Omnixius
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4-15 The cruelty of war
🕑 Added 2019-11-30 00:31:52 +0000 UTC
The morning air was cold as Ayawa led Gedris through the forms for the fifth time. Tavis watched from the side as the corrections went on, and Ayawa patiently continued. Around him was a camp that looked mismatched and scattered. His group was now made up of priests of Astikar, Priestesses of Ulustrah, men hunting for missing wives, and southern warriors staying for reasons of their own. The camp of the men of Astikar stood to the side because none of the others trusted them.
Ayawa tried to explain the matter to Two crows, but he was not prepared to trust Jessivel. Tavis wasn't all that sure that Ayawa was ready to trust him either. Jessivel did everything he could to assure all of the gathered people he was not a threat. Despite the women of Ulustrah agreeing, he was telling the truth they wanted nothing to do with him. The angry men wanted even less, and Two crows eyed them like a lion waiting to strike.
“You’re leaning over your foot too heavily,” Ayawa scolded.
“How do I put my legs behind the cross if I can’t lean over?” Gedris asked.
“You stretch your back leg out to form a brace,” Ayawa said as she took the position to show her.
Tavis was so lost in the harsh training he never noticed Two crows approach.
“The rokki is improving,” he said in a rumbling voice.
Tavis glanced from under his hat at the tall, powerfully built man. He stood with his arms folded over his chest, watching the women as they practiced the technique.
“You're not bothered; she is teaching a cellic your combat techniques?” Tavis asked.
Two crows shifted his jaw as his gaze on the two women never faltered.
“So long as the rokki honors them, then she is free to learn. I will not stand in the way of Ayawa's desire to pass on her skill.”
Tavis knew that was going to be the answer. In some ways, he respected it, but in others, it seemed reckless. Tavis's people were masters of the ancient art of fire weaving. They never taught outside their orders and private houses, and one caught doing so would be hunted down. When found the student and the teacher would be put to death. His people said the knowledge of the fire was too dangerous to spread to the world. Yet, every generation saw fewer and fewer masters, would the art vanish one day because they refused to teach?
“Did your people lose so much that you are afraid to lose anything else?”
Two crows laughed. “We don’t even remember how our tribes were formed.”
“Don't hold the blade forward,” Ayawa scolded. “You lose all the support of your wrist. If you had to deflect a heavier weapon like that, your hand would buckle.”
“You said never to block a heavy weapon with a knife,” Gedris protested.
“I said deflect, girl, not block! Are you paying attention today?”
“You are sure she is getting better?” Tavis asked.
Two crows smiled slightly and tightened his arms. “She is in the proper stance, and her body is moving smoothly, not jerking between poses. She needs time to commit them all to memory so her body will respond without thinking.”
Tavis watched as Ayawa made some practiced attacks so the Gedris could counter them. From where he stood, Gedris was years away from fighting without thinking.
“Does she do this every morning?” Jessivel asked, causing Tavis to curse silently for being surprised twice in so short a time.
“She has taken the girl on as a sort of apprentice,” Tavis said. “She is training her relentlessly to keep her alive.”
“Why not wait until after the war?” Jessivel asked.
“She may not survive the war,” Two crows said with another smile. “None of us may.”
“We will survive it,” Jessivel said. “I have faith this is the path Astikar wants us to walk.”
Now it was Tavis's turn to smile. He heard words like that from Gersius a hundred times. More often than not, those words seemed to be correct, but that never made them comforting.
“So, did you pray about our path ahead?” Tavis asked, glancing from under his hat to Jessivel.
“I did,” the dark-eyed man replied.
“And what feeling did Astikar give you?” Tavis pried.
Jessivel was silent a moment. “I would imagine I now know what Gersius felt as he approached Whiteford.”
Tavis didn't care for the answer at all. It was an admission that Astikar was warning him about the road ahead. The path they were on was going to be dangerous. He only hoped it didn't end as it did for Gersius.
“Tell me of this Gersius,” Two crows said as he turned to face Jessivel. “He is a man of your order?”
Jessivel turned to face him, and for a brief moment, the two men looked as if they were mirrors of each other. The stone faces and angry stares matched exactly.
“Gersius is a man above our order. He is the model to which the recruits aspire to achieve. He always puts his duty to Astikar first, and a praise to the god is never far from his lips.”
