Ambassador Botisa made his way to the front ranks in due time and knowing the distinction in status, Kaiji made way for him immediately, allowing him to fall in at Nua’s right hand. His solid centaur hooves trotted contentedly over the ground beside their mistress, but he didn’t say anything for some time.

Kaiji however, was at ease with his silence, and sensed the amicability of it, ‘He’s rather taken with my mistress, as well he should be.’ The demon-elf servant thought with a glowing sense of pride in her bosom.

When he did speak, it was direct, “Forgive my absence, I was rather taken with the way your soldiers move, other than your new ones, these move like one beast with many feet.”

Nua chuckled, “We call it ‘marching in step’. The whole army moves exactly the same way, keeping to the same rhythm, everybody stays together that way, and the formation is ready to fight in the event of an ambush. Komestrans had something like this, but it wasn’t ‘exactly’ the same.”

“What was different?” Botisa asked, scratching his ear in puzzlement.

“We did it only on the battlefield, and the steps were not uniform in length. Our mistress has ‘revised’ it somewhat. I’m amazed at the difference a few inches makes.” Sado said, then flushed, “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

Nua burst out laughing at his unintended joke, and a moment later Botisa, recognizing the double entendre, quickly followed, as did the rest.

Nua wiped away a tear of laughter and cast it into the dust beneath her horse’s hooves and turned to face the ambassador, “I didn’t really invent this though. The Mother of Terror brought this to her people, a gift of the god of death and change. Some worship him as the god of war, I understand why… but that is not my way. However, since I’ve come for war, Komestrans are the best suited to my aims since they were structured around conflict. They are closest to my ideals, and so are the first to whom I gift my god and his blessings.”

There was a silence between them for a moment, before Botisa spoke up again. “The day we took salt, you said something about this faith of yours. It is why you have…” He waved an arm behind him toward the military force of the victorious Breakers.

Nua gave him a small understanding smile, “You might say that. War is change… my friend. For good or bad, people are often not ready for change, and war is the change that is forced on them. Even when they win, they’re never who they were again. War makes good people into the slaves of evil ones, or it turns them into evil themselves.”

“So you’re evil, then?” Botisa chuckled with a sense of bemusement and gave Nua a dubious smile when he cocked his head.

“Of course not.” Sado chuckled, “She’s…”

“Evil, yes.” Nua remarked passively. “It’s the only way to be any good. My slaves are safe because people fear me, they fear me because the one to cross me was ripped apart while still alive. Thousands of people died behind us so I could turn a profit. As I remember good, those are not good things. But through them I do good things.”

Sado fell quiet at Nua’s disagreement. “And it is because of what I am capable of doing, bearing the weight of my actions, that the House of Yan will end its conflict early and save many lives. This same comfort, will go north and buy time for your people to gather themselves and live in peace for another year or two.” Nua’s eyes gave off their priestly glow, “The god of death gives many gifts to those who offer themselves freely, and for that I am grateful. And through me, here in Mict’aratz, his liberating change will flow like a raging river, and sweep away the old in favor of the new. When it is all done… for all the pain that follows, those who live and those who do not yet live, will be better for it.”

The glow faded, and Nua shook off the feel of her priestly projection, that glorious, wonderful tingle that felt like the very flow of death given mana was always comforting, but her pronouncement drove them to silence.

“I think… it is good I took salt with you.” Botisa remarked succinctly.

“And I am glad you did.” Nua replied pleasantly, and normal conversation resumed.

Each day was the same after that, they stopped early, the soldiers new and old alike, drilled like men possessed under the watchful eye of the headmen ranked instructors who used Vargas and Sado to demonstrate various methods. The new were set to drilling, and then everybody slept, and then they resumed after breaking down camp security from the night before.

Botisa watched everything with interest, making mental notes along the way about how two legged folk fought, and the depth to which their commander engaged with them all. ‘Very interesting, she’s up before the rest, engages with the smallest as if they were old friends even though they’re mere slaves. Not your typical slave trader… definitely not the typical mercenary. But why go so far? She wants something else… I almost felt like I had a glimpse of it when she talked a few days ago but… not quite.’

The question haunted him often, and he was still thinking about it on the day the messenger met them on the road.

Nua called an immediate halt when the horseman bearing her banner on a flag at the side of the horse came riding up at full tilt. He was a young man, barely had beard stubble, but he rode well, and was dressed in moderately costly clothing of green and black, save for her crest painted on the front and back in the colors on her banner.

As soon as he approached, he reared his horse back with a great cry, then jumped down and knelt in the dirt with his eyes down. Before she could even ask, he yanked a scroll from within a bag at his side and held it aloft.

Nua took it in hand and checked the seal. “It is mine. This has got to be from Priceless.” She cracked the wax and unfurled the paper.

