive wheat flour. I`m tired from rye flour. The soldiers will not say it, but they fight better if they are well fed.”

Tercius Cinicius bows again.
“I`ll try harder to deviver anything you order, your … ah Ser. You can count on me!”
“I know that. Did you have any problems by the road? Deserters? Bandits? Do you have enough guards?”
“I saw some groups from the distance but they didn`t bothered us, Ser. I had no opportunity to hire anyone in Ethos, and now, since I can`t enters in Sarleon…”
“I can lend you fifty soldiers. Do you need more men? I don`t want the food delivery to be interrupted from some bandits.”
“With my own men, your fifty will be enough, Ser, but if I dare to ask, how much must I pay for your men?”
“They are my men, so they took payment only from me. Everything else is bribery. And you don`t want to be caught bribing my men.”
“NO, NO, NO Ser, I didn`t mean to…”
“I`ll send the men into your camp within a candle time. You may leave.”
“Yes, Ser! Right away, Ser! Thank you, Ser!”

After he left, a woman exit from the tent behind his back.
“Did you notice, how his behavious change after you asked him about the flour? Give him the sense of purpose, make him to believe that his actions will make a difference, and you will be surprised how better a man can do this or that.”
“The greed kills more men than any weapon.” Syla sighed and turn toward her. “When the things settled down a bit, I`ll arrange all deliveries to the army to be performed from military personnel. It is unreasonable to be done from privateers. The merchants think only to fill their own pockets. The ruler have no pockets of his own, but a whole country to …”
“You don`t need to repeat my words. But I thank you for that.”
Syla turns toward his scribe.
“Is there something else for today?”
“No, Ser. Nothing that require your attention. No enemy has been spotted in a day`s ride too. No one is coming to help the town from Laria, Marleon or Avendor.”

“It was expected. You may go.”
After he left, Syla spoke to Ninevia.
“The camp isn`t a good place for you.”
She sat over the chest, and her common military uniform, borrowed from one bodyguard of her whispers around her figure.
“So it is good enough for merchants, whores, servants and all kind of riff-raff vagabonds but not for me?” She look upon him with stern face. “Do you know, that I won’t break, if you touch me?”
“It is brough daylight!”
“I`m just as woman during daylight and during midnight too.”
“The soldiers may …”
“… do the same, but not you? I can see them, you know that. When they finish with their training, their guard duty and everything else their centurions are able to think of, they still have some time for themselves. You too.”
Syla Uzas close to her.

“I`m their commander. I can not …”
“… be just a man for a candle or two? Don`t you have any capable officers at your command, or you are forced to do everything all by yourself?”
“I have very capable commanders!”
“So?”
He gave up.
“Fine! Lets …”
She suddenly bent on two and vomit powerfully on the ground. Syla shouted for healer. The bodyguards came running, but a single gesture from centurion Bronus Mecius send them back to their post.
“What are you doing, centurion Mecius?” Syla gnarls at him. “I called for healer!”
“She doesn`t need a healer, warlord.”
“It could be a food poisoning! I want …”

“She is just pregnant, it is natural.”
His eyes widened.
“Pregnant? She is … pregnant?”
“Of course that I`m pregnant! What else did you expected?”
For their immesureable surprise, Syla blushed.
“I … I didn`t expected it so soon.”
“I was sold to the old Marius just becaue the women from my family are quite fertile. So if I can have two children for three years from a man of his age and stamina, I have the right to expect something … better from a man like you!”
“Well, I certainly …”
She nod to Bronus Mecius and he disappeared. Then she took Syla`s hand and dragged him inside his tent.
 
JoãoGabriel said:
You should write a book inspired on POP :grin:
awesome mate, awesome.

Thank you kindly, Sir. I really appreciate your opinion. I`m even flattered, that you consider this humble story worthy for a book.
PoP, as story, game mod, fantasy world etc. belong to Saxondragon and his Developers team. If one day they decide to publish that story or another in a book about PoP, it will be their decision too. I`m just a fan with a story.

Sincerely yours
V.
 
Final preparations

A kick in the ribs awoke Donavan from his stupor and he gnarl, rolling aside from the intensive boot.
“Get up.” The warlord`s voice came somewhere from above. “We`ve got work to do.”
“I don`t care.”
Another kick in the ribs made him to cough in pain.
“But I do. So get up.”
“Get away from me!”
“You gave an oath to follow me, so get up and follow me.”
“She is dead.”
“I know. As many others. Still we have work to do. The work will not wait until we change our mood, however. I need your help now, so get up.”
Donavan slowly rose on his feet. He felt the stench of vomit.

