AGNOMAKHOS

by Ulquiorra9000

Chapter 6

More than a month had passed since Alex's platoon was ambushed in Meletis, but the council of Twelve was no closer to finding the rebels' leaders. Of course, Kulla had informed Alex and the others about the council's martial law and the hunt for high-profile Agnomakhos rebels, but it was tough going, as Jaina put it. The other battalions were similarly frustrated.

So now Alex found his battalion patrolling the wilds outside Meletis.

The full moon shone as Alex trudged along a dirt road with several hoplites. For hours, the entire first battalion had split into a bunch of small groups to cover more ground, but even then, no signal flares had gone up to indicate trouble. Instead, Alex had been treated to a nighttime stroll through Theros' suprisingly noisy nights.

Alex was starting to realize how much of a city boy he was. Unlike Jaina, he had been born in Meletis' protective walls and surrounded by artisans and buildings. Out here, crickets chirped, owls hooted, and strange beasts howled. And bugs had their fun biting at Alex's exposed flesh.

"Hey, the camp. Thank the gods," one of the hoplites commented longingly. Up ahead, Alex could see the large campfire and tents that signifed Kulla's encampment. Some of the hoplites and mages were resting around the fire while their fellow were on patrol.

Only two captains were here right now; Jaina, who was halfway through a beef jerky strip, and the captain of platoon three, a kid named Mino. Usually, the Army academy accepted 16-year-old applicants, but Mino's unusual skill and mana allowed him to join at 10, and graduate as a captain. His older brother Ulga was Alex's age and was the captain of platoon two, but was the same skill as his younger brother, a fact that made them instant rivals.

"Hey, guys," Mino said brightly when Alex's group showed up. He sat with a few hoplites on a fallen log. He had ear-length black hair and a rounded chin, which made him look even younger. His armor barely even fit him correctly, but his blue-trimmed captain's cape helped him look a little bigger.

"Hi," Alex said as he sat down. Someone passed him a water canteen and he gratefully drank from it. "Not much going on, huh?"

Mino made a face. "Nothing. Kulla was so sure he'd find a rebel camp out here or something, but no. Just us."

"Be patient, now," Jaina smiled. "Kulla is in charge for a reason. It stands to reason that Agnomakhos has spread its influence to nearby towns and trade routes. It's our job to neutralize that presence."

"And bring glory to first battalion," Mino joked. "Once we actually find something." He leaned forward a bit, grinning. "You guys wanna hear a ghost story?"

Jaina rolled her eyes but Alex returned Mino's grin. "Why not?" he said.

The camp fell silent as Mino cleared his throat. "Long ago, there was this creature that lurked in the night," Mino said mysteriously. "Villagers didn't believe it was real, but one night, a farmer's daughter was found dead, her body hanging from a tree and all the blood drained from her body. She was white as marble!"

Mino let that sink in for a second, then went on: "The farmers and locals rallied to find the girl's killer, but every night, one of them would vanish and be found dead the next morning, just like her. And the bodies soon made a trail that led right to a wealthy man's manor. Everyone thought he'd be next."

Alex listened carefully, feeling tense as Mino told the story. What would the rich man do? There were some dangers that not even money could get rid of.

"The wealthy man hired more guards and stayed in his room," Mino said, his eyes glinting, "and he was sure that he'd be safe. And just as the sun was coming up, he decided that he was safe. The killer would have killed him by then, right? Wrong. His room's door opened, and his wife came in, a kitchen knife in hand. And she stabbed him dead!"

Mino bolted to his feet and spread his arms wide with this last sentence, and waited a second for the response.

"That was it?" a hoplite said, annoyed. "That was the dumbest story I ever heard."

Mino's face fell. "But..."

"How was the blood drained from everyone else?" a battle-wise mage put in. "The man's wife sounded pretty ordinary to me. Some 'creature'."

"Yeah. What about the blood loss? You never explained that," the hoplite said.

Mino sat back down, going red. "Well, I thought that story was scary when I first heard it. The shocker is how the rich man's wife -"

"Whatever. I'm going to bed," the hoplite muttered, and crawled into his tent.