Two crows didn’t soften at all as he heard the answer.
“But tell me of the man, not the myth. What does this Gersius do besides praise his god and follow orders?”
Jessivel actually looked lost for the answer. Tavis found this moment rather amusing as the seeker tried to think of anything he knew about Gersius personally.
“Gersius strongly desires to have a family,” Tavis said to break the silence. “His heart will always put his divine first, but the second thing he cares about most are children.”
“A good man then,” Two crows said. “He seeks to pass on what he is.”
Tavis shook his head at that; it always came back to passing knowledge.
“I think Gersius is sick of fighting. He has served as a soldier for so long his heart isn't in it anymore. He only fights to save the lands from the Doan so they will be safe enough to raise his family in,” Tavis said.
Jessivel looked over to Ayawa and Gedris as he listened to those words.
“So, the girl isn't related to Gersius?” Jessivel asked.
Tavis shook his head. “She is simply a woman Ayawa thinks has the ability to learn. She lacks discipline and is reckless to a fault, but she abides by promises. She promised to serve Ayawa in as committed a role possible to convince Ayawa to teach her.”
“She made a vow then?” Jessivel asked.
“She gave up her right to herself,” Two crows said. “She is a rokki, a slave to your tongue. Ayawa could kill her and leave her on the road, and it would be her right.”
Jessivel reacted as if a snake had just jumped up and tried to strike him.
“The girl is a slave?”
Tavis let out a long exhale and prepared for the fight.
“She had to sign herself away to get Ayawa to agree to take her on.”
“Why would Ayawa demand such a ridiculous price?” Jessivel asked.
Tavis tipped his hat up so the two men could see eye to eye. “Because Ayawa didn’t want to train her. She was going to deliver the girl to someplace safe and leave her behind. Gedris has nearly gotten us killed multiple times. This was the only way Ayawa felt she could control the girl enough to keep all three of us alive.”
“She is a spirited woman,” Two crows said. “I would gladly make the trade for her.”
“What trade?” Jessivel asked.
Tavis braced as Two crows explained the nature of trading to his people, and how he had tried to trade for Gedris.
“She isn’t a horse to be bartered for!” Jessivel growled.
“I bet she would buck like one,” Two crows laughed.
Tavis took note of how Jessivel tensed as if he wanted to hit the red-skinned man. It was hard to read Jessivel's eyes since they were always locked in anger, but his body language reeked of insult.
“Ayawa would never have traded her,” Tavis said to defuse the tension. “She values the girl as if she was a daughter. She only wants to keep the girl from getting herself killed.”
“There had to be other ways!” Jessivel protested.
Tavis didn't want to argue that point. Of course, there were other ways, but none that were going to appease Ayawa.
“We are sneaking across country hiding from your order. The girl recklessly charges into battles with no weapon in hand or clue what she is going to do. She is brave but foolhardy.”
“Then why is she training her?” Jessivel asked.
“Ayawa sees something of herself in her,” Tavis said. “And she wants to pass on the skills she has learned to someone she feels can understand.”
Jessivel turned back as the two women sparred.
“So she is being forced to learn how to fight Ayawa’s way.”
Tavis laughed. “No, the girl practically begged Ayawa to teach her. Ayawa is giving her exactly what she wanted. Ayawa has set a brutal training regime; you are not going to like it, but do not try to interfere with her.”
“She can spar for a little while, but then we need to move,” Jessivel insisted.
Tavis knew Jessivel didn't understand, but he would soon. He smiled, knowing full well he and Ayawa were about to collide. Even as they watched, Ayawa took Gedris into an aggressive sparing match and quickly sent the poor girl to the ground.
“That’s enough,” Ayawa said as she tucked her knives away.
“You could use practice knives,” Jessivel said, already ignoring Tavis's warning. “What if you accidentally hit her?”
“You stay out of this,” Ayawa said in a firm tone. “The girl is my responsibility.”
Jessivel's frown deepened, and he turned away. Tavis watched him storm back to his men and pay Ayawa no more attention.
“He isn’t happy to know Gedris is a rokki,” Tavis said.
“He doesn’t have to be happy,” Ayawa said. “Gedris gave herself of her own free will.”
