“But you cannot see,” I said, and immediately regretted letting it out like that. I feared it would offend him like that, but to him, it did not matter.“Which brings us to the next thing on the list, lad. It is widely known that the men of my Pentekostys are the best in this place, but they say it is because I have fought the Invincible Soldier. They even say I won him sometimes, just for them to feel better about themselves being under me. But the real thing is that I teach my soldiers to see with more than their eyes. I could hear your sword every time it moved, until I monitored your movements and found that you like to cut from the side, when your opponent raises his arms and leaves his side unprotected. That… is a good strategy.”I was amazed that he thought it was good. For me, I only cut from the side while fighting just because I liked to.“That was me seeing with every organ but my eyes. I saw with my ears when I listened and heard the sound of your sword moving through the

That marked the end of my training for that day.Bruma and the Warlock carted me away to the latter's tent, intending to keep me away from the other men. The other commanders and huge Inar added themselves to the number of my escort as well, and soon, I was back in that tent with the glowing sand again. Once we were in, the commanders and Inar departed quietly, leaving myself, Bruma, and the Warlock.Everybody felt differently about the morning's event.For me, I was flabbergasted. Who was I, that they should think of me as some great, majestic warrior?The Warlock was unimpressed, and if it did not show on his face, it was all over his voice. He told Bruma that he expected more order from the soldiers, that he was disappointed over how they kept acting as though a god had descended from the heavens to join their ranks. I was to be treated as one of the men, and nothing more. The only positive thing in it for him was that he was now very sure that his plans for me in the war against t

I felt my skin go cold at the sight.Just that evening, I had been with Bruma, and we laughed at all the stories told about the Warlock, at the things Maia had said people said he did to keep himself alive. Now, I knew that none of that was true. Had any of it been the truth, he would not be here, headless, stiff and dead. Around his corpse, the men gathered with torches, so that the whole area was filled with lights of varying intensities, their collective brightness being noallowing me to see everything even more clearly.My eyes took in the sight of Inar shaking his miniature body, which was another pitiful sight. The big man — or woman — I still could not tell which… was soundless in his grief, only holding the small body and cradling it gently to himself. It was a sight that put the image of Michaelangelo's Pieta into my mind, that broken mother clutching the cold, dead body of her son, the both scenarios marred by an uncanny, unhuman silence. However, both were united by that s

“As it is, we don't have much of a choice, but to go closer to the enemy by advancing as a Phalanx. Ordinarily, the Warlock would have a spell to aid us and hold back the enemy arrows here, but now, we need a plan, because the Eagle men are bound to figure out what we are doing and save their arrows until we are close. What do you suggest? Most of our men are not bowmen, and cannot learn how to fire bows like those fools in one night.” Bruma discussed.“Then we have no choice but to go closer and fight, keeping and protecting our bowmen on the inside of our Phalanx, to help us shoot, as we did in the last two battles with the Eagle Men. Whatever happens then, will be held back by our shields.”All the generals murmured their agreement, while I felt intense disappointment. I had expected something more exciting and thrilling, and not them planning to huddle close together and cover themselves and a few bowmen in the centre with shields until they were close enough to attack the enemy w

The commander of the Eagle men was a quick man, and that was what saved his life. His Pegasus took him up into the sky just as rocks and swords found their way to the exact spot he had been, allowing him to escape unscathed. It caused a ruckus in our ranks, while the commanders took pains to call for order.“He has done what he set out to do.” Bruma spoke coldly beside me, while his very presence beside me burned into my skin because of the amulet I was wearing. “To rattle our ranks, annoy the strong and arrogant, and shake up the weak and feeble. We might be fighting an already lost war at this point.”“No, Bruma.” I declared, suddenly incensed by the prospect of losing. All the anxiety that had filled me when I opened my eyes to the day was gone, leaving the blood pulsing through my veins so hard that I felt it flow through me. Pulling my sword out of its scabbard, I felt ready to kill all the enemy if need be, and ready to die.“I did want to ask you about your sword. Whose is it?