“You need to stop drinking each night and to care more for your wives. I grew tired of your weakness. A weak Drillmaster can prepare our warriors only for burial.”
Donavan`s bloody eyes met Rambulhwa`s pitch black.
“I don`t care. Go fuc* your “bodyguards” yourse…”
A fist hit him in the stomach and he vomits powerfully right over his warlord. Donavan fell on his knees, weak as a newborn cat. The next thing he saw was the hilt of the warlord`s glaive, when it hit his head.
Rambulhwa and Sharas grab a foot each, and they dragged him out from his yurt to the nearest water barrel. Rambulhwa press Donavan`s head inside. He began to struggle barely. Shortly, Rambulhwa pull Donavan`s head above the water.
“I gave you three days. It was three days more than my master gave me when Sharag died. The life goes on, and I need you on your feet, not on your knees.”

Donavan manage only to mumble something unintelligible, but it was enough.
“Twenty lashes!”
Sharaa and Sharak removed Donavan`s kaftan and Sharas slowly unroll her whip. After the tenth lash Donavan began to shout threats upon her. After the twentieth, only the strong hands of her sisters helped him not to fell on his face.
Rambulhwa lowered his face to him.
“Are you ready to be Donavan again, or I must take Eshari Daeth for myself?”
“Do it, and you are a dead man!” Donavan wanted to shout it, but the words were only a hoarse whisper.
Still it was enough. Strong hands hold him straight, while a slave brought clean kaftan and his sword.
When Donavan was able to stand solid on his own feet, Rambulhwa spoke again.
“Today you will take care for the captured Omen Seekers. When Eshari Daeth is able to walk with her wooden leg, she will help you too. Do whatever is necessary, but I want as many of them as possible ready for battle. Go.”
Shaking a bit, dragging his feet in the dust, Donavan went toward the captives.

Felen Fenal pulls her chain absently. As she expected, it was useless. The only result was, that the nearest Singalian Spearman pull the hide, hanging at the yurt`s entrance and look at her with alarmingly intensive gaze, then he calm himself and support his weight on his glaive. She looks at him aimlessly, bored to oblivion. These days she felt better. The constant craving for drug slowly gave up its control over her. Fenel often wanted to die during these moons of slow torture, but the sight of the body parts, hanging from the poles at the center of the camp quickly dissuade her from such thoughts. She still was able to hear their screams in her nightmares.
“Hey, guard!”
Turam respond, without moving a muscle.
“What is it?”
“May I come outside?”
“As far as the chain allow you, yes.”

Felen exit the dark yurt, covering her eyes from the bright sunlight. The constant clashing from weapons and shields could be heard even stronger and she look at the large group of huge men and women, training nearby. They hold huge tower shields and tried to protect themselves from blunted arrows and heavy training weapons. She tried not to think for any drug, and instead began to evaluate their training. After watching them some time, someone spoke behind her.
“Do you like some of them?”
“Who …” Felen jumps startled, then saw a familiar face. “Sehara! Is that you?”
“So you are well enough to recall my name. That is good.”
Sehara sat next to Felen and look upon the trainees. Behind her, as some colossal shadow, towered her shield-bearer, Gerun Dekele.
“The new candidates for shield-bearers. They came all over Pendor. Too many rumors, I`m afraid. Still they look good enough sort.”

“What do you mean? What are you doing here?”
“Tehar is in the next yurt, or you managed to forget, that she is my sister?” Sehara gave her stern look, then look at the trainees again. “She is better now. Soon it will be over, and she will ride in battle with me. I do wonder, who of these people she will choose.”
“What?”
“After your purification, you must choose one male or female to become your shield-bearer. He or she will become your shield, your constant companion. Living together with someone often binds us together. It is hard not to. After our addiction we are still weak, so only the strongest amongst the warband could be chosen to become our shields.” Sehara smiles at her own memory. “A Heretic Magni took a liking of me, so he bested the others, willing to become my shield.” She supports her back on him, but he remains immobile as a stone pillar. “Shortly, I manage to convince him that I`m good as new sword. He convinced his commander, Jocelen Naimar, he convinced the warlord, and here you are. Now, finally, Tehar will be free.”

“Tehar may join you. You already have a new life in this warband of yours.” Felen tried to think more clearly. “But what about me? Or the others?”
“All of you will be given the chance to join the warband too. At least for two years. After that time, you will be free to leave, if you want. Or to remains with us. As you wish.” Sehara look at her and spoke with hard face and hard voice. “But if you ever touch any drug again, you will die in horrible pain.”
“Do you wish me to believe, that YOU no longer taking it? You are …”
“… alive, so yes. I`m clean.”
“Yeah, sure!”
“Do you still remember my third sister?”
Felen tried to remember her. The headache becomes stronger.
“Emaha, no … Ehama! What about her?”