“I warned him you were training her hard, but I suspect he will object to all of it,” Tavis pointed out.
Ayawa set her jaw in a firm line as she considered her options.
“That priest of Astikar glows red as a fire,” Gedris said as she approached.
Ayawa glanced to Tavis and let out a sigh. “You ride today.”
“But...” Gedris began as Ayawa put up a hand to silence her.
“Just until I can get rid of this fool,” Ayawa said.
“Is he angry about me?” Gedris asked.
“He doesn’t understand the relationship you two have,” Tavis said. “He thinks you are being abused.”
“If I make you run behind the horses, he is likely to take insult. For now, you ride, and we will train when we can,” Ayawa added.
Gedris nodded and went to change as Ayawa watched Jessivel go.
“Why is everybody but you a burden to me?” Ayawa asked.
Tavis laughed. “I am your greatest burden, but you enjoy carrying me.”
Ayawa smiled and ran a hand around his neck.
“You have your uses,” she said playfully. “Now what do you want?” she said sourly as she let go and turned to Two crows.
“I came to admire your skill,” he said. “It is true what they say about you.”
Ayawa didn’t answer more than to nod her head.
“Then the girl will be a dangerous woman when she is fully trained,” he said with an approving nod. He turned and walked off without another word, leaving them alone for a moment.
“He is up to something,” Tavis said.
“I know he is,” Ayawa said. “But we don’t have time to worry about it now. We have to get this group to Gams and dig in to wait for Gersius.”
“It was smart of you to tell Gedris to ride,” he added as he turned to look behind as the camp readied to move.
“Jessivel is one of those protector types,” Ayawa said. “This is why he can't bypass the camp. He feels a need to protect women at all costs. If I goad him with Gedris, he will become more trouble than its worth.”
Tavis agreed and moved to ready his horse. Around him, the various members of the camp were already up and complaining. There wasn't enough of anything to make them comfortable. The priests of Astikar surrendered tents and food to the others, but it did little to soften the mood.
As he saddled up, Gedris arrived on her horse and waited for them to take their place at the head. Just as they started to form up, a rider of Astikar came down the road and went straight to Jessivel. Tavis watched the two men have an animated conversation as the rider pointed north.
“I wonder what that’s all about,” Ayawa said.
“That’s one of the scouts he sent ahead to find the camp,” Tavis replied.
“Let’s hope it’s lightly defended,” Ayawa said as she climbed into the saddle.
They waited for the priests of Astikar and finally Jessivel, who rode with them at the front.
“Did he find the camp?” Ayawa asked.
“He did,” Jessivel replied and said nothing more.
“And?” Ayawa pressed.
“We move north down the road and cross the bridge east. The camp is on a farm five miles from there.” His voice was impassive, and his eyes seemed to be searching for some solution to a problem only he knew about.
Tavis leaned over to whisper to Ayawa. “This news has troubled him greatly.”
“He is probably worried about feeding them all,” she answered back.
“We can hunt if we have to,” Tavis said. “It won't be too hard to feed a few dozen more women.”
Ayawa nodded and urged her horse forward, setting the pace of the morning's walk.
As the hours melted away, Jessivel broke off several times to talk to Herris, and at one point, both men had a heated argument. Tavis overhead Herris protesting whatever idea Jessivel was putting forward. Eventually, Jessivel rejoined them at the head of the march but kept silent as they rode on.
“Do you want to tell us what is bothering you so deeply?” Ayawa asked in annoyance.
Jessivel finally roused from his contemplation and glanced her way.
“The camp is my concern,” Jessivel said. “It is not what I expected it to be.”
“What did you expect it to be?” Ayawa asked.
“A few houses with a dozen or so women crammed inside,” he said.
Tavis was suddenly very concerned as he realized that was what he and Ayawa were picturing as well. If this was not the image, then he had to wonder what was.
“What is it then?” Ayawa asked.
“A sprawling expanse of muddy fields ringed by palisade walls. It is heavily guarded with men, dogs, and weavers maintaining some kind of runes.”
“What?” Ayawa said, alarmed. “Why would keep a handful of women in a field?”
Jessivel ground his teeth before answering. “because it is not a handful of women. My scouts say there are well over a hundred.”
