We've been traveling so long, our journey was made all the more harder by the reluctance of our tribe mates to leave their beloved plains. I would've held with them but the chief was right, this was our only chance if we wanted to survive.
The way to Illia was treacherous, the grass was littered with with rocks making it harder for our horses. The grass itself was covered with frost making traveling on foot just as dangerous and hard.
"Shin, we can't go much further we have to stop, the elders and children are too tired to travel." a warrior pleaded, it was out of desperate logic but there was a hard edge to his voice. It was more of a command then a request.
I had no choice but to give in, we must keep moving but we will not let the weak fall behind. It was our luck to find a shallow ravine that offered some shelter, if we were attacked then we would be finished, but it was better then being out in the cold.
The tribe grimly set up camp, here and there they went so wearily among their work that some would exchange an occasional wry smile.
As soon as everyone was settled I climbed out of the ravine and took a good look at our surroundings. Seeing the landscape peppered with rocks and frost made me want for the warm sunny plains more and more.
Embarrassed by my own childish thoughts I self consciously fiddled with my bandanna that I had removed from my head and now wore as a scarf. I knew that in this cold this was a more resourceful way to wear it but a good amount of people would not stray from tradition.
This was the way of Sacaens, perhaps it was honorable to stick to one's normal way of life but honor could often cost you your life.
This was a reason I admired the swordsmen during the war against Bern. They were bound by no rules except the sword, they could change as much as they needed to fit into the situation. But without our morale guidelines we would be no different from the bandits and brigands.
Even our enemy Etruria had their limits, what they called honor spared us some pain. I had often wondered how people like Rutger and Dieck kept their sanity in their sword dictated worlds.
Thinking of the cold, ruthless swordsman I automatically wondered how he, Sue, and the Chief were doing. Were they still alive? If they were then had they made it to Lycia? Had they gained Lycian support? These questions were popular conversation among the tribe. There was a fair share of the ones who are confident and ones who fear the worst.
I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't notice Aquene had walked up to me until she spoke. "The wind is carrying a strange sound." she remarked deftly stringing her bow.
"Really?" I closed my eyes and focused on the signs from Father Sky. Aquene had spoken truly, there was a strange sound on the wind. It sounded almost like footsteps, if the wind carried it to us then they must be close.
Minutes later I was on my horse and charging across the field, I pulled Etu into a staggering stop at the first human sounds I heard. When I had a clear view on the source of the sound I nearly burst out laughing.
Here I was ready to jump out of my skin over a few bandits. Just four or five of them, nothing special and nothing unexpected. I did not need to say anything, Aquene understood what needed to be done.
We were on horse back, even on this ground we had the advantage. I aimed my bow at the head of the tallest bandit. I was so blurred by worry and and my nerves so frayed that I was startled by the sudden release of the bow string.
It was to my luck that relentless practice allowed me to hit the intended target even in this mind set. The bandits were now alerted and started charging towards us. Aquene and I started furiously unleashing a storm of arrows but like I said, we were not at our best, most of them missed, only one hit home.
My tired arm fell back to my side without my will and it was thanks to Etu that the only thing sliced by the bandit's maniacal attack was my bow. I immediately let go of the splintered wood and pulled out a short sword.
I came bearing down on the bandit and struck hard on the back of the neck. Slaying the bandits took a few minutes. All I can hope is that there are no more of them around.
The weak morning sun rays greeted me, it was still early but the fact that the sky was already bright signalled that I had overslept. The only piece of clothing I had taken off the night before was my bandanna so getting dressed was a simple affair.
The air was freezing cold outside, emphasized even more by the drabbness of our surroundings. So naturally I was startled by the flash of red against the frozen landscape.
Rutger was sitting alone at the edge of camp as always, mechanically shining his sword. He seemed so focused on the blade that he seemed completely detached from reality. Perhaps that was the secret to staying calm in the face of unbeatable odds.
I hesitated then took a step forward, I immediately regreted my decision seeing as there was nothing woth saying. Almost as if there was a disturbance in the wind Rutger looked up.
Yellow eyes glared into forest green ones, there was a short silence before Rutger broke the silence, "...Lycians take a long time to mobolize their army." he stated as if there was an aura of impatience around me.
