Thank you to Oldbroad76 for editing.
CHAPTER III
Kael III
For the first time in years Kael woke up not in a panic. He was well rested, enough in fact that he was the last of his group to awaken. As he rose from his spot in the desert, the rest of the team were putting on their outer armour layer and sheathing their weapons.
"Come on, lover boy," Connah called out. "Wasting daylight."
Kael's cheeks flushed, and he smiled towards Exi, who smiled back from afar. He stood up just as Samuhal handed over a cold piece of cooked meat from the night before, and Kael chomped away.
"Don't let her cloud your judgment." Samuhal whispered to him.
What is that supposed to mean?
Kael thought but chose not to respond.
They marched on, further away from the Pakria bodies that were killed the night before and deeper into the unknown. They had made a slight diversion south to avoid a Pakria tribe. Walking in a line, few words were spoken, not out of hatred for each other, but to save their strength.
The wind had picked up on this day, blowing harsher and throwing sand into their faces. The only benefit of this was their tracks were quickly washed over.
Behind him, Connah increased his pace until he was side by side with Kael.
"So, how was it?" He asked, buzzing with excitement.
Kael found himself smiling.
"None of your business." Kael whispered.
"Come on!" Connah joked and shoved Kael hard enough that he lost his footing. "You can't tell me it wasn't amazing. I'd bow down to Amihra if it meant I got a night with Exi."
Amihra was the goddess of love, although her name would fool heathens. She was known for killing her mates after making love to them. An evening of the greatest pleasure a human being could ever imagine, and all you had to do was submit your life afterwards.
"It was... pleasant." Kael said with a laugh.
"Who knows if the opportunity for me to bed another woman will come before we die on this mission," Connah goaded. "You can at least let me enjoy your antics."
Kael turned his head back, ensuring the other members of the team were far enough away.
"Fine," He replied, "It was amazing!"
Connah burst into laughter and hit Kael's arm again.
"Keep it down," Kael told him. "It was like nothing I had ever felt before."
"Please," Connah joked, "A tall, muscular man like you, son of a blacksmith... you must have fucked many a wench back in Manstel."
One may think that, but before last night, Kael had never kissed a woman. In his family, it wasn't the way it worked. He was supposed to save himself until his father had found a suitable partner for his own needs. Until then, if Kael touched another woman, he would be considered damaged goods, tainted, none of which mattered now that news of his supposed death was going back to his family.
"Erm, yeah, however she was different." Kael nervously replied as he looked away from his friend.
"Oh, I bet she was." Connah laughed again.
"Did you just come here to ask me about sex?" Kael asked him, desperate to change the subject.
"Oh, no," Connah said. "This tribe we're going around, it's the furthest point marked on our maps... how are we supposed to know where to go after that?"
"We go east." Kael bluntly replied.
"And then?" Connah asked.
"After three hundred miles we turn North, towards the broken islands. That's where this army is supposedly being formed." Kael told him, all of which Connah already knew.
"Okay, and how exactly do you plan on knowing when we have reached three hundred miles?" Connah asked. "In an endless desert with no way points and no map to tell us the distance?"
It was a valid point, one that Kael had already thought of himself. However, the three hundred mile walk he thought would have given him enough time to figure out an answer, although it appeared Connah had an answer of his own.
"How about," He said, "Instead of going around this tribe, we attack them?" Kael went to argue but Connah's hands flew into the air. "Hear me out. It's only supposed to be small, but they could have some sort of maps, or one of them could give us directions under... questioning. They could even give us information on this army and our mission."
"We are not supposed to be seen," Kael told him. "What if they run off and warn others?"
"Well... we just won't leave any to run off." Connah replied.
It was brutal, but that was war. For some reason that didn't sit right with Kael. Killing someone, human or Pakria, in battle was different than killing innocents in their homes. The Pakria weren't like the kingdoms in Oswin where there were allegiance to kings or lords. This tribe possible had no input in the Holy War.
"I don't like that plan." Kael told him.
"Well, the others might." Connah argued.
"I said no." Kael answered, firmer, wanting to silence his friend. He had turned to glare into Connah's eyes.
"I thought you weren't our leader," Connah told him. "We're all equal in this team, right? We should put it to a vote."