“After only a bit more that a moon, she stole something from one of the healers.” Sehara glides her quiver. “But they keep their things really tight. On the next morning she found the broken lock and reported for it. They found Ehama, still in stupor, in her own bedroll. The warlord himself made her to regret about it.”
“No beating can frighten me! You have no idea what I was forced to endure during …”
“He flays her and her shield-bearer alive in front of the entire warband.” Sehara glides her quiver with gaze, looking far, far away into her memory. “Then he made this quiver for me from her skin. To protect me from any thought about the drug.”
Sehara saw the healer, who exit from Tehar`s yurt and rose.
“From over four hundreds of Omen Seekers, only one more was weak enough to repeat Ehama`s mistake. Sometimes I can still hear their screams into my nightmares. Do yourself a favour, and stay clear.”
Sehara went into Tehar`s yurt. Felen stare after, until the healer approaches her. Still, the craving was there, strong as usual.

“Can you give me something, just a little, only to blunt the pain?” Felen asked him soft and submissive.
The healer, wearing ordinary kaftan, crouch next to her. Strangely, he wasn`t a D`Shar. Fenel notice, that he was wearing straight sword too.
“Are you in pain?” The healer asks with low voice.
“Yes, yes, yes, it hurts really badly, please I`m begging you, just give me a little, only once, please!” Felen hold his hand while whisper intensively, giving all of herself in attempt to convince him. “I can be … very grateful, you know. I can show you such things, that you will get rid of your wife. Just give me a little. You healers always have something.”
She saw how his face saddened, and tears began to streaks down toward his jaws. She presses his hand under her belly.
“Yes, I know your situation very well.” The healer spoke with deaf voice. “My wife was also an Omen Seeker. I … can give you something indeed.”
Felen presses herself to him, full with hope for another doze. The poor man was soft-hearted fool.


“GUARDS!”
The shout startled her, but two Singalians came before she was able to react. The healer gave them an order, and they pull her kaftan down to her waist and chained her hands on a thick pole. She screamed when the first strike hit her bare back, then again, when the heavy whip hit her again, then again.
“I will help you not to think for the fu.king drug, oh yes, I will do that.” The healer whips her back again. “You will definitely learn to think for something else, oh yes, you will!”
He strike again and she screamed at him to stop.
“Do you want more drugs?” He shout after the next strike.
“No, please stop!”
He didn`t hear her.
“Do you want more drugs?”
When he stops, she remains hanging at the pole. He brought a bucket of salty water and splashes it over her bleeding neck. She regains her consciousness and her screams doubled. The healer ordered the guards no one to touch her and moved away to the next yurt.


The caravan barely arrives in the caravanserai, when the warlord himself came in haste. He bows to the first figure in wide robe, wearing horned helmet.
“Master Gaduilm! I`m so glad that you decide to visit us! The glaive you gave me is magnificent! It is very sharp and perfectly balanced! I`m so grateful to you! Sharaz is very pleased from her black sabre too, and her sisters are willing to purchase the same for themselves! Can you help us?”
The robed figure bows.
“Forgive me, ser, but I do not know you. Please, speak with master Gaduilm. He is in the main room.”
When he saw him, Gaduilm waive to his companios to leave, then humbly accepted Rambulhwa`s gratitude.
“… I notice, that you are willing to spend a lot, to equip your bodyguards with the best, so I took the liberty to find ten more ebony sabres and Netherworld shields. I`m willing to make a really good offer to you.”
It was hard even to say, who of the three robed persons was speaking, but Sharaz notice, that one of them turns his helmet slightly toward her, instead toward his client. She confidently spoke to the man, sitting at her left side.

“As if you somehow knew how many bodyguards he have.”
“You got me.” The man in the middle bows to her politely. “I decide to travel for a time, so I joined a caravan, coming from Ravenstern on my way to Torbah. I felt, that it was the right time to move forward, to find new markets …”
“Cheating bastar*!” Sharaz ignored him and spoke right to the left one. “How did you learned, that we are eleven bodyguards!”
“He is my servant, oh honoured one, I am …”
“… just a servant. So shut up.” She cut him off sharply, then continue to look at the real Gaduilm. “How did you learn? Speak!”
“Let me offer you a bargain.” He responds politely. “I`ll tell you that, if you tell me how did you received the scar from Morningstar under your left arm.”
Her eyes thinned. It was hard place to spot, and the scar was small and old one.
“You knew too much for a simple merchant, Gaduilm!”

“I ... I mean one of my servants saw you in caravanserai`s courtyard and his curiosity …”
“You spied on me!”
“No, no, no! Why would any man follow you, not even to mention such dishonourable thing as spying on such beau … bold woman as yourself?”
She gnarls at him.
“Every bloody time I went to bathe in the river, two hundreds members of the warband suddenly goes to bathe themselves too. What you could …”
“Three hundreds and eleven.”
“What?”
He clears his throat.
“Yesterday they were three hundreds and eleven.”
She draws her sabre.

