Page 14 of Ensii
“How much farther?” Ashek asked the scout.
“Just around the second corner up ahead.” The boy nodded. “They look like they mean to stop us.”
“We don’t mean to be stopped.” Ashek glanced to Talitha. “We won’t be stopped.”
“You think the Lonely God is on our side?” Shaza clipped, just a hint of mockery in his tone.
“I know he is.” Ashek looked past Shaza to the rest of the Ilians. “Make ready.”
Talitha found that the idea of fighting Ilians in a few moments was not as repellent as it had been a few hours ago. Perhaps she was becoming accustomed.
Their group waited, tense. Overhead, Talitha spied Breida and her northerners scurrying up the sides of the houses. The boxy stucco walls and flat roofs were ideal for scouting—one of the few ideal things for invaders in this city. The northerners were lithe and small. No one would have been able to spot them unless they were looking. After a few minutes that dragged on for what felt like hours, a high-pitched whistle warbled over the dark street.
Shaza half grimaced, half grinned. “They’re ready.”
Talitha wasn’t sure she trusted the northerners, but it wasn’t as if they had much to lose. She looked to Ashek and nodded.
Ashek raised his sword and let off a shout. “Onward!”
As one, the Ilians and Hudspethites moved forward. Their column advanced around the corner just enough that they could see what lay ahead. She adjusted her grip on her sword and made her way to the front of their group, sticking close to Ashek’s side. They rounded the corner, shields out front and ready.
“Halt!” Ashek shouted.
The line of warriors came to a stop, soldiers jostling into one another. There was that familiar morbid excitement over the street. Talitha could sense it like the cloying stench of burning flesh.
They faced a line of Ilians with shields planted in the ground. Their tight, organized formation had been one of her grandfather’s greatest achievements. He had taken a savage, feared fighting force and turned them into a relentless, unstoppable machine.
Talitha had never thought that would be working against her. “Who is your commanding officer?” the ensaak shouted. “I would speak with him.”
“Talitha?”
It took her a moment to recognized Krispos’s wiry shape by the light of the torches. The general was past his prime, but his salt and pepper beard were still thick as was his full head of hair. He stood straight as an arrow, the red cape draped perfectly over his polished armor, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
If the general was surprised, he recovered himself quickly. “What do you want, Talitha?”
Gilsazi let off a low growl. He was farther back in the column, but Talitha caught his curse. “Address her as ensaak, you cur.”
Talitha spoke before her general could press the matter. “I am the rightful heir and liege lord of Ilios,” she shouted, surprised by how certain her words came out. “Will you recognize my authority? Or will you side with the usurper?”
“Yes, Krispos.” Shaza stepped out from behind the line of shields, out of the protection of the ranks. “Will you recognize our rightful ruler?”
“Shaza!” Talitha hissed.
“What in the blazes is he doing?” Ashek demanded.
But the chamberlin turned chieftain was already out of reach. He walked with his palms open, taking just a few steps toward Krispos. “Some of us have chosen the honorable path.”
It was the first time Talitha recalled hearing Shaza speak of honor in a positive way.
Krispos hesitated at the sight of Shaza. Perhaps his former lover held more sway over him that she had realized. “Your father will be glad of your return.”
“He’ll not be so glad when he hears I’ve come to carve out his guts like melon seeds.” Shaza crossed his arms across his chest. His sword still hung at his side, but he wouldn’t be able to draw it in time if it came to an attack. “Are you with me or against me, old friend?”
“‘Friend’ is a mild word,” Krispos said, sounding more intrigued than anything else. “I’ll not be misled by your youthful beauty this time, Shaza.”
Talitha felt something in the air shift, but she couldn’t have described what it was. A line had just been crossed and there was no going back.
Shaza was undeterred. “Following me has always benefited you in the past.”