“Good work, young man. Return to Priceless and tell her I’ve gotten her message and will be delayed in returning to her, we’re going to Hanak’sen.” Nua ordered and handed him the scroll again.

The messenger shot to his feet, bowed, flushed after having come so close to her, “As you wish, mistress!” He raised his head, revealing the iron collar, then mounting his horse again, he turned and rode away. Nua wheeled her horse around to address her halted line.

“My Breakers, we have a ‘brief’ diversion before we go back home. Some weeks ago, Prince Yanmelu of Hanak’sen, attempted to rape and nearly killed one of my slaves, Diana of Komestra who was there in trust as a guest along with Sado.” The low rumble of anger swept the ranks, “I had planned to avenge her… violently, when I had you safe at home.” The rumble became approving, but Nua raised her hands high to call for silence.

“However, Yanlim has rebelled against his cousin over this offense to gods and men alike, and he has asked for our help. The reward for doing so is… substantial. But I need only one reward from this…” Nua let the silence stretch out and the question rise to their minds.

“Vengeance for my own! Nobody touches what is mine! Nobody hurts what is mine and walks away as if it hadn’t happened! You are mine! She is mine! And I am all of yours!” Silence met her as her hands had not yet gone down, and her voice became sympathetic.

“But you have already fought one battle, like demons in the service of the god of battle, and I am proud of you for it. You have done enough. Any man or woman among you who wishes to return to your estate and await the reward… I will have led home with Kaiji. Or… you can go with me.” She waved one hand in the direction of the city of Pas’en, and then the other in the direction of Hanak’sen.

“Now… who wants to go home? And who will go to war with me?!” Nua shouted the question, lowered her arms, and in answer there was a shout.

“War! War! War! War!” The halberd butts pounded the dirt, the armored legs rose and fell, and a cloud of dust rose high enough to briefly hide many of the ranks from Nua’s eyes.

Nua turned her horse around again, “Then in that case… Forward! March!”

Botisa looked at her out of the corner of his eye, “They are vigorous.”

Sado had a proud smile on his face, “They are Komestran. We are born and bred for war.”

“A proud boast but… most boasts are.” Botisa gave the golden collared prince a shrug.

Sado didn’t shrink from it, “In Komestra, as soon as a boy is born, his face is cut, and the blood dripped onto his tongue. Only after that is he given the breast, so that he tastes blood and steel before his mother’s milk. When he is old enough to grab things, he is given toy swords and shields, when he is old enough to walk, he is forced to walk to where he will eat. Wrestling and hunting are his recreation…”

“When a girl is born, she isn’t pampered either, she is forced to wait for minutes for the breast, taught patience, diligence, and endurance. When she is older, she is taught the spear and the bow, and she is taught to run. A Komestran girl of thirteen will run a horse to death as a rite of passage before she is allowed to marry. Our women can be as dangerous as our men.” Sado gave a bitter laugh, “I understand your doubt, Ambassador Botisa, but it took all six cities, plus mercenaries in the tens of thousands from many more, to finally bring us down. And they ‘still’ barely won. There is nothing in all of Mict’aratz more fearsome than an army of angry Komestrans.”

“But you are still slaves.” Botisa remarked.

“The dead can have no victory.” Onimeus interjected, “Because of what I have concluded are the machinations of Queen Vexia, we were deprived of any chance for victory. My greatest fear was that our people would be deprived of a chance to restore themselves one day. We would forget, before she would. Or so I foresaw, until…” He jerked his thumb toward his mistress.

Sado gave a nod of agreement. "The lady Aiwenor fights for us. Bleeds for us, takes risks for us, leads us. If she were unworthy? Would your people follow a chief who abandoned his people to save himself?”

“No… put that way, it makes sense.” Botisa acknowledged. “Even the collared could disobey, as long as they were willing to bleed for doing it.”

“Right.” Sado answered.

Nua remained silent throughout, and brooded silently as she considered how best to capture Hanak’sen out of the half a dozen plans she had already considered before sending Diana out.

It made the hours pass more smoothly during the days of march that took them to the countryside of Hanak’sen, by the time she arrived, Botisa was practically dancing on his hooves to watch another display of war fighting.

Camp was laid out quickly and efficiently, and Nua dispatched several cavalry soldiers to locate Yanlim’s position and alert him to her coming.

She did not wait for long.

That evening, the armor skirted soldiers of Hanak’sen arrived. It didn’t take her long to work out their doctrine. ‘Run fast.’ The armor worn was mostly chainmail, but had plated flaps that hung from a belt at the waist that was in turn secured to the chainmail shirts, and on their backs were long thin javelins, everything about them screamed ‘skirmishers’. ‘I’ll bet they just wreaked merry hell on Komestran heavy infantry in a fight. Even without looking, I’ll just bet their cavalry are the same way.’

General Yanlim however, was in heavy armor that was polished to a shine, his gruff face looked the worse for wear, as if he’d missed a few meals and hadn’t had a proper bath in a while. When he entered her tent, his body just screamed ‘tired’.