“You little spy!”
“Deal?”
“Do you care for your own life at least a little bit?”
He laughs silently.
“No one really wants to hurt a good weapon merchant. Everybody needs weapons, at least to protect himself. Every man without a weapon is just a rabbit amongst wolves. So the answear is “no”. I`m not afraid.”
She press her teeth together, but sat back on the pillow.
“Fine! Deal! Now speak!”
“You first.”
“Why?”
He prepared himself to wait patiently. Shortly, she gave up. What was the point to threaten a helpful merchant anyway? The information he wanted was just harmless.

“Ten years ago I killed the old baron Ealdren of Talon, baron Ealdred`s father. The old bastar* wasn`t as harmless as I thought. I got him well in the guts with my sabre and thought that he was dead. Then I hold his head before to cut it off, when he suddenly open his eyes and hit me under my left armpit. Not strong enough to kill me, but enough to reject the leather armour for a scale mail. Now you!”
Gaduilm bows to her politely.
“You already have the sabre you wanted, but only ten more from your sisters are able to use it. Sharavah is … unable to use it properly, so ten sabres are enough for you. The other eight are dead, so they don`t need it.”
“Your answear is so correct, that brings only more questions in my mind!” Sharaz spoke in quite shock from the man`s information.
“And I may bargain with your for more answers, but right now I`m curious why all the hides your caravan brought from Rane reeks on shodal. Any kaftan made from it would be deadly for its owner.”
Sharak and Sharab remained with the merchant, while the rest gathered more warriors to capture the false merchants.

Rambulhwa sat over a pillow in the courtyard, while a masked Bladesman looks carefully in the faces of the tied and knelt merchants, their servants and guards. One by one he pointed six men.
“These men are trained assassins. Amongst the best we have in Ravenstern.” He bows to the warlord. “I don`t know the others. It was before seven years already after all.”
“I`m innocent!” One of the men protested loudly. “I did nothing wrong!”
“Remar Delanard, master assassin in the service of king Gregory IV.” The Bladesman removes his helmet, revealing unremarkable face of a typical Ravenstern man. “Do you remember me?”
The sudden recognition was quickly replaced with wild fury.
“Benard! YOU TRAITOR! We thought that you are dead!”
“Sending me to hire the local assassins to kill this warlord wasn`t the king`s best idea, my old friend.” Benard Amesten smiles ironically. “I found them, and I hired them, as he wanted, only to awake eight days later, surrounded from the same men I hired. They laugh at me all the way they dragged me to the warlord, for it happens that I hired them to kill the only apprentice of their own master – a Scorpion Assassin guild master.”

Benard Amesten look at the other assassins with the same mocking smile.
“We were sent to a suicide mission. During the next attempt the archer hit one bodyguard instead the warlord, for he was unable to recognize him amongst the same armoured figures. The next group tried to poison his food, hiring themselves in the caravanserai`s kitchen. Only to find, that Irahna, the caravanserai`s owner, took their coins and betrayed them to the warlord. The next group tried to hire another mercenaries to kill him, only to find out too late, that they fears him a lot more than they fears them. And now is your turn.”
Benard knelt in front of the captured assassins.
“I did not forget you, my brothers. You were sent on a suicide mission, just as me. Join us, and you and your families will live on.”
One man hardened himself and spoke with pride.
“You may sell yourself, Benard, but I am loyal to my king. My king is my country. My country requires my life and I will …”
“King Gregory is only one man, not the whole country. When he dies, the country will not die with him, another king will replace him just as any other ruler in the world. He stole the throne from his elder sister and fell so deep in debts, that no merchant will lend him a single denar any more. You have three days to take the decision for yourself.”
 
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The turning point

Balanar carefully cleaned the long slice from an axe over Orton`s chest, saw it with dried cat`s innard, while Davalam did the same over his right thigh. Orton`s wounds were heavy, but despite the loss of blood, he found enough spirit to smile.
“Ortan is the same lucky dog as always. Half of the Jatu horde trample over his unit, but he … he is still without a scratch, the bastar*!” Orton presses his teeth together in pain, and then continues. “Argh, it`s good to see you again. Where are the others? Mernat? Lartek?”
“I`m mortally offended that you didn`t asked for me first!”
Riva enters in haste, with three men close behind her. One of them, donned in the distinctive armour set of Dragon Drake, quickly close to the bed.
“Brother!” He spoke with unrestrained panic in his voice. “Are you all right?”
Orton half-gnarl, half-laugh at his brighter`s words.
“I took an axe in the chest and a lance in the leg. How do you think I am, little brother?”

