The Siege of Ain

The citizens of Ain fled for the safety of the city walls as its army mobilised to repel what was without a doubt the greatest threat to the city in its long history. Archers lined the walls, soldiers broke up into cohorts to their assigned position, the city militia was mobilised and every entrance to the city was shut and barricaded, save for the main gates which were still open to allow the refugees entry.

The four attacking tribes were the Maru, Pasa, Parang and Gulda tribes. They numbered nearly ten thousand, a number nearly unheard of even in the long history of strife in the desert. The ones leading them were Wara, chieftain of the Maru tribe and Sidura, the heir and now chieftain, of the Kaling tribe. Their forces had encircled the city, save for the oasis side, and had sent skirmishers to harass refugees and plunder the abandoned outer settlements of the city.

In Ain, the one who would have led them in the conflict was Elder Nebud, who had the greatest military experience in the city. But he had lost consciousness from his wounds inflicted by the late Asok, thus leaving the matter of leadership undecided. Abrah, Koza and Kazo had only limited military experience; thus leaving Hayreddin and the chieftains. As the chieftains, despite their new-found commitment to peace with each other, were still not ready to take orders from another chieftain, they had agreed that Hayreddin should be appointed as commander of Ain's forces. Hayreddin had accepted, but had also appointed a senior officer of Ain's army, Kuba, a hardened soldier who had long served the city as vice-commander to assist him.

They had organised the defences of Ain as best as they could, and before long, the battle that would become known as the Siege of Ain began.

The warriors of the Pasa and Parang advanced on the walls while the Gulda headed right for the gates. They were greeted by a shower of arrows from the walls that whittled down those unfortunate enough to be at the front. Those in the back immediately raised their shields in response, and continued to advance slowly. From further behind, the invaders' own archers fired upon the walls, forcing the archers of Ain to take cover and granting the advance a temporary reprieve from the rain of arrows. Once close enough, ladders were brought forward so that the warriors could begin scaling the walls. Ain's soldiers immediately repelled them, hacking the ladders apart, and engaging the enemy warriors, giving their all to deny the invaders a foothold onto the walls.

The Gulda pushed forward a turtle-like construct that contained a battering ram. The reinforced roof provided the men handling it protection from the arrows as they pushed it up to the gates of Ain and began the attempt to batter it down. But the gates of Ain were strong, and easily withstood the assault.

So it was that the invaders broke themselves on the city's defences like water upon rocks.

XI XI XI

Hayreddin stood beside Kuba as they oversaw the defences. They were both stationed on the main tower of Ain's army barracks, which had been built right in the centre of city for the very purpose of overseeing the city's defences in the event of a siege. Both men kept turning their heads around, keeping an eye on the situation on the walls, listening to steady flow of incoming reports brought by runners and giving out orders where necessary.

It was a tiring task, not physically, but mentally. In Hayreddin's mind, even as he gave out the necessary orders, he knew that men would die, on both his side and the enemies. He bit his lip, cursing Asok and Wara for causing the situation to escalate so far.

The battle continued for nearly one long bloody hour, with the invaders being unable to gain a foothold thanks to the formidable defences of Ain and the strength of its soldiers.

"They should be calling off the attack soon," remarked Kuba.

Hayreddin nodded in agreement; the sun was rising to its apex and it would soon be too hot for the battle to continue. Moments later, the enemy retreated, kicking up a wall of dust in their passing.

"Do you think they'll attack again today?" asked Hayreddin.

Kuba frowned thoughtfully. "I don't think they will. The only other ideal time to attack would be several hours before sundown; when it's cool enough. But then they'd have to take the walls really quick, or else it'll be too dark."

Hayreddin nodded, deferring to the officer's judgment.

The two of them watched as the invaders retreated in silence for a moment before Hayreddin spoke up again.

"How long do you think they can keep this up?"

"Depends on a number of things, supplies, water, weather," answered Kuba. "Of course the human factor: morale and such...spirits, what I wouldn't give for a good sandstorm right now. That'll break them really quick."

"How long can we hold out?" asked Hayreddin.

"We have enough supplies to last a year if necessary," answered Kuba. "Plus we got access to water; that's the most important thing."

"What if they poison the water?" asked Hayreddin.

Kuba laughed cynically. "They could, but unless the bastards want to drink their own piss, they won't. They need to drink just as much as we do."

XI XI XI

The siege continued over the next few days. The enemy began their attacks as early as sunrise, but would always be forced to retreat by noon, unable to overcome Ain's strong defences. They began to mobilise even near sundown, to wear down the defenders as much as possible, but instead, they were the ones being worn down.

The pile of corpses surrounding the city walls grew steadily, and with such a rich bounty to feast on, the vultures, jackals and other scavenger animals had swooped in joyfully.

Saddened by such indignity being inflicted upon the human corpses, enemy though they were, Hayreddin had attempted to send a message to organise a temporary truce to allow the enemy to retrieve their dead and dispose of them with honour and dignity. The officers had tried to dissuade him, but Hayreddin had insisted, hoping the gesture of goodwill could open a path to end the conflict without further bloodshed.