Nua stood and rendered a salute in her fashion with her fist over her heart. He in turn simply bowed. “Please, sit, General Yanlim.” She gestured to the simple chair in front of her crude field desk.

“Can I offer you some wine, or something to eat?” Nua said and turned her eye to Kaiji.

“Will you feed the men who guarded me on the way here?” He asked with weary hope.

“Of course.” Nua answered, and he deflated with relief, sighing heavily.

“Thank you, yes, when they’ve been given something, I will accept something as well.” General Yanlim replied, and his stomach growled loudly in protest at his gesture.

“It won’t be a long wait. Kaiji, tend to Yanlim’s men, then bring him something as well, two cups, we’ll both want something.”

“Mistress.” Kaiji bowed and departed, tapping the soldiers on the shoulder and leading them out of the tent, leaving the commanders alone.

Nua interlocked her fingers and sat up straight, “I take it things aren’t going well.”

Yanlim gritted his teeth while he nodded. “You’re right. My cousin has proved more ruthless than I expected. More clever too. While I was gathering soldiers, he sent out his own and burned much of the countryside and plundered much of the food. His own people… and now…”

“I am sorry.” Nua said, and meant it. “I take it that means you are on half rations or worse.”

“Worse.” Yanlim answered, “If nothing changes, we will have no supplies in a week, after that, my cousin will have won, I will have to surrender to save the people who followed me, and I don’t know if that will be enough. If my cousin could plunder his own territory, he would probably kill or enslave us all anyway.”

“You took a big risk coming here, and I am deeply honored that you trusted me enough to call for me, knowing how much Yanmelu would likely pay for your capture.” Nua answered and inclined her head.

“I hope it’s well placed… Sado trusts you. And despite everything, I trust his judgement. He likely doesn’t think well of me anymore after the things I did to help bring him down, but… that doesn’t mean I don’t respect him. If he trusts you to keep your word, I have to also.”

Nua gave a very serious and slow nod. “You made the right choice. Now, let’s talk about price. This is personal for me, Diana told me about what happened, Yanmelu is a bad neighbor to have, I trust you’ll be a better one. And that means no turning on me in the future. I want the blood oath of the Yan household that you will never… ever raise arms against me… other than if I happen to have a contract that compels us to fight.”

Yanlim hesitated at what she was asking. “Why would a mercenary need that?”

Nua’s ironclad voice brooked no argument. “You didn’t have that with Sado, you were just friends, and when the time came, your friendship didn’t stop you from mutilating his people, burning his city, and selling his people as slaves. If you won’t make an oath that I know you won’t break, I’m just replacing one problem neighbor with another. I will give you a good price for Komestran land, and I will give you a good price for any Komestran slaves. But unless I get that oath from you, then we have nothing to discuss. I will see you escorted out of camp, and I will wish you luck with your cousin. In a month or two. I’ll be buying your survivors at auctions, and your cousin will have your head on a pike.”

“You have me at a disadvantage here… but… swear to me that you are not asking for this so that you can hurt my city later.” Yanlim demanded with equal iron.

“I swear, in the name of my holy god of death and change, that I am not demanding this oath so that I may harm, destroy, or damage your city. I will treat your oath as I would if you were my brother from birth. I will treat your city as my home, your children as my nieces and nephews. By my blood, and by my god, I swear it.” Nua yanked her knife out of its sheath and reopened the wound she always kept from closing, and held her hand out to him.

With her left hand, she slid the bone handled knife across the desk. “Good enough?”

Yanlim looked at her with a long, measured stare. “You will give me back my city, unplundered?”

“Only a liar promises a victory like this without knowledge, but if we fail, you can consider yourself absolved of the oath. What more do you want of me?” Nua demanded and kept her outstretched hand still and waiting.

Kaiji returned a moment later with a platter holding a bowl of stew, a bottle, and two silver cups. She poured the wine and waited.

“I have no choice… I can’t let my cousin do as he pleases any longer.” He took up the knife and slashed open his palm. His bleeding palm was clasped against Nua’s own. “In the sight of gods and man, House Yan will always be family to House Aiwenor. Your children are my nieces and nephews, and your fights are my fights. Never will our swords turn against you, always will our shields cover you. May Hanak’sen burn if we should break this oath backed by sacred blood.”

They clenched their fingers tight, pressing bloody palm to bloody palm.

When it was done and they relaxed, Kaiji quietly placed a silver cup in front of each of them, which they took and raised. “One drink, then you eat, and then we give you a throne… and we make sure you’re healed so my blood doesn’t poison you.” Nua said enthusiastically, indifferent to the blood smearing on the silver, or dripping down onto her desk.

“I’ll drink to that.” Yanlim said with a rush of energy before they clinked their cups and drank with confidence about the days ahead.