Before dark they made a camp several miles from the city in a small pine forest. Warriors gathered around the big fire and spoke to each other in hushed voices.

Subito waved and Schnew came. “Make sure they get a proper sleep tonight. Who knows when we’ll have another opportunity to sleep? I have to report to my commander.”

“I am in charge? You know I hate to give orders same as I hate to receive them.”

“I could leave Alma in charge I suppose.”

Schnew smirked and said, “You know how to ignite enthusiasm in the heart of your soldier. It is a sign of good leadership. Don’t worry, I will make sure whole unit is sleeping like a babies as soon as priests diminish the light from Fetun stones.”

Subito laughter echoed through the forest as he went up the mountain towards the city. Journey took him three hours and when he got to the War Queen’s clan house light from the Fetun towers already weakened creating the illusion of the dusk. Priests used Aiori stones and night descended fast. Long shadows covered narrow empty alleys. Lone tomcat on the nearby roof sang his sad serenade. He could smell marigolds; War Queen ordered wraths of those flowers to be hanged all over the front wall of her clan house. Slow breeze played with his hair. He nodded to the guards standing in front of the doors. They nodded back opening the doors for him. He walked in heading right to huge flint throne erected on the muzzle of brig’s scull. Two fires in large empty eye sockets could never extinguish, guards took care to always feed them with a fresh wood. Archers who sat around the fires stood up and pointed notched arrows at him. He couldn’t blame four girls who performed their duties as guards. Tradition called them the wall of arrows. Every person in contact with a queen, no matter friend or foe, is a treat and they have to stop it. Four warriors on their dogs circled the scull. They held standards of Ulan and three Ulan tribes. On top of each standard was a stone cup filled with burning matasart fat. Another four warriors, two male and two female, emerged behind scull teeth. They carried suind, spirit mushrooms and dog milk cheese to serve him, fourth brought a small three-legged chair for him to sit. Law was clear - Utrikats couldn’t ever enter royal clan houses, so members of the guard of both kings had to serve kings and their guests. He took from each offering and thanked the servants. Men rotated on guard duty every day, but there were always twelve of them since the first War King. He knew their duties since he performed them many times. The queen sat on the throne cross-legged and shuffled through pile of petrified snail shells. After she found the one she looked for, queen pressed it against her ear. Those shells, known as stone of voice were used to save voice messages. The queen lifted her head allowing him good view of her deep green eyes and raven hair of Aenea’s descendants. She tilted her jeweled crown to the left side and her full lips moved as she listened to the shell. Her green pants and tunic studded with gold were of the finest craftsmanship.

She gave him big smile when she noticed him. “Subito, you have come back!”

He answered, “I have come just to leave you again, my queen. They call for aid from the east and I can’t pretend I don’t hear like many do. It is a matter of honor. I must go to war, all my life I trained to fight, not to hide.”

“It’s the work of your girlfriend, isn’t it? Don’t lie! I can see it in your eyes. First she displaced me from your heart, and now she wants to take you away.” Majority of guardsmen couldn’t help but to fall in love with beautiful queen and Subito wasn’t exception. He remembered his hopeless crush with her and blushed.

After he didn’t say a word she continued, “I am losing my best soldier, but I can’t stop you. No one has a right to stand between a man and his honor. I will not commit such a sin. To tell you the truth if king Trevan wouldn’t be so determined to speak against the war whenever he gets a chance- I would lead the army. Alas, people in my position have to take politics into consideration. How I hate politics!” She yelled, “Captain, your queen needs you!”

Captain, old man with gray side whiskers emerged from the darkness behind the throne. He also expressed his regrets for losing the best soldier in his unit and accepted Subito’s golden oak leaf.

Meanwhile queen signed permits for Subito to leave the service. She ordered, “Captain, you will keep the leaf till he comes back. I expect him to resume his duties after the end of the war. Don’t you dare to die! You are irreplaceable.”

She waved papers at him and he climbed rope ladders to her throne. When he reached for the papers she grabbed his hand and pulled him close planting long, soft kiss on his lips. He hugged her.