"I...see." was all I could think up, I could vividly remember how long it took for Lycians to prepare-oiling armor, fixing weapons, fully waking up, ect.-creating long spaces of waiting between marches, it was enough to make the most stoic Sacaen bored.
My bad memory train was broken by Rutger expertly thrusting his sword back into it's scabbard with a neat flick of his wrist. Seeing that reminded me of a question I had wanted to ask for some time.
"Rutger, who exactly taught you swordplay?" there was rarely any Sacaen who seriously devoted his/her life to their sword.
"No one offically, but as you know there are many people from both sides of the border in Bulgar. As much as Bern disgusts me I will admit that there are many armsmasters from there." Rutger replied his expression carefully blank. It only made me wonder more how much it hurt to talk about his past.
I was once again at a lost for words but Rutger cut me off before I could say something stupid.
"We could be caught up in a two fronted war." Rutger remarked unsheathing his sword again. "Etruria will come through Sacae, you can bet on that but if they also come through Lycia then it's over for us. If they come through Lycia then the Lycian Alliance will retract their support for their own best interests. It's even worse if Etruria defeat Lycia, which they can. Also if Queen Bern is either foolish or weak enough, then Bern isn't even worthy as a road block. If they break through the Lycian Alliance then we would be flanked on both sides. Then that would be that for the Kutolah. And if you want to get down to a personal level, Dieck, General Percival, the Reglay Family, they won't enjoy what's coming to them." he retorted coldly all the while tracing the intricate markings that laced the spine of the sword.
During the long explination I sat down in the grass and tried to picture the result of the situation Rutger described. It must've been the something like the Sacae Chief Dayan described several years before I was born.
Any response I had was cut off by the thundering of hooves. In the ravine sound bounced off the walls in such a way that an attentive person could hear what was going on all through out camp. "Scouts! Etruscan riders!"
Only fierce self control kept my jaw from falling, Etruria was known for fast mobolization but that didn't quite take away the surprise. Normally scouts meant light infantry with bows and light weaponry, nothing light cavalry would have trouble with.
I rushed out of the ravine to get a better look, to my relief the invaders were still only specks on the horizon. "Doesn't look like scouts, looks more like a brigade." Rutger commented.
"Brigade?"
"I'd say about 3000 soldiers? Quite small by Etruscan terms but we're still at a disadvantage, they have better equipment and armor."
I adjusted my grip on my bow, "Nothing we can do about it." I hissed through my teeth. This was less a war then a slaughter, Sacae on it's own was no match for Etruria. Even with a small group of Etruscan soldiers and personal allies, we were at the disadvantage.
A rusty voice caught my attention, I spun around to see Chief Dayan. "Chief?" I asked, it was a silent message to leave. Run, run far, take the weak and don't face this battle. Even the Silver Wolf will fall eventually, and this was no time to lose your leader.
However as I expected, Chief Dayan either didn't get my message or didn't want to apply to it. He gave me a sympathetic smile and went to meet the on coming force, he had already given orders for evacuation.
In the plains there is no where to hide, no real strategy, perfect field if you are one to follow honor. No tricks, no deception, just a frontal assault, this should be a simple battle, and a blood bath.
Looking around I saw the people who have scrapped their safety to fight for us, they seemed to possess an incredible enthusiasm. Even Master Karel who was always calm had a strange excited aura around him. Fir looked nervous but she wasn't backing down, and Bartre...I think you know.
The Etruscan soldiers kept a fairly blank face, they would fight, not for Sacae but for their lords and that was good enough. Rutger was casually leaning on his sword as if this was something he saw every other day, which it probably was. I quickly stopped day dreaming lest some Etruscan archer took my head off.
And speaking of archers the moment we were in range the enemy sent a shower of projectiles at us and a hail of arrows greeted them back. I didn't stop to look for casualties, the Etruscans were sending out their war horses. I aimed carefully and shot an arrow at a charging cavalier, I had aimed for the opening in his armor and my arrow hit it's mark.
I snatched up another arrow and aimed at another target, for a moment I was back on the Eastern Isles in the War against Bern. Endless memories of repeated actions and screams of pain in response caused my arm to move with my will. Just keep firing, stop and I die, seems simple enough. Ignore feelings, ignore fatigue, just keep on fighting.
Perhaps it was Mother Earth's blessing...or maybe it was just adrenoline.
Note: First big battle in the next chapter and the POV mode will be shut down