Mino sat there looking awkward. "Um... anyone else know any stories?"

The words barely left his mouth when Alex saw a flash of movement near a forest's edge, just for a second. Alex stood, squinting. He wasn't sure, but he had felt like a flicker of magic had crossed his mind. "I saw something."

Mino recoiled. "What was it?"

"That's the point. I don't know." Alex clenched his fists. "Captain, requesting permission to investigate?"

"Granted. You two, go with him," Jaina said, pointing to two hoplites. "The rest of you, set up a perimeter." Similarly, Mino arranged his men to a defensive formation.

Alex's heart thumped as he and the two others marched across the wilderness, skirting the edge of a small forest. Not even the milky moonlight revealed what was going on, though. Had Alex just imagined it? Maybe Mino's ghost story had spooked him more than he realized...

"Argh!" The two hoplites collapsed as though stunned. Alex knelt to check on them, but their blank expressions told him everything. His group had been ambushed, and he was next.

"Alex. Over here," a voice called out.

I know that voice! Disbelieving, Alex stood and slowly approached two figures who stood just inside the forest. By the moonlight, he could see that they wore red robes.

One figure motioned. "Alex, it's me. We have to talk."

"Valerie? What the..." Alex felt a confused rush at seeing his sister. He wanted to strike her down for joining Agnomakhos, but he also wanted to embrace her and feel glad that she was okay.

The other figure turned to Valerie. "This is him?" she said in a feeble voice.

"This is him, Elsa. Looks like your mind trick worked; here he is, right before us," Valerie said, then looked Alex over. "Hey, you're looking good. That armor fits you nicely."

"How can you be here?" Alex hissed, though no one was around to overhear. Valerie and her friend had lured him here with magic? Why? "Valerie, you joined Agnomakhos? Those terrorists?"

"We're not terrorists," Valerie said simply. "We don't harm innocents or damage public property. It's the Reverent Army that's oppressing the people and abusing the council of Twelve's laws."

Alex tightened his fists. "This is nuts! Valerie..."

"So now you've been on the inside," Valerie interrupted. "Seen enough, Alex? Now do you understand that the council and Army have gone too far? The Shadow League is gone, Alex, but the paranoid council sees threats everywhere. Ironically, that has made them the threat to Meletis."

"You're wrong."

"Am I? I've seen hoplites bully shopowners and even steal. Haven't you?"

Alex remembered the fifth battalion hoplites and the jeweler. "Well, yes, but..."

"But what?" Valerie's tone hardened. "But the Army deserves to forcibly take payment for protecting the people? You can't really believe that, Alex. The council is out of control. They no longer represent or act up on our will, but instead, force their will on us. It's wrong! We have to open their eyes!"

"By killing? You can't take the moral high ground with civil war."

Valerie sighed. "We tried negotiation so many times, and it was always the same. So, my followers and I will shout our message at swordpoint. I'm sorry that it's come to this. I really am."

Alex stared. "Your followers? Don't tell me..."

"I founded Agnomakhos," Valerie said. "And with Purphoros' blessing, I'm going to take our city back."

"I can't let you do that."

"Really?" Valerie spread her arms wide. "Are you going to kill me, Alex? We grew up together, and now you'll end it?"

"You're an enemy of the state."

"But it's not that simple for you, is it?"

Alex opened his nouth to retort but closed it. His heart raced and he sighed shakily. She was right; whatever his differences with her, he loved his sister, and imagining her hurt was too much for him. He took a step back. "What are you expecting from me, Valerie?"

"Join me. Your inside knowledge can really help," Valerie said. "Think about it! Your aid would let us win easily and minimize the bloodshed."

Stalling for time, Alex asked, "What makes you think I'm so special? I'm not even a captain."

"In the Reverent Army, maybe you're not important. But to Agnomakhos, it would be a major morale boost if an Army hoplite joined," Valerie explained. "If one hoplite can be converted, more can, too. And being my brother, my fellows wouldn't just see you as another hoplite. Brother and sister would lead the people to victory!"

Certainly, that made sense. No doubt that Valerie had formed and lead Agnomakhos by understanding others. But still... Alex thought of Jaina, Olivia, and Kulla, and what they'd think if he turned on the council. "I really don't know, Valerie," he said helplessly.