Kael wanted to argue, but he had no leg to stand on. He had denied the promotion, even going out of his way to make a point to the Northerner that he would not be in charge. If he changed his mind now, they would all lose respect for him.
"Fine." Kael grunted.
The two of them remained standing still while the others caught up.
"Fuck's this about?" Alix asked, being the last one to catch up on his smaller legs.
"Connah has a proposal for us to vote on," Kael told them. "I disagree with him, but it is not my decision to make."
Erik gave a fairly satisfied smile to that. At least Kael was making headway with him.
After that, Connah explained his plan to the group and left a moment of silence for them to consider.
"I'm in." Exi was the first to speak.
"Exi?" Kael asked, shocked by her immediate answer.
"It makes sense," She argued. "They could have food and drinks as well, never mind shelter out of this wind for the night."
How could she be so cold to happily butcher villagers?
That moment Kael realised he did not know Exi as well as he thought he did.
"I agree," Alix replied. "We hit them fast and hard, smiles all around."
Kael was definitely not smiling.
Samuhal seemed indifferent, choosing to stay undecided.
"I do not like the plan," Erik finally spoke, his deep voice echoing around them. "Killing them needlessly."
"They ambushed us last night. They would've killed us in our sleep if Kael didn't wake up." Alix argued.
His words had an effect on Erik, who went quiet.
"It's settled then," Connah said. "We attack the tribe at nightfall."
--
As the sun began to set, the group stood upon a sand dune looking out towards the small tribe. It was less populated than Kael imagined, which put him at ease. Less chance of a risk and less people to kill.
There were only a few wooden huts, all in a circle with a fire burning in the centre. From afar Kael counted at maximum twenty Pakria, which looked to be farmers. Easy targets, especially when surprised.
"So, what's the plan?" Alix asked. He had a spear clutched in both hands.
"We strike fast and hard," Erik told them as he gripped his axe. "Charge in, take them down where they stand, and leave a few survivors for questioning."
"There's one fall in this plan," Kael said. "What if they don't speak Oswini?"
Chances were that they couldn't. What need would the Pakria have for learning an invader's language?
"I guess we will find out." Connah replied.
Kael did not like this plan. They could keep walking, eat, sleep and carry on in the morning. It was an unnecessary risk that he did not enjoy taking, however he was outnumbered.
To his side he caught the glimpse of Exi's eyes glancing toward him. He was unhappy with her eagerness to this plan, but as Samuhal said, he could not let her cloud his judgment.
"Another hour," Kael told them, "wait until the sun has fully set."
They all did agree with that. The moon may have been bright this night, but the heavy wind blowing across the desert blocked a lot of view, meaning the Pakria would be even more unorganised to a surprise ambush.
Kael broke away from the group. He had a few mouthfuls of meat left from the night before that he began to chew on before drinking from his canteen. The wind made his cape blow westwards, also resulting in sand entering each bite of his meat.
"You don't like the plan." Exi's voice said.
Kael turned and looked at her. He didn't feel his usually nervousness around her, whether it was the sex or her decision in this evening's mission, he was unsure.
"I don't like to kill for no reason." Kael grunted back at her.
"There is a reason," Exi argued. "A valid one. We can't wander the desert in hope for signs of where to go."
"There would be better options than this," Kael told her. "Better than killing innocents."
Exi didn't break his stare, standing her ground, as short as that may be. Even in his annoyance with her, Kael could not deny her beauty.
"Have you heard of General Taen 'White Eye'?" Exi asked.
Kael stared at her.
"From the Isle of Erst, your homeland?" Kael asked. "Everyone's heard of him."
General White Eye, named due to his birth defect that left him with perfect sight, but his eyes were entirely white, was renowned for his war against crime in Erst. In a few short years he had practically abolished rape, illegal drug use, human trafficking and theft. Even uneducated people of Oswin knew about him.
"Well, the history books may have written about how he achieved his success," Exi continued, "but I bet you didn't hear how he accomplished it. About the men, women and children he slaughtered in his efforts to destroy crime. How many innocent people he killed and tortured, but it was for a greater goal."
Kael didn't believe her at first. How could a man with Taen's renown have committed such atrocities without it being common knowledge.
"That doesn't make it right." Kael argued back, even in his disbelief.