She sighed. “It’s nice in your arms; even to die there would feel sweet. Your girlfriend is so lucky.” She stood up and walked to the archer behind her. “Give me your leaf. I will give orders for replacement to be made tomorrow.” The archer girl took the sign of honorary guard, golden oak leaf surrounded with pearls, of her helmet.

Queen placed it on Subito’s helmet. “You will go as my honorary guard to fight instead of me. If I get a chance I will join you soon. Can I do anything for you?”

“You have done more than I ever dared to hope. There is one thing… Can I spend a night here, in my chamber? My unit is camped outside of the city and night has already fallen.”

“You can. Go now, before I start to cry. Queen’s face is no place for tears.”

He climbed to his sleeping chamber. These small rooms measured five and a half feet by seven and a half feet and bellow five feet in height. Idea behind building such a small rooms was to eliminate all distractions, including being able to stand up. To have undisturbed sleep is important if you need to hunt or fight in a battle the very next day. Straw which served as bedding covered the floor. Narrow shelves along the walls provided space for belongings of the owner. Circular entrance and a single window on the outside wall of the clan house were only openings in the thick walls. He extinguished small tallow candle and placed it on the shelf. Despite the soft embrace comfortable straw provided and his eagerness, a sleep had not come. He turned for hundredth time thinking the same thoughts again and again. In expectation for the start of the journey, time passed slowly, night seemed endless. There was unrest in his stomach induced by a question ‘What will happen?’ Hundreds of answers rushed, and most of them weren’t good. He couldn’t do anything else but to wait. And waiting seemed longer than all of his life. Why do bad things seem to last forever and happy moments pass as soon as you blink in enjoyment? Sudden sound startled him. After a few moments of confusion he recognized the sound of Miratur’s Eye of the Zurbul stone. Then he got even more confused. He knocked the candle on the floor trying to reach it. As he searched through the straw for the candle he heard the sound again. She was shooting at something. At last he found a candle after what seemed eternity. He grabbed his sword and peaked through the window. There, he found a hook with rope dangling to the ground attached to the window. He saw Utrikat nailed to the wall with an arrow just below the window. Another one was on the ground, arrow in his neck. Disgusted Subito pushed the body of the first one. It hit the ground with a sickening thud. Miratur waved to him from the nearby clan house roof. He crawled down from his sleeping chamber and found clan house in commotion.

“What is happening?” Guard asked.

“I don’t know, Utrikats tried to enter my sleeping chamber. My girlfriend killed them.”

Queen’s voice from behind startled him. “We need to check bodies. Take me to your girlfriend.”

“Follow me your majesty.” He ran outside to find Miratur in front of the main gate. “What is happening?”

“My mother sent me the stone of voice. She said that you are followed by two Utrikat pirates and that I need to protect you.”

Queen ordered to guards, “Search those bodies. How would your mother know that?”

“She’s a sorceress.” Queen nodded with worried expression.

“They were Utrikat pirates judging by their clothes. There wasn’t an attack for years. We found this.” Soldier presented the queen with curios looking dagger. Wavy blade made of copper ended in broad tip in the shape of snake’s head. Mother-of pearl snakeskin patterns and eyes contrasted auburn color of the metal. Handle was also wavy and carved in bone covered in zigzag patterns made of tiny scales of jade, same as the eyes on top of the snake-head pommel. Whole weapon looked like two snakes connected at tails.

Queen went pale. “I know this weapon. It is a soul capturing device. Utrikat pirate witches make these daggers when they sense extraordinary strong character. Then they send their assassins to kill such person and bring them his soul captured in the dagger. Witches use these souls in most potent rituals aimed at creating strongest spells. They call such persons predators and claim that those predators have almost tangible presence hovering over them - strong sense of power. Witches say predators are cruel and merciless and they are afraid of them. Utrikat legends call Voice from the Crowd a predator, and I am certain they also believe you are the one. You need to leave the city as soon as possible. Twenty of my men will escort you to your camp.”

Miratur said, “I have couple of things to attend to, Subito I will meet you at our tree. Go with the queen’s men.”

Subito mounted a dog, then turned to say, “Thank you for saving my life.” She was already gone. He smiled and rode into the night.