“Goodness!” Gedris gasped from behind before Ayawa made a gesture to keep her quiet.
“A hundred?” Tavis said as the number staggered him. “We can’t manage with a hundred extra people to take care of.”
“And now you know why I am upset,” Jessivel said.
“Free them and send them home,” Ayawa said. “They can take care of themselves.”
“Only to be recaptured and taken someplace else,” Jessivel pointed out.
“What aren’t you telling us?” Tavis asked.
“My scouts approached the men guarding the women. Since we are the people they are supposedly working for, they were all too happy to share anything they knew. They tell us that there are dozens of more camps like this scattered across the countryside.”
Tavis felt his heart sink to hear that it had gotten so bad. The Father Abbot must genuinely be desperate to squeeze out any support for Gersius.
“It gets worse,” Jessivel said.
“How can that possibly get worse?” Ayawa asked.
“Some of the small kingdoms opposed the priests of Astikar arresting its women. The kings ordered it stopped, and in some cases, sent men to stop it.”
“At least some of them have common sense,” Ayawa replied.
Jessivel was silent, and then he looked over and continued. “This is why that large force holding your tribe's people was here. It is part of a hundred such forces moving east to burn any kingdom that prevents us from taking its women.”
“The Father Abbot is waging war on the petty kingdoms of the Commonlands?” Tavis gasped, unable to believe it.
“Two kings have been assassinated, and one is under siege as we speak. He wants to make an example of them to others.”
“He has gone mad,” Ayawa said. “He's fighting a war on a dozen sides.”
“And my brothers are marching to unjust slaughter at his command,” Jessivel said.
“Is that what you two were fighting over?” Tavis asked.
Jessivel nodded. “I don’t know which path is the correct one to take. My heart says only Gersius can put an end to this, but my duty says I must act myself.”
“That would lead to you killing your own brothers for doing what they think is right,” Tavis surmised.
“That is what captain Herris is upset about,” Jessivel said and looked back down the road.
“You are one small force, you can't put out every fire across the Commonlands,” Ayawa said. “Your best bet is to get to Gersius and then help him put a sword to the Father Abbots throat.”
“It is not my nature to sit and wait while the world burns around me. It is not the purpose of my order to be the ones lighting the fire!”
“I wonder how bad it will get before it Gersius can put a stop to it?” Tavis asked.
“It will get much worse soon,” Jessivel said. “The guards told my scout that he and the rest of our men should move east to Brackenwall at all haste.”
“Why to Brackenwall?”
Jessivel looked over his shoulder and down the long rows to the women at the rear. He let out a sigh and lowered his voice even as his eyes met those of Gedris.
“She must keep this,” he said to Ayawa.
Ayawa turned to Gedris, who nodded back silently.
“She is trusted, what else has gone so wrong?”
“The order of Ulustrah has called its infantry company from the far east. It is marching down the road, eagerly engaging any forces of Astikar is encounters. They are killing priests and burning temples as they march west into the Commonlands.”
“By the earth mother,” Ayawa said. “They mean to take you head-on.”
“And that battle will come at Brackenwall,” he replied. “Every priest for a hundred miles has been stripped from his temple and sent to reinforce the line there. The Father Abbot has promised absolvement for any criminals who join the militia to help fight off the women.”
“He is emptying prisons for conscripts?” Ayawa balked.
“He is pressing men into service and has ordered public executions for any who refuse to fight against Ulustrah.”
Ayawa turned to look at Tavis, and all he could offer her was a shake of his head. This had escalated to a level he never dreamed it would reach. The Father Abbot was insanely tightening his grip on a land he had no authority in. His tactics of control were the very thing priests of Astikar massed to put a stop to. Many a mad king or wicked tyrant found himself deposed by an army of Astikar come to see justice for the people.
“It’s no wonder the small kings have started resisting,” Tavis said.
“The fool is overreaching,” Ayawa said. “He is the head of a faith, not a ruler. He has no authority to order other kings to march to his commands.”
“Makes you wonder why he didn’t work this hard to get Gersius the support he needed,” Tavis added.
“He never wanted Gersius to succeed,” Ayawa said with a bitter tone. “He never wanted Gersius even to try. He did all he could to oppose the mission.”
“He even offered Gersius a month off of the war to recover at one of his private estates,” Tavis said.
