Forty nine

“Why are we been treated like animals?” The chief of the village roars in anger.
“Cause you will soon die like one.” I replied in a soft tone that immediately stopped the murmurs raising from the crowd that was gather, I looked to Elison who was standing beside other commanders with his arms folded like he was barely restraining himself from killing those people in the circle of guards who were tied together and from the looks of it, they have also been roughly handled. That brought a smile to my face which I am sure made me look sinister.

“Themis.” The chief barks out my name.

I nodded at the warrior who was holding a whip and facing the villagers to prevent them from coming closer to those tied up. Like a flash of lightening, he spun on his heels and crack the whip on the chief back then turn back to face the crowd. Cries of outrage and despair met my ears. “You know better than to use that tone with me or even mention my name with my title.”

“And what title is that? A widow.” He crackles in hide the pain in his eyes.

When the guard turned around again, this time I raised my hand to stop him, then I approached him and took his whip from him. I walked the chief and got into his face. “Right now, I am very unstable, my husband might be dead to you but I assure you that he is still alive. I also assure you that you signed your death warrant when you kidnapped him, you will die today, keep annoying me and you will see how long I will draw out your death to the extent that you will plead for death but it would not be given to you.”

The chief smiles as he leaned even closer to me. “Attaching importance to a stone doesn’t change the fact that it is a stone. It can never be a pearl.”

“True.” I nod as if I was considering his words. “But that stone become more valuable than said pearl, don’t speak in riddles old man, my patience wears thin. Who did you bargain my husband to and how can I reach the person.”

“Happy living as a widow, you will never be one of them. You will always be an outcast from an outcast tribe.” The chief said as he laughs at me as I whipped him, he winced but when he saw my face, he burst into laughter again.

“Elison, get creative in pulling the answer I want out of him.” I said as I dropped the whip and moved to seat at the small structured throne that was erected for me to sit down. My guards surrounded me and Dyane who came to stand beside me and as Elison started to set up tools for torture. I spoke out. “The man you sold, had a family other than me, you are lucky he is the only one around, if his sister was around. Your death might have been drawn out till tomorrow.

For the next couple of hours, I watched without pity in my gaze, I listen to the music made up of the traitors screams, I called out suggestions, I joined in the torturing, I looked at the crowd which comprises of women who emptied their stomachs, of pale face children, of men who openly shed tears and I didn’t feel a single act of remorse. These people took from me all my life, these people sold me out, these people refused to let me be happy the small way I could even in this fucked up world. These people stole my husband away from me without remorse so I would not spare them mine. I got the answers to the questions I asked, the answers that meant nothing and in that anger, I ordered the tortures to continue, pleads of death filled the air but I was not satisfied. Now I am.

“Halt all torturing, I am done sitting here I want to go to sleep.” I voiced out as those torturing the traitors all stopped. We took our meals outside and now it is late and the sun has gone to sleep for a while. I stood up as I drew out my swords as the cries from the crowds renews with intensity. I paid them no attention as I moved to the first one. My sword plunged into his heart then I twisted the sword for good measure and drew it free, the old me would have balked and would not have been able to do this, the new me, realized what these people had done, what they had taken from me and feels nothing as the action of taking another life, it also helped that the new me saw Orel tortured face in my dreams and I know that these people were the reason why he was being tortured. They were just motions I need to execute, they turned me into this and they will receive the reward of their actions.

I walked to the second individual who I stared down, tears was in his eyes as he silently bag me, for what I don’t know. Instant relief, mercy…I will grant him none of those things. I sliced my sword across his throat and move to the third as he fell face ward on the ground where he continued to choke on his blood.

I continued that way until I get to the chief, to him, I spoke. “You see, I promised you this will happen.”

“You did, but you might be one of them now but remember, the hunt will continue. We will continue to die. That tradition will never die until Dar die.”

“Might be true, but still, you went after the wrong person. And in the wrong way. You might tell that reason to make yourself feel better but I don’t buy it, I always see through your façade. Good bye I hope you get to be punished for eternity by the god of punishment.” I tell him as I stab my sword into his eyes before slitting his throat and wrist. “Leave him to bleed out, then collect my sword and help me return it. “With that, I moved towards the camp. I have made the statement that I wanted to make.