The messenger he sent had returned skinned and headless.

Hayreddin had been distraught by the man's horrific death, taking the blame upon himself. But more than that, it also served to convince him that peace with the invaders was completely impossible.

And so the siege continued.

XI XI XI

When night came, it brought relief from the scorching heat of day. Fires were lit on the wall so that the guards may keep watch on the enemy.

In one of the quarters of Ain's army barracks, raised voices could be heard, arguing heatedly.

Berkhan stood before Hayreddin, glaring at the slender young man furiously.

"It's been a week since this whole thing started, and still you keep me and my men behind the walls!" snarled the Ber chieftain. "The whole city is surrounded by death; the stench of it sets our blood afire! We demand release!"

Hayreddin raised a hand to placate agitated chieftain. "Please, honoured chieftain, at the moment the city's armies are more than sufficient to repel..."

"Repel, repel, repel," growled Berkhan, taking a step closer to Hayreddin. "Put me and my men on the walls, and we will paint them red with the enemy's blood! They would think twice before trying to attack again!"

"Such great warriors would be wasted on the defence of the walls," answered Hayreddin, hoping to appeal to the Ber chieftain's martial pride.

"Then open the gates and let me and my men charge out!" roared Berkhan. "We will bring you Wara's head, along with Asok's brat!"

Before Hayreddin could respond, Horun had also stood up and stepped forward.

"The men of the Kaganagh are warriors, Hayreddin," said the chieftain in his low rasping voice. "The whole city reeks of blood, and it makes us restless. Let us fight."

Hayreddin could not explain that he wanted to keep the chieftains out of the fight to avoid the possibility of them being killed in battle. He knew they, in particular Horun and Berkhan would take it as a personal insult. But seeing how agitated Berkhan was becoming, and how restless Horun was despite his outward calmness, Hayreddin was starting to grow worried that they might be provoked into doing something reckless.

Hayreddin glanced over at Kazanah. The Taring chieftain looked only amused. It irritated Hayreddin a little.

"Please, honoured chieftains," said Hayreddin, bowing. "It is not yet the moment for great warriors such as yourselves to take to the field. I promise you that when the time comes, we will call on you. For now, I must ask for your continued patience."

Horun said nothing but resumed his seat while Berkhan ground his teeth and stalked off. Hayreddin sighed inwardly; the two chieftains were so alike that Hayreddin wondered why the two of them had spent so much time at war with each other.

XI XI XI

Since the siege had started, Isan had spent most of her time tending to the wounded soldiers. Today's particular battle had been especially bloody; the wounded had been coming in since morning and still more after the battle had ended as more and more of them were being discovered.

Isan's hands and robes were red from blood and her hair was a mess, but bizarrely, thought Isan, despite her dishevelled appearance and their wounds, some of the soldiers still had the strength to make a pass at her. Most of it was harmless, good-natured flirting just to get their minds off the pain, but some were a little too friendly, prompting Isan to 'rub salt in the wound' as it were, to put them off.

Even though it was night, and despite her increasing weariness, Isan was still tending to the wounded. The soldier she was working on was suffering a fever brought upon by an infected wound on his leg. Isan was trying to clean it out, but the soldier was thrashing around in his pain and delirium.

"Need some help?"

Isan looked up to see Hayreddin smiling down at her.

Isan nodded. "Hold him down and keep him still please."

Hayreddin nodded and obeyed. The soldier continued to thrash, but with Hayreddin keeping him still, Isan was able to treat his wound with far less difficulty than before. Eventually, the soldier subsided, murmuring nothings as his eyelids flickered. Finished with binding his wound, Isan brought over a bowl of cool water and a cloth to dab at the soldier's forehead. Her hands were trembling from weariness though, and she nearly dropped it. Hayreddin noticed and took the bowl from her.

"Let me," he said, and too tired to argue, Isan nodded. She sat down as Hayreddin proceeded to dab at the soldier's forehead gently and the man slowly grew quiet and his breathing became even. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Hayreddin's face.

"Angel..." murmured the soldier softly before he fell asleep.

Isan snorted with amusement. "I've had about fifteen wounded men flirting with me today and not a single one of them called me an angel."

Hayreddin sighed. "He's just delirious."

"And that pretty of face of yours has nothing to do with it?" teased Isan, grinning as Hayreddin smiled at her in embarrassment.

"Shouldn't you be resting though?" asked Isan after a while, watching as Hayreddin continued to dab at the soldier's forehead.

"Shouldn't you?" countered Hayreddin. "From what I've heard, you've been here the entire day."

"But I'm not the one leading Ain's defences," retorted Isan. "You're far too important, Hayreddin. Your focus should be on Ain's defences; nothing else."

"Your job here is no less important than mine," answered Hayreddin. He looked around at the wounded soldiers. "Besides, I wanted to be reminded about what I have to fight for...why all this bloodshed is necessary."

Isan looked at Hayreddin intently. "Is this about the messenger?"

A look of profound guilt and sorrow washed across Hayreddin's face. He looked away from Isan, keeping his gaze on the wounded soldier. "Because of me, there's a widow and a fatherless child in Ain."