“That would have put Gerisus right where the Father Abbot could watch him or recruit him,” Ayawa replied.
Tavis didn't want to think about what might have happened if Gersius had chosen the other path. Right now, all that mattered was the path they were on.
“So we bypass the camp and come back for them when we have the means,” Tavis suggested.
“No,” Jessivel said defiantly. “We take the camp as planned.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Ayawa growled. “The idea was sound when I thought they could return home. Given the new information, we would have no choice but to take them with us. There is no way we can properly care for so many.”
“I am not leaving them in such conditions if I can help it,” Jessivel said.
“And what condition will they be in when you can't feed or shelter them?” Ayawa argued.
“Astikar will show the way,” he retorted.
“Astikar has done nothing but keep silent and let a mad man turn his order into a mockery. Are you sure you want to gamble on his suddenly taking an interest in your plight?”
Jessivel didn’t answer her only looked ahead with heavy eyes.
“I think it’s noble to want to help them even if you don’t know how you will help,” Gedris said. “It is something I would have jumped to do, but even I can’t imagine taking care of so many. We didn’t even have enough food to go around last night.”
“Even the most reckless of us see’s the folly in this,” Ayawa said.
“We free the camp!” Jessivel with a commanding tone. “With any luck, we won't even have to fight it.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” Ayawa scoffed.
“This is why only one of my scouts came back. There is a small detachment of priests of Astikar there. They were moving east to aid in the conflicts. The captain of the detachment was arguing with the captain of the guard over the treatment of the women. He objects to how little shelter and basic needs they have. The other three scouts are stalling him until I can arrive and potentially add his men to our own.”
“Did he have any soldiers?” Tavis asked.
“The scout thinks he had twenty to thirty light infantry. He said they were camped nearby.”
“So you want to combine forces with this man and then with superior numbers intimidate the guard,” Tavis said.
“That is my plan,” Jessivel replied.
“It will never work,” Ayawa said. “We have no idea what orders the Father Abbot has given these jailors. They may have orders to kill anyone that try to free the women.”
“In which case, we will fight,” Jessivel said. “We will have my cavalry to tip the scales in our favor.”
“What about these weavers?” Tavis asked. “What are they doing exactly?”
Jessivel tossed a hand in annoyance. “Some form of magic ward is being maintained outside the palisade walls. It prevents the women from accessing their power and escaping. They are there because it has to be maintained.”
“What do you make of that?” Ayawa asked as she looked at Tavis.
“I understand the nature of a ward. It isn't too hard to weave one that could stop a hammer of Astikar, but I can't think of a way to stop a priest from forming one. How do you block divine power from flowing to the priest? You're not warding the women, your shielding them, and cutting them off from the divine.”
“Isn’t there a way to nullify power in an area?” Ayawa asked.
Tavis nodded. “It is more of an interference than a nullification, but even so it only works on weaves, not divine flows. Not to mention, it only lasts a short time.”
“That might be why they need weavers to keep it working,” Ayawa said.
“But their power is divine, it won't block them,” Tavis said.
“Perhaps you can study this weave when we get there,” Jessivel said. “I would appreciate some insight into how they are doing this.”
“If they will let me get close enough to it,” Tavis said. “It shouldn't take me too long to get a feel for what it's doing. It would be better if we had a shaper, this might be some large scale enchantment.”
“All I ask is you take as close a look as you can,” Jessivel said. “Maybe we can get some of the men maintaining it to tell us how it works.”
“That would be better,” Tavis said. “Assuming they will cooperate. Weavers aren’t exactly known for sharing knowledge.”
“They will cooperate, or we will toss them into camps with the women they have been keeping severed from their families and their goddess,” Jessivel said.
Tavis felt a chill run up his spine from that image. This conflict was about to become one of brutality with the priests of the God of mercy being the cause of most of it. He hoped this camp would surrender without a fight.
“This is still a mistake, but if you determined to free this camp, we will help you,” Ayawa said with a sigh.
With a sense of dread, they rode on as all around them; the world was torn apart. All because Gersius went to find a dragon so he could save them.
Comments
Thank you for pointing these out.
WhiteRabbit
Two crows-> Two Crows than its worth -> it's Father Abbots -> 's you determined -> you are determined