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The next morning when I moved to the war council tent, none of the commanders looked at me like I didn’t have the right to be there, none also made any comments about me not fit for ruling. The hatred still reflected in the eyes of those who hated me before but other who were not certain of my ability to rule were quiet, yes I know that I have quell their worries and they had decided to let me hold the position of my husband until he returns, I also know that they will never support me fully.

“What’s our next step?” I asked.

“Going to all our borders to check if they are well protected.” Olyver answered me.

I looked at the map on the table and added some warriors to some areas while I reduce others. “What are you doing Warlady?” a commander asks me.

“Rearranging the number of warriors sent, so that we might not lose some of the warriors.” I replied absentmindedly.

“You are not allowed to do that. what makes you think that you can arrange this when you don’t even know the first thing about war tactics?” another commander rages as Elison didn’t pay attention to what was going on, instead he was arranging food rations that will follow the redistributed warriors, he knows that I could handle myself.

“The borders I reduced our warriors are those which we are friendly to the people on the other side, this will show that we have faith in them and that is why our warriors there are reduced, it would be seen as an act of good will. If the warriors are much, they will think that we don’t trust them and that might push them to join the enemy, you asked me what I know of war tactics, I know that a show of faith or lack of faith can lead to a different outcome, you want to test that commander.” I asked with my eyebrows raised as the commander face went red.

“Women should not even be in here. First it was Orel and his little trickster Gwenn and now it is his little outcast wife who starts ordering us around like she knows that first thing about lead….” The commander rants ended mid tirade when Elison threw a punch at the commander face.

Elison glanced around to stare at every one of them “Anybody else?”

When nobody stepped forward to receive a thrashing from Elison, he turned back and faced the map while stepping around the groaning commander on the ground.

We make plans back and forth about our next movements when a cry went up outside the tent, we all stopped poring of map and went outside the tent only to see a small army match towards us. Gwenn was straining her mount to get closer to us and two of the army people were with her.

“Aides.” I said, the news was almost enough to bring me to shed tears of joy but I restrained myself.

We waited patiently for Gwenn to reach us and when she did, the first thing that left her mouth surprised me. “What is this Arius told me about Orel being kidnapped?”

“You didn’t get our messengers?” Elison asked as Gwenn hugged him. I watched as Elison closed his eyes at contact with her and his shoulders slumped in relief.

“No. honestly this better be a joke because there is no way I will believe that Orel is kidnapped.” Gwenn said as she left Elison embrace to hug me.

The minute Gwenn left Elison embrace, the two warriors who were riding at the same neck breaking speed as Gwenn turned to look at Elison with strange blank eyes. “Never touch the queen.” Voices hissed out as everybody around us shivered at the eeriness.

Before our very own eyes, Gwenn eyes took the same blankness which those warriors had and something happened that knocked the light back into the bodies of the warriors, when they blinked, their eyes had lost the blankness. They bowed at Gwenn before turning their mounts back to the army which I noticed have stopped marching forward.

Gwenn squeezed my hands to draw my eyes to her and when I did she smiled uncomfortably. “I don’t know what happened and anything other than what Arius told me and he didn’t tell me much to begin with. Tell me everything”


*********

“I will be back tomorrow for the council meeting.” Gwenn said when a shrill noise sounded.

“You can stay here, your tent is still erect.” Elison voiced but Gwenn shook her head sadly.

“I cannot, I am no longer a Darith. I am now a Shirer. I cannot stay here, I must stay with my people.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“The rites of marriage was performed on me. That was the only way for them to send warriors with me.” Gwenn smiled. “But you can count that tomorrow morning before the sun rise, I will already be in this camp. Stirring the commanders up, we need return the strikes and also I left a lot of unfinished business. I will complete them.”

“Take care of yourself.” Elison said.

“I always do. Take care of Orel wife.” Gwenn said pinning Elison with a look.

“I always take care of her.” Elison said as Gwenn and he shook hands and then Gwenn left.

“Gwenn seemed sad.” I mentioned.

“Yes, she feels more guilt than I do about Orel missing.”

“What do you have guilt to feel about?” I asked startled that he would even feel guilt.

“Sometimes, we forget that Orel is also human… we forget that Orel should not always protect us, that we should also protect him.” Elison said with a sigh as I struggle to understand what he means.

“I don’t understand.” I tell Elison who nods.

“You were not meant to understand. I will walk you to your tent.” Elison offered his hand and I took it and we both walked in silence. Each of us lost to our own thoughts.