Davalam finished and look at Riva`s worried face.
“He will be all right. With enough rest and care he will recover. Tough bastar* like him have seen worse.”
Riva sat with relieve on the ground.
“Good, very good. And your men?”
“Most of the Drakes survived!” Ortan assured her immediately. “We surrendered ourselves at the first opportunity. During the last years we recruited most of them. A few still believes that they will be promoted to Knights some day, but the majority aren`t that naïve. They have eyes and ears too.”
Orton made a mocking grimace.
“Four years and not a single knight who isn`t from a noble family may convince anyone but the blind ones. Right, brother?”
“Sure thing!” Ortan look at Riva. “We did all that you asked from us. We even brough their Grand Master here with false reports that Rambulhwa himself is with you. Or course, he wanted to capture him himself.” He sneer, truly entertained. “Not that they recognize him from Kassim anyway. For them all D`Shar are the same.”

It was her plan, and her men accomplished their mission with remarkable success. She put a hand under her armour and put a heavy purse over Orton`s litter.
“Four years`s payment in gold for you and your brother.” Riva put a second purse next to the first one. “And twice more as a reward for your good work.”
Orton opens the purses, looking at the gold and gems inside with bright eyes. His fingers glides it with gentle gesture.
“Generous gift.”
“You did more than I hoped for. You reward is well deserved. For both of you.”
The brothers smiled at each other. Their decision to remain on her side turns out quite profitable.
“If our comrades hear for it, they will ask to join the warband too.” Orton weighted his purse, enjoying its weight.
“Then let them to hear it.” Riva was already ahead with her plan. “More good, capable warriors are always welcome. After the recent losess we are in need of reinforcements. Choose some of them to “escape” us. The remaining Drakes into the Order`s citadel may wish to join us, instead to starve to death inside it.”

“Ortan will speak with them. Right now, I`m not in good shape to run around.”
“I will guard you, brother! You will recover!”
“I`ll leave Lartek and Balanar to guard him, Ortan. Go and speak with your comrades. Tell them, that in our warband they could rise as high as their abilities are able to bring them.”
“And what about our noble masters? They will betray us the moment when they manage to ransom themselves. They will ruin everything!”
Riva pat Ortan`s shoulder in calming gesture.
“Jatu already began to bet how long they will scream at K`Juda`s stakes. Somehow I doubt that anyone in Rane will hear their warning.” She looks at them one by one. “We are marching to Rane! We will siege them and starve them until they become our slaves!”
Predator`s eyes and smiles reflected her gaze.


A knock on the door made her to roar with whole throat.
“GET AWAY FROM HERE!”
She heard a soft noise then a familiar voice spoke behind her.
“How many wooers knocking at your door these days? It is good to see that you are sending them away, while waiting for my return.”
She quickly dried her tears and tried to hold herself.
“What are you doing here?”
“Is it a strange thing to visit my first wife?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. I came to you to help me to speak with your goddess.”
“IMPOSSIBLE!”
He spoke with the same maddening even voice.

“You aren`t the person who can say “yes” or “no”. Your task is just to report to her, that I want to speak with her. So speak with her. It is important.”
She turns toward him and spoke with her most poisonous voice.
“NO!”
“Did you cry for me?”
She grabs his throath and raises him above the floor.
“Give me one reason to finish your miserable existence, you dirty cur, please!”
He pointed toward his mouth, then to his throath. She left him to take a breath.
“You cried for me. I had no idea that I`ve missed you so much.”
She close her eyes.
“I …”
“… asked her for permission to kill me and she refused.”

Her eyes opens and she stare at him startled.
“How do you know that?”
He snorted with uncovered sarcasm in his voice.
“You love me so much, that it is quite obvious. Did she tell you why she denies your humble plea?”
“The goddess doesn`t explain all her decisions to us, cur!”
His expression remains unchanged. As if he couldn`t hear her insults.
“Then why you took it so bad when she told you, that if she knew that I`d provide her such stream of captives, she would have given you to me a long time ago?
Her face twisted in fury and she gnarls.
“I`ll kill Adessa myself!”
“Your gate guards didn`t left me to wander alone into your temple. They brought me straight to you. I didn`t spoke with Adessa yet.”

“How do you know?”
“I`m a tribesman, not an idiot. The gods wants our blood. If someone is able to provide her with enough blood, she will give you for his slave girl faster than you are able to say your own name.”
“No, you lie! I`m her Champion! Her first …”
“And how many Champions she had before you, eh?”
She turns mute in surprise.
“That many? You poor girl! Well, at least you still have me.”
Maltise towered over Rambulhwa and look upon him from above.
“What do you want?”
“Adessa once told me that she is about 170 years old.”
“177, if I you need to know her exact age. What about it? She isn`t a child, but fully grown woman in her prime years.”
“The common people don`t live that long.”

