General Turiyos stared blankly at his visitor. He sat on a padded camp chair he had been gifted by a rich benefactor many years before when he had been promoted to the regimental mess. In front of him was a battered sea chest strewn with disposition accounts and scouting reports, after years of inactivity, he had finally managed to goad his command into a semblance of military efficiency.
Before him stood Telobastes, paramount chief of the Harudish people, king in all but name. The barbarian was livid, he could see the barely-restrained fury bubbling beneath the surface. Despite his outward calm Turiyos quietly seethed himself. The gall of this puffed up savage, to storm into his command post uninvited and dare to question his actions. He vowed to show this petty bandit not to impugn the honor of an officer of the empire.
"I fail to see the issue." He announced in a disinterested tone of voice.
"The issue! The issue is your men are kidnapping my people to sell into slavery!"
"Hardly, this is a simple matter of trade. We find the best way to see to the fair distribution of goods is by exchange. Since your people are lamentably short of goods at the moment, we have magnanimously deigned to accept a period of indentured servitude instead. You should be thankful that we are willing to do so as, quite frankly, few of your people would be worth anything at all in the flesh markets of Torre."
"We have come to you in need, our warriors offer allegiance in good faith to save their wives and children from starvation. You have rebuked our offer and instead trade crumbs for slaves. Truly yours is a fallen people that you could commit such vile acts."
Turiyos was a soldier of great experience, and he knew that it was vital to maintain your composure during any encounter. Indeed, he had often been described as particularly icy and remorseless man. So it was that even he was surprised at the sheer magnitude of his rage at this accusation. He surged to his feet, sending his stool crashing backwards.
"You are NOTHING to me! I hold the very life of your entire race in my hand, and it is only though my good graces that I have decided not to exterminate you like the vermin you are. SEIZE HIM!"
Momentarily taken aback, the guards hesitated at his shouted command. Bellowing in incoherent rage, the normally composed imperial general ripped his short sword from its scabbard, leapt bodily over his desk and stabbed the surprised barbarian through the stomach.
Carried over backwards by the ferocity of the sudden assault, Telobastes was born to the ground. He was no shrinking violet, as he had one his leadership through feats of bravery in battle. Despite his mortal wound he gripped the sword hand of his murderer and hammered into his face with a gauntleted fist over and over.
In the grip of a bloodlust he had never experienced before, Turiyos tore his sword free and began hacking wildly at the source of his ire. He continued this long after the bloody ruin ceased to struggle. Finally, tossing aside his notched sword and heaving with exertion, he turned to his aide-de-camp.
"Take this thing from my sight, and toss it into the river."
Captain Durvos turned to the guards, "Your heard the general, move it!"
The guards heard the note of command and responded instictively. Glad to have a clear order to obey so they could avoid thinking about what they just witnessed. They gathered up the ruined carcass, noses wrinkling at the fetid stink of it, and if they detected a smoky hint of brimstone in the air neither of them recognized it for what it was.
Captain Durvos watched the men as they went about their grisly task. When they had departed, he walked back into the generals private chambers to see him calmly washing the blood from his hands as though it were no more than road dust.
"That will be poorly received across the river. He was well-respected and the remaining chiefs might vote for war."
"So what if they do, those rabble could never force the river. They have no boats and lack the means to fashion a bridge. We could hold this position for a thousand years against the likes of them."
"Even so, we have men over there now. Surely there will be reprisals when this comes out."
"If our men are not able to extricate themselves then they are of little value to us anyways. Surely I do not detect a hint of reprimand from you Durvos. I know you think your father will see to you, but I will brook no disrepect from an inferior."
"As you say, sir."
No comments:
Post a Comment