"It's because of the enemy," said Isan softly. "Not you."

Hayreddin shook his head. "Because of my orders, that man went willingly into enemy territory only to die. I sent him there, Isan. I killed him."

Isan watched as Hayreddin resumed dabbing at the soldier's forehead, clearly wracked with guilt.

"Hayreddin, you can't dwell on it too much-" began Isan, but Hayreddin interrupted her.

"It was my mistake that cost that man his life," he said. "But right now, there are thousands of innocent people in Ain that our enemies will kill without hesitating. I have to focus on protecting them; I won't allow guilt or fear to cloud my judgment. I'll mourn the messenger and every man who had given their lives in battle after this is all over."

Hayreddin turned to look at Isan and smiled. "Don't worry Isan; I won't let you and Ravenna down."

Isan reached over and affectionately tugged on one of his dark brown locks. Hayreddin smiled at her in gratitude and affection. Isan smiled and took the cloth from him to start dabbing at the soldier's forehead. Hayreddin leaned back against the wall and watched her.

Hayreddin loved Isan, he knew that. But it was purely platonic. He had never felt any sort of attraction that a man would normally have towards a woman as beautiful as her. Isan was more like a sister to him. At times he wondered if it was unnatural for him to not be attracted to Isan or indeed, any woman for that matter, but over time, he just decided that he didn't care; Isan, along with Ravenna and his parents were the people he cared about, who made him happy. That was all that mattered.

"Girl, I've got a little cut here."

Speak of the devil.

Ravenna walked into the makeshift healer-house, bleeding from the shoulder. He spotted Hayreddin and nodded in greeting as Isan got up with a curse and went to inspect wound.

"It's been clotted and torn open again repeatedly," hissed Isan as she examined it. "You got this wound earlier didn't you? Why didn't you come here immediately?"

"I had men to lead and a wall to hold," growled Ravenna in answer. "I don't have the luxury of running off for healing whenever I get a little scratch."

"You and your pig-headed manly pride," ground out Isan between her teeth, and she smacked the wound lightly, making Ravenna growl in pain. "Stay here, I'll have to get something to disinfect this...stupid man..."

As Isan hurried off, Hayreddin moved over to sit next to Ravenna.

"How bad is the fighting?" asked Hayreddin quietly.

Ravenna grimaced. "Bad, but nothing I haven't seen before. The bastards are ferocious and tenacious, but that doesn't mean anything if they can't breach Ain's defences."

Ravenna tapped the floor for emphasis. "This city has some of the best fortifications and soldiers that I've ever seen. The only way she'll fall is if someone betrays it from the inside."

They both looked up as Isan returned with some ointment. Ravenna couldn't quite hide the apprehension on his face.

"Hayreddin, could you hold him still, please?" requested Isan as she looked at Ravenna with a wicked glint in her eyes. "He's as bad as a child when it comes to medicine..."

"Of course, Isan," answered Hayreddin, easily draping a long arm across the warrior's shoulders to keep him still.

Even though Ravenna cursed and swore as Isan treated his wound, Hayreddin could see that the warrior actually enjoyed the attention he was getting from Isan. Their relationship had been growing steadily and Hayreddin wished they'd just come out and declare their love for each other already.

As Isan turned away to grab some bandages, Hayreddin saw Ravenna's eyes linger on Isan's bottom.

Hayreddin grinned; Ravenna's feelings for Isan were most definitely not platonic.

XI XI XI

Wara was perusing some letters when Sidura stormed into his tent. The young Kaling chieftain looked so furious that Wara's bodyguards immediately raised their weapons. Their chieftain raised a hand to stop them and waved them out of the tent.

"Is there something you wanted, Sidura?" asked Wara in a deceptively pleasant voice.

"We've been at this for a week now with no progress," snapped Sidura. "While I don't give a piss about the other tribes getting massacred on Ain's walls, we'll soon run out of men if this keeps up. You promised that you'll use the other tribes to break open the city's defences and we'll just charge in wipe them all out. The way things are going, we'll have to break the defences ourselves!"

Wara smiled coldly. "Ain's fall won't happen from the outside, it will happen from the inside."

"What are you...?" began Sidura before he paused. His eyes narrowed in understanding. "You have men on the inside?"

Wara smiled even more coldly.

"But then why are we wasting time like this?" demanded Sidura. "Why haven't they acted yet?"

"Simple, we are waiting for the right time to strike," answered Wara. "While they haven't been able to breach the defences, our foolish allies are still inflicting casualties on Ain's defenders. We will continue to wear them down and once they're worn down enough...we will strike."

"The Kaling will be the first in when that happens," stated Sidura before turning to leave.

"Of course," replied Wara silkily.

Of course, he had other plans in mind. Let the foolish Pasa, Parang and Gulda break themselves on Ain's defences, making them easier to wipe out when it was all over. The Kaling can charge in headfirst all they want; Ain would be the anvil upon which the Maru will destroy them. With the other chieftains dead and Ain in his control, Wara and the Maru would become the pre-eminent tribe in the desert. They would be supreme.

Wara smiled again; a chilling smile.