Maltise finally manage to collect two and two.
“So that`s why you helped us in the first place, you stinking rat! You want to live forever! You miserable, dirty …”
He makes a dismissive gesture, full with mocking sorrow.”
“So you have some brain too. I was starting to believe, that you need to purchase it from someone else. Yes, I have a good life, and yes, I want to continue living it as long as possible. If Azi Dahaka is able to sustain me, I`ll provide her with all people for sacrifice she needs to return to us.”
Maltise tried to think over it.
“Why now?”
“Now is the right time. Sarleon is torn apart and Ravenstern`s main settlements are already under siege. Up to one year I`ll become the bloody “hero”, hahaha. If there is a way to keep my life as it is, I`d like to know. And I need to know it now, for during a war no one will care if I send the entire Sarleon`s population to your altar.” He made a disgusted grimace. “But after the same war many people will suddenly began to care. For the same pile of corpses. Do try to find some sense if you want. I found none. The same people will be just as dead. So I need to ask her now. And you will help me.”

“NO!”
“Do try to use something more than your muscles. Are you so brainwashed from your fanaticism, that you can not think alone any more?”
“I do believe in my goddess, you filty savage!”
“To believe is one thing. To trust her as a person or to her motives is another story.”
He saw her expression and gave her time to consider his words. After quite some time she ask with low voice.
“What do you mean exactly?”
“If you help me, I`ll send to you all my captives, instead to sell them on the slave market. Your goddess will be happy, and she will prolong your life and Adessa`s too. And perhaps those of a few trusted people, who deserve that much. And we will live happily forever. How does it sound to you?”
Maltise tried to find a reason to refuse, yet she knew that only Azi Dahaka can decide such an offer. She led him toward the sacrificial chamber and summoned her goddess. She knelt to the transparent figure of a woman that appears over the altar. The snake-looking woman spoke slowly with slightly hissing voice.

“What is it, Maltise?”
“Holy One, your humble servant needs your guidens.” Maltise repeated Rambulhwa`s offer. “I felt, that only you may take that decision.”
“You were correct. My answer is “no”.”
“Maybe my offering wasn`t enough, Holy One.” Rambulhwa bows to Azi Dahaka. “How many people do you need? Or do you need something else?”
“MORTALS!” The goddess sighed with boredom. “You believe that it is a matter of bargain.”
“It is, Holy One. You want something, you give something. You created the Snake Cult for some reason. You want something from them. And you share part of your power with your Priestess and some of your Knights too.”
“Your tiny brain can not comprehend my motives, mortal. A few years of existence can not prepare you to understand even a fraction of my reasons.”

“But if you keep me around for a thousand of years I`ll be able to understand you better.”
A thin smile curve the goddess`s lips.
“I gave you my answer. You may leave.”
Rambulhwa bow to her.
“I understand. I hope to see you again soon.”
He turns back and left the hall. Soon Maltise followed him. Her face wasn`t able to cover her triumph.
“So I`ll be free from you! The goddess is merciful!”
He spoke with the same even voice.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. We shall see.”

Later, during the same night, when he was sitting near his little campfire outside Singal`s walls, someone approaches from the darkness. He reaches for his glaive, then he saw the familiar horned helmet.
 
Invaders from the west

Earl Ari Forkbeard heard the screams and the men above him began to fell from the ladder. The smell of burning flesh and hot resin fills his nostrils when they fell, but he could do nothing to them. Still two of his bodyguards were above him and they continue to climb, protected from their metal gauntlets and their large shields. Hjorl Fordenson reaches the bastion and took three arrows in the chest. Still the plates of his armour and the thick leather undergarment took most of the force of the impact, so he jump down and his iron axe hit the first Kierguard from the left side of his helmet. The helmet didn`t endure such brute strike and splits along with the head inside it. The blood spreads over Hjorl, who push the next defender with his shield, then fell on his knees and strike low on the legs of a Ranger, coming at him with two handed sword. The men screamed in pain, when the axe cut off his knee and he fell aside, holding his bleeding leg. Arglund Bjornson followed him and began to claive his way through the defenders, who throwed themselves at them, trying to prevent more Fiersdvain Huscarls to climb onto their wall.

Arglund just gutted another ranger, when suddenly felt a strong hit from aside and he almost fell over the blade of another Ranger. He shouted in frenzy, the anger gave him more strength and he push aside the large sword with his shield, then split the Ranger`s skull on two. And turn right toward the source of the hit. The Man-at-arm strike at him again with his steel polehammer, while Arglund left the axe to fell on its throng and got the enemy`s weapon with his metal gauntlet. The shorter enemy tried to pull it back, and Arglund issued rough laughter looking at him from above, before to grab the man for his armour then he lift him in the air and throw his body over the wall to the ground and to his death. His mortal scream wasn`t deafened yet, when his master, the earl, reaches the top of the wall and grab the offered for help hand. Ari Forkbeard left Arglund to help him, and then suddenly his head separates from his shoulders when another Ranger hit him from behind.

