Fealty: Conflict
The emperor watched his soldiers milling about in the falling light. They had made good progress toward their next destination. The town two days ahead of them had a sizeable population, and with luck the recruiting would be good. He was getting ever closer to reaching his quota. Ever closer to returning to the capital with Pacha.
And then what? Life would return to normal, just with a stronger army and possibly a new concubine. He felt like there should be a bigger difference after all that had happened the last few days. All because of Pacha. He'd never felt so cherished, so infuriated, so at peace, so jealous, all within a short span of time. How could anything be the same after this?
Maybe it wouldn't. Maybe he'd continue growing closer to Pacha. Maybe there would be a scandal as he showed favoritism. Maybe they would become lovers and grow old together. Or maybe Pacha wouldn't pass the exams at all and be sentenced to death. Sapalla felt like he was standing on a precipice. Would everything be the same, or would everything change entirely? He wished he had a seer with him to help him grasp what the future held.
The emperor saw Pacha heading his way and beckoned him over. The tayra joined him at his side and watched the soldiers setting up their camps.
"Feeling any better this evening, my pet?"
"Starting to," Pacha said. "Still quite sore from Yauri's pounding, but I'm not in pain anymore."
"It gladdens me to hear it. You will need to be at peak performance for the harem interviews."
"Then we're heading back to the capital soon?" he asked excitedly.
The emperor smiled. "I hope." And then my future won't be so uncertain, he thought.
"So what's the harem interview process like?" Pacha asked. "Is it a bunch of questions and answers? Skill tests?"
"All of that," Sapalla said. "Especially the skill tests. The head concubine will want to confirm you can take my length from either end without hurting yourself, and also make sure you are familiar with all my most sensitive areas, plus the areas I do not allow others to go. And your loyalty to me will also be put to the test."
Pacha nodded. "I know I can take your length, so the rest should be easy."
"Do not be so certain," the jaguar warned. "The testing is rigorous and can take several weeks. You will also have to get to know the other concubines and stay on their good side. They will feel threatened by a newcomer, so it will not be easy. The final decision to let you in must be decided by unanimous vote, so you will have to do whatever is necessary to make sure you earn each and every one. I have heard that doing so can be... strenuous."
The tayra wiggled in anticipation. "I'm up for a challenge. And I'd be honored to be in the presence of your harem, even for a little while."
"Remember that your stakes are higher than most applying for the position. If you fail, the law of non-concubines pleasuring the emperor still stands, and you will likely be publicly executed."
"Right." His ears lay back against his head. "Can't you just send me back to my village if I fail? You're the only one who knows about our previous experiences."
"My advisor Cusi already suspects you. And my guardsmen, Apo the caiman and Sonco the cougar, already know for certain. That means all of the honor guard knows. I trust them to not knowingly tell anyone, but their defensiveness on the subject may make more people suspect the truth. Even while you're being interviewed, the law will still stand, so you must act as if you've never been with me. Otherwise, my concubines will never give you their vote. Some may even report you themselves to get rid of the competition."
"They would do that!?"
"I said they may. I'm not always aware of the politics that goes on inside the harem. It will be best for you to stay