CHAPTER 100: HAMILCAR’S EXPEDITION 13

Avestan’s marauding band continued their march in a westerly direction, with every enemy clan they passed being offered the same conditions as the Tamarthul Clan. Those that yielded, which mostly consisted of the small clans and a few medium clans were spared the disaster of their food stock piles being turned to ashes, but they still had to surrender their heir or someone of equivalent value to the small army. While those, like the Tamarthul Clan, who decided to deny Avestan’s offer, met the same the fate of tongues of flame licking their homes to ash and their leaders unceremoniously dragged off their high seats to whatever end, they didn’t know.

But interestingly enough, Avestan did not always order the complete destruction of the entirety of their food reserves, but would sometimes only burn half, or sometimes even less with seemingly no rhyme or reason behind any of it.

Something that greatly befuddled everyone, even the ones committing these atrocious acts. But unlike the Eclipse soldiers who were trained with draconian severity to follow orders without question, the young patriarch of the Dolgan Clan was not, and adding onto that the fact of the small friendship that was beginning to blossom between the two men after many days of travel and battle together, Barrafin decided to quench his curiosity by constantly asking the scarred warrior.

Yet Avestan would constantly answer with the same cryptic words, seemingly enjoying the befuddled look that would appear on Barrafin’s face after every time he answered him with the following words "What would a starving pack of dogs do when their food was just stolen by a wolf? Would they stay resilient and brave the harrowing pain of hunger and rise again together; would they quietly lay down and silently fade from existence, without so much as whimper of struggle; or would they use more unscrupulous methods to desperately claw their way to survival, no matter how horrific the acts they will commit might be?"

Such words when spoken to others, especially those from the Eclipse Empire, might not even make them hesitate let alone cause to ponder them so deeply as it did to Barrafin, who was still too entrapped in the old customs of thinking of the Murathicus Clans, while still being too naïve of the ways of the wider world to realise the simple answer to Avestan’s words.

****

Meanwhile in the camp of the northern coalition’s camp, the metaphorical dogs that Avestan described were lashing out at one another, exactly as he knew they would.

"Then how do you explain why they didn’t even touch your clan’s supplies?!" One patriarch yelled out, his finger pointing out in accusation.

Slamming his fist on his chair’s arm rest the opposing Patriarch roared out in reply, his eyes red from rage or something else, they didn’t know "How many times must I tell you, you hard headed bastard?! They didn’t touch our food because they accepted my people’s surrender and offered them my... eldest son and heir!" The man’s voice broke at the end.

"And how is that any better of an excuse?! Lord Leighac of the Tamarthul Clan also lost his son, while his city was ravaged and his people were slaughtered; not to mention that their food was all destroyed as well and even his own health was affected!" A third patriarch joined in, pointing at the empty seat next to him, where the patriarch of the Tamarthul Clan used to sit not more than a few days ago, before he suddenly collapsed from shock of the news.

"Indeed!"

"He speaks the truth!"

"You and your clan are cowards!" Many other patriarchs rose up at this moment in agreement.

"You dare open your mouths in condemnation when the lord has already lost his son to an unknown fate, while the enemy army didn’t even come close to your territories!" It was then that a fourth patriarch also intervened, trying to defend his friend.

"Our clans wouldn’t have surrendered without even drawing their weapons and would’ve fought to the death against those thieves!" A sixth patriarch stood up and proclaimed with a forceful swing of his arm.

"Aye!’

"Well said!" The others cheered.

"My lords! My lords, enough! You must stop this foolishness! All we are doing is servicing the enemy will, do you not see?!" An elderly looking patriarch, spoke as loud as he could, trying to tame the madness before him with his words of reason and order, but it was still drowned out in the ocean of chaos before him.

"I suggest we launch an investigation on all the clans who did not suffer the fires of those damn raiders, for possible collusion of the enemy!" The first patriarch spoke yet again, striking while the iron is hot.

"Agreed!" Echoed the voices of many, their eyes gleaming unnaturally.

But obviously the others would not accept such an outrageous demand, as they all rose up in defiance, venomous curses and malicious threats flying between the two sides now, when suddenly someone called out saying "If the patriarchs want to absolve themselves and their clans from the stench of treachery they should just share the food they yet horde with the rest of us who were less fortunate!"

"Exactly!"

"Aye!" The others shouted their approval, their true intentions now finally laid bare for all to see.

And obviously the other patriarchs were not blind to this as well, so they roared out with even greater fervour, catapulting the tent they occupied into a fever pitch, were at any moment this verbal battle between the two would erupt into a physical one. But before that could happen a clearly feminine voice that lacked the gentleness and clarity of others, but was instead imbued with a seemingly heroic and authoritative edge to it, called out "That is enough for today. We will continue tomorrow."

Everyone instantly quieted down and collectively turned their heads to the seat at the head of the table and the only woman among them, who also happened to be the only ninth rank martial artist in the northern lands of the Murathicus lands, Tisiphina Enkada, Matriarch of the mighty Enkada Clan, the only great level clan in the north; and the leader of the Northern Tribal Coalition.

Though most were dissatisfied with her interruption, and many wanted to rebuke her for it, non were that mind numbingly dumb, after all this woman before them had dominated the north lands for so long that non here, or their fathers, or their fathers’ fathers care to remember anymore, and she was not known to easily miss a slight. So they all simply ever so slightly bowed their heads and quietly left the tent in an orderly fashion.

As soon as they were all gone, a man with features so identical to the woman, that who ever his father was, he had left very trace of himself in his looks, came from behind her and stood to her right flank, saying "What shall we do mother?"

She did not reply to him immediately, but instead started to calmly play with the locks of her raven black hair that were invaded by a few strands of grey, before fixing her brown brooding eyes on him and asking "What do you think I should do?"

"We should immediately march the army to face the invaders, so that we could face them while our forces are still as intact as possible." He answered without hesitation.

Hearing his words, she said nothing in return and just turned her head back to look in front of her, which caused her son to grow anxious that she would still insist on her previous delaying tactics, after all no one knew more how stubborn his mother could be more than him "Mother we can’t..."

Yet before he could finish Tisiphina interrupted saying "And danse exactly to the enemy’s tune and directly into the him palm."

This quickly silenced him, as he obviously knew this as well, but he could think of nothing else to salvage the current disaster.

"What have the scouts reported?" Suddenly she asked calmly.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. The enemy army is still marching on the same path as usual." He answered.

"So they should be reaching the Thiar river in the next two days correct?" She questioned.

"Indeed." He answered with more enthusiasm, beginning to understand what she wanted.

"Issue the order then. Tomorrow we will march the entire army to the banks of the Thiar River and face these accursed invaders in battle." She declared with unwavering confidence.

"Yes!" He roared in excitement, before rushing out to carry out her order, his young blood and inexperienced heart eager for glory.

Yet he was too impatient and didn’t notice the slight change in his mother’s eyes as she saw him leave. He did not see the hesitation, grief, guilt and unwillingness that marred her beautiful, yet tired face for but a moment before it returned to it’s usual firmness. But it was an alien firmness, one that was far more ruthless and resolute than any she had ever worn before, a firmness that was steeped in the conviction to protect the one thing a mother would never compromise on, even if she had to burn the world to do it.