The large man wasn`t fell on the bloodied floor when Ari jump forward, taking a side hit from another Kierguard that bite his flesh through his armour, but it didn`t stopped him to crush his ribs with his savage strike. His opponent fell under the feets of his comrades and they hesitates for a brief moment for they didn`t want to step over him to reach their enemy, while Ari had no such thoughts.
More and more Huscarls followed their earl and the battle quickly moves inside the nearest tower, when they hack their ways trough the enemy.
The catapults finally managed to make a breach trough the west wall of Senderfall and Koningur Valdis sends jarl Talvor the Fey toward the breach with his warband. The man was dumb like an oaf, but almost equally strong and durable, which made him a perfect candidate for leader of the frontal attack. Earl Ari`s banner rose above the south wall and Valdis send him lord Vigdus Bloodsword and his men as reinforcement.

There were no news from Earl Sigmund Stonehand and lord Gundarr Iceheart, who assaulted the east side with their siege towers, but it was just a matter of time.
“A messenger just arrived from Earl Aedin Redsword.”
Valdis spoke without turning his gaze from the battle.
“Quickly, bring him here.”
“I`m Thera Mergenvald, Koningur!”
Young woman done in Valkyria`s breastplate close to his left side and bows. He looks at her rough features and her golden hair.
“Aedin`s favourite niece!” Valdis tap her armoured shoulder and notice the fresh grooves at her armour. “Your way wasn`t an uneventful one, I can see it myself.”

“Just a small group of Lion`s squires, Koningur, they just got on my way. I and my Sisters used their horses to reach you faster. Earl Aedin sends his greetings. The siege continues by your orders. No enemy reinforcements came for all the time we were around Avendor. The Earl found it quite strange. And suspicious too.”
“Very well, my girl, very well indeed! I can see why the Earl favours you above lady Miar and lady Glunde. Although they are on your age, he barely has a word or two for them. Tell me somehitng.” Valdis spoke with curiousity. “Did you really won Windholm`s tournament against lord Ragnbjorg the Bear? The man is just awfully strong and capable warrior!”
Lady Thera blushes.
“I did that, Koningur. We are close in strength, but he isn`t a good rider and he used too large sword on the horse back. So I bested him.”
“You are a modest one too!” Valdis`s laugter sounds suddenly a bit loud for her ears. “Very well, my girl. Very well done. Yet it isn`t a small thing to defeat Rangbjorg! Your father must be very proud with your achievement! How is he, by the way?”

“I haven`t seen him since you sent him toward the town of Stoutheart, Koningur.” She tried again. “Forgive me, but aren`t you worried for that lack of reaction from Sarleon? King Ulric surely will respond with force!”
“Hehee, our dear friend Ulric will visit us soon enough. After we capture this town, we all will go to meet him near Ravenstern town. Do you wish to accompany me?”
Lady Thera notices the suddenly cheerfully mood of her Koningur, but she wasn`t so sure that there was a reason to laugh. King Ulric holded the power over Sarleor for decades, and he wasn`t a man who would have neglected Avendor. She tried again.
“Koningur, I too believe, that it is more that strange! It is dangerous to neglect …”
Valdis interrupts her with cheerful smile.
“I expect many things from Ulric, but nothing dangerous for us.” He climb over his warhorse and draw his sword. “This town needs just a little more to fell. Are you coming with me?”
Lady Thera jump over her horse.
“Lead the way!”
 
Despite the heavy losses the Fiersdvain army won. By the evening the town was fallen and Koningur Valdis gave it to his army for three days for personal plunder. He seized the governor`s palace himself and gave a feast for some of his closest vassals. The beer flow as river and soon the jarls become to gamble for the governor`s daughters, who stood trembling and under guard in one corner of the grand hall.
With the nightfall Valdis notices that someone is missing from his feast.
“Where is Bjorn Fastrided?” He spoke with almost hard voice and waive at the door with his goblet. “All of my faithful lords must see my triumph! Bring him to me!”
One Huscarl from his personal guards exit the hall in haste. Asking the soldiers around, he quickly found the jarl into one house near the grand market. The jarl`s guards led him inside, and Vuglaf wasn`t surprised to see the jarl over rather pretty girl right on the bloodied floor. The head of quite older man was over the bed, so he must be her father, brother or another relative. Vugalf spoke with strong voice.
“Jarl Bjorn Fastrider! Koningur Valdis require your presence.”
“WHAT?” The jarl shouted insanely. “RIGHT NOW?!”

“No, of course not. The next moon will be good enough too.” Vuglaf spoke with voice, heavy with irony. He knew too well, that the jarl wasn`t amongst Koningur`s favourites. Quite the opposite, actually. “Of course that he wants to see you right now.”
The jarl swallows the curses, coming to his tongue, rose and started to tied his pants. He gave the messenger a bloody look.
“Where is he?”
“In the governor`s palace. You`ve been there before, you know the way.”
Jarl Bjorn gnarls tightened his throat but he took control over his fury and left. His bodyguards went with him.
Thrinia Neker kept her torn dress over her chest as best as she could. When she looks at her sudden rescuer, her eyes were full with tears.
“Noble Sir, I can`t thank you enough for saving me! This … this brute killed my entire family and raped me! Tell me your name, so I can add you into my prayers.”
Vuglaf Torgenson looks at the girl again. A bit taller than he prefer and with wide hips, but with nice tits and pretty face. He began to unlock his armour.
“Don`t worry girl. You will scream the name of Vuglaf Torgenson soon enough.”