The woman called Elsa stepped forward. "Madam, should I erase his memories? I don't think he'll join us."

Close up, Alex saw that Elsa had ghostly-white skin and sunken eyes surrounded by dark skin, and straight black hair. He found her a bit creepy, and it didn't help that she could clearly use mind magic. So she had stunned the two hoplites. And Alex was sure that their memories of this entire encounter would be wiped, Valerie and all.

Alex flared up his red mana on his left hand and extended a fist. The red light made the whole forest flow, but neither Valerie nor Elsa looked concerned. "Back off."

Elsa complied, but her mask-like expression didn't change. "Please give Valerie a clear answer, Alex," she said in her feeble, soft voice. "Will you join us?"

"No."

"Then you may leave," Valerie said.

Alex binked. "What? Really?"

"I don't force you to do this," Valerie said, "because that goes against the purpose of Agnomakhos. I'll leave your memories of my presence in Agnomakhos, but little more. It should remind you that your own flesh and blood stands against the corrupted council. I hope that fact changes your mind someday."

Alex tensed. "I have to report to my superiors, you know. Jaina and Kulla must know about this." But he wasn't sure if he meant it.

"You won't remember anything that could lead them to me," Valerie said confidently. "Good-bye, Alex. It was nice to meet you."

Before Alex could hurl a fireball, Elsa's eyes glowed blue and Alex's vision dimmed...

*o*o*o*o*

"So was there something out there?" Mino asked timidly when Alex returned to the camp with the two hoplites.

"Nothing." Alex shook his head. "I looked all over, but I believe we're secure."

"Good," Jaina said briskly. "Men, prepare for another patrol rotation and stay on guard. I'm not going to take any chances."

Alex and the two hoplites crawled into their respective tents, and Alex stared at the ceiling of his tent. He had seen Valerie somewhere out there, and she had admitted to being part of Agnomakhos. His own sister stood against the council and Army, but he couldn't find it in himself to report it. He couldn't bear the thought of Valerie getting hurt.

Frustrated, Alex rolled over on his bedroll and thumped a fist on the ground. Why couldn't any of this be simpler? Valerie knew how to get into his head; he had lied to his captain's face, and somehow, he felt good about it! But he couldn't betray the Reverent Army, either. He had to stay... and pray that a solution would present itself.

*o*o*o*o*

Kulla had finally found a rebel presence outside Meletis' walls: in one of the towns, and he didn't even need his men to confront them. Rather, he had the hoplites surround the city while he and Olivia engaged the red-robed rebels in the town's plaza.

"He's too fast! Get outta here!"

A rebel field commander shouted the order to retreat, just five minutes into the battle. Two dozen rebels scattered from Kulla's lightning fast blades, and just in time, too.

Kulla didn't even tire as he slashed his weapons through the air, scaring off the Agnomakhos warriors. On each of his forearms, straps held a 16-inch blade to his skin, and his white mana coated the blades to blunt their edges. Kulla didn't need to kill anyone today; his sheer strength and speed would deal with the rebels without trouble.

It had certainly worked; most of the rebels limped away from Kulla, bruises from his repeated strikes. Most of them even tossed aside their weapons so they could run faster. Now, the last of the rebels fled from Kulla's sight, and the colonel shut down his spells and detached his weapons.

"Looks like we're done," commented Olivia. Her arms, bulked up with green and white mana, shrank to normal size and she sheathed her giant sword. "There sure were a lot of them."

"Numbers alone won't save them," Kulla said simply. He walked toward the town hall. "I've got to speak with the mayor. His town has harbored rebels all this time, and I intend to set him straight."

"And appoint a council representative as his aide, right?" Olivia asked as the townspeople came out of hiding.

"That's right." Kulla didn't pay attention as the townspeople started booing him and his adopted sister, and instead wrenched open the town hall's doors and stalked inside.

Olivia, for her part, felt guilt weigh on her as she followed Kulla inside. She understood the need for order, but even she had to admit that the council was becoming cruel. When will this end? she lamented. I feel less like a guardian of the people than ever.