The Expedition: Chapter 10

The tribe traveled under the stars, walking upon endless dunes, down try washes, and across scrub valleys with scant vegetation. She would be lost if alone, and she wondered how the tribe knew where they needed to go. To her, this felt like walking in darkness with a group of warriors ready to kill.

The moon continued its endless arc across the night sky, and she watched the dome of beautiful stars above her spin like some grand cathedral ceiling filled with the heavens putting on a show. Fayla walked beside her, giving her a smile in the moonlight as the group walked silently toward their destination.

Hadaj called for a stop, and Amelia was thankful because the night was starting to draw very cold.

A murmur erupted from the tribe as they split into small groups and took shelter on a rocky hill. Amelia and a dozen other warrior women huddled between two boulders, and Fayla warned Amelia away from some smaller rockpile because they could be the home of snakes.

She hadn't seen a snake yet and knew her lamp scared them away. She had seen tracks, but her lamp must have been repelling them as they made their trek, and Amelia felt slightly guilty for waking up so many of them on their journey, but not since they tried to kill her.

She sat on a rock and rubbed her legs, unused to walking in the sandals they had given her. Fayla smiled, took over rubbing her feet, and even got a little playful at rubbing Amelia's bare legs. She gave her young wife-to-be an accusing look, and they tried to laugh as quietly as they could without attracting attention.

"What’s happening now," Amelia asked as quietly as she could.

"We are waiting for the scouts," Fayla said. "They will be back just before light with the locations and sizes of the enemy camps."

Amelia sighed; she knew exactly how many men her father would take on an expedition like this and how many mercenaries. She also figured the fleet had lost one in ten ships, so she made a few adjustments.

Most troubling, Amelia knew how many mages from the College of Magic would be with the expedition; she knew she had seen none of their ships go down. Their force of 300 would be facing twice that number, with equal magic on both sides.

"Can you bring Chief Hadaj here if he is not busy?" Amelia said.

Fayla nodded and disappeared into the night.

Hadaj returned and sat beside Amelia. "Young warrior, I have a little time to listen. What is your concern?"

Amelia sighed. "The men you are facing came with my expedition."

Hadaj nodded, his face looking concerned. "You shall not betray us, will you?"

Amelia shook her head. "I would never. I can't go back now, knowing what my people are doing is wrong and immoral."

"Then do you wish to stay behind while we attack?" Hadaj said.

Amelia stared at her feet. "I couldn't, knowing what you are up against. If I am one of you, I fight alongside you, even though I may not be worth anything in battle. And I die beside you."

"Then what is your concern, young warrior?"

Amelia blinked and stared into the elder chief's eyes, the moon reflecting off them in the darkness.

"You are outnumbered, and you face magic. Forty of the group you face are acolytes in magic but trained for war. Ten of them are seasoned battle casters, and I have seen them rain death upon brigands and barbarian tribes."

"Our warriors have magic, too," Hadaj said.

Amelia bit her lip. "One of these mages could kill a few dozen of your warriors in the blink of an eye. And your tribe is outnumbered two-to-one. Even if you win, most of your tribe will be slaughtered."

Hadaj nodded. "But we fight for our Goddess and her most holy shrine. In the Eternal Garden, we will all be in the afterlife together with her. Even death shall not stop us from ascending to glory."

Amelia nodded. "I don't want me or anyone I love to be a martyr. If there was another way..."

Hadaj smiled. "If there were another way, our ancestors would have lived a peaceful life. We would not be killing and fighting, generation after generation, young warrior Amelia. We would not need the battle magic of the women of this tribe, and we could live at peace with the Goddess."

He smiled and poked the sand with Amelia's spear. "But if we did not need weapons and war, we would be soft, and the death cults would sacrifice us all as weaklings and easy targets. Strength before peace, young one."

Amelia nodded, slowly realizing her fate.

"Could you give me a chance first?"

Hadaj stared at her long and hard. "Why do you think someone who knows nothing about war and battle, one girl, could do something the tribe that sent the death cult running could do?"

Amelia stared at the dome of brilliant stars above. "Because they are my people. And I want us to live in peace."

Hadaj nodded. "Can we truly be at peace with those who would sack and loot our most holy shrine? What peace do you think we could find with those who see, and their first thought is to take?"

Amelia nodded. Her father, and those like him, were no good. Her life seemed fake, the smiles, the love she held for him, and how she grew up wealthy and never knew where it came from. Now, she knew. Her father hid the truth behind his expeditions, financed by the King, and came home with ships loaded with treasure and gold. Loot was stolen from others around the world by force.

The guilt would eat her up unless she could make it right, but she never knew how she could since she benefitted the most from blood treasure. Her entire childhood, education, and life were financed off the culture stolen from faraway lands, a trail of death and theft worldwide, with trails of blood leading back to her home.

And her.

Perhaps this was a fitting end for her.

Perhaps she would die, and her father would see what she fought for.

And most likely, everything would always stay the same.

She would die with her eyes open to the world and how her people stole and brutally oppressed others.

"You are conflicted," Hadaj said, patting her shoulder, "I see it in your eyes. These are your people, and you do not understand why they do what they do."

"Oh, I know," Amelia said, "greed is a powerful motivator."

"If you return to them," Hadaj said, "I will allow you to go. We have your old clothes so that you may be with them. But know this, you will likely be with them when we attack, and I cannot guarantee your safety from their side. From our tribe, I can since we know you. But if this battle is as fierce as you say, then the magic and death from both sides may not be so carefully directed."

Amelia nodded. "It is not good no matter what I do, and since I know nothing of fighting, my usefulness will not make a difference."

She sighed, wishing there was a way all of this could be avoided, but she was too smart to know that the theft and killing needed to stop somewhere.

"Wait," she said as she stared into Hadaj's eyes. "What if I could get into the temple? Without anyone knowing? Would that be of any help?"

Hadaj's face looked deep in thought. "We have no way of sending a message there, and while the temple has priestesses with powerful magic, they are probably preparing for their final stand. If we could coordinate our attack with them, it would allow them to join forces with us and deliver a blow the invaders would not expect. This may be enough to shock the enemy and deliver a killing blow they would not recover from."

Amelia shook her head; here she was, plotting against her people and helping plan her father's death. She was a traitor to her land.

Better to die a traitor and have a clear conscience than be complicit in the brutal death of innocents, all for greed.

Hadaj nodded. "You would have to go alone, but I could send a message with you and a signal for the temple to watch for. But if you were caught in this by your people, know they would likely kill you for being a spy."

Her father would kill her for sure.

"I want to do this," Amelia said. "The faster this battle ends for all of us, the better. If your people are my new home now, I do not want to see you die or suffer in a battle that could end quickly. Better a one-sided slaughter than a fair fight, especially for those with no honor."

Hadaj smiled. "What you may lack in skills for battle, you make up for in bravery, young warrior. And intelligence. I shall bring your things to you, and you will have a short time to say goodbye to those you love here. You will not have much time to make it to the camp of your kind, and when the sun is highest in the sky, then we shall attack regardless of your success in your mission."

Amelia hugged Hadaj and thanked him. "Pray to Kayala I am successful."