Jarl Bjorn Fastrider enters the grand hall and bows.
“You`ve summoned me, Koningur.”
“Yes, yes, yes. I`ve missed you greatly, my dearest jarl. You`ve missed so many of my feasts, so I started to believe, that you dislike my beer.”
“Your invitations are rare as snow during the summer, Koningur. Last time it was two years ago.”
Valdis looks at him with growing anger and hit the table with one fist, turning his goblet. The beer splashes all over the table.
“I wanted you to share my victory, yet you feel yourself unpleasantly surprised! If you have no taste for feasts then I have another important task for you.”
Jarl Bjorn Fastrider didn`t missed the mocking expressions of the other jarls in the hall and his teeth cheacked in anger, but he forced himself to bow again.
“I`m at your orders.”

“Good.” Valdis gave him a sealed parchment. “You`ll rides for Javiksholm immediately in a mission of utmost importance!”
Bjorn Fastrined lowered himself forward. Was it the long waited opportunity to serve his Koningur and to win his favour again?
“I`m ready! Your orders?”
“I just noticed, that I`ve missed a very important item, that I need you to bring it to me with all haste!”
The jarl made a step forward.
“Yes, I wil do that! What do you want me to do?”
Valdis smiles broadly.
“I want you to bring me my favourite drinking horn!”
He laughs in the face of the stunned jarl and the other Fiersdvain lord laugh with him. Bjorn Fastrided turn red in fury, yet he could bow with last efforts. But Valdis wasn’t finished with him yet.

“I`ll give you two of my Huscarls to saddle your horse, dear jarl. So you will not saddle one sheep by accident!”
The whole hall busted with laughter. The jarl press his teeth together and marched outside, followed from cheerful smiles.
When they reached his tent his wife, lady Hild saw his face and sends their children aside. But she had no opportunity to speak with him in private. Right behind him she saw two of Koningur`s personal guards.
“What is it, my husband?” She spoke with concern. In the whole court there was no other jarl, who was so deprived from Koningur`s favour. So the presence of his personal guards wasn`t a good sign. His pale face and tightened jaws were another signs that she cound`t miss too.
“He is mocking me in front of half of the court again. He is sending me to the most important mission of my life … to bring his favourite drinking horn from Javiksholm!”
She almost swallow her own tongue.
“NO! It can`t be!”

Ulaf Jorvikson looks around and sends the other Huscarl, Torvald Argmarson to prepare the horses. He enters the jarl`s tent with the jarl and his wife. Inside, his impudence disappears from his face and he spoke to the jarl.
“You will take your most trusted men and spare horses. You will leave …”
“My husband isn`t an errand boy and he will not be humiliated in such a way!” Lady Hild holds the hilt of her sword. “I insist to speak with the Koningur at once!”
“… as soon as the horses are ready.” Ulaf finished without pause. “You will leave all main settlements, you`ll purchase some common mercenary outfits and you`ll bring the message to warlord Rambulhwa in Torbah with all haste. I don`t care how many horses you`ll kill, but it must be delivered to him. And tell him, that Koningur Valdis admits, that Rambulhwa is the hero from Madigan`s Prophesy.”
He gave the jarl a heavy purse with gold. “Your children will remain here. You`ll accompany the warlord to the town of Ravenstern, where our armies will met. Meanwhile it is a matter of utmost importance that no one, and I mean NONE, must suspects that you are not riding for the stinking horn.”

Ulaf put a hand under his armour and took the drinking horn.
“Here it is. When you approaches Ravenstern, just took a different road and came from our side of the border. Any questions?”
“Yes.” Lady Hild spoke quickly. “Valdis isolates my husband from his court entirely for years, and now he is sending him on such a mission. Why?”
“Simple.” Ulaf respond with light smile. “No one will believe that your husband will be the messenger, confirming the old agreement between the Koningur and the warlord. No one must know for their pact, until they meet each other in person in Ravenstern.”
The jarl was old warrior and quickly reaches the conclusion.
“So that`s why no enemy reinforcements came. The savages attacked them from the east!”
“Of course. That`s why the Koningur gather his army near the Sarleon`s border and we moved to Senderfall so slowly. Everything we did, we did in accordance with our agreement with the warlord. We will keep the conquered land, and the warlord will be recognized for the hero. Everybody wins. Now go, and be quick. The warlord will move north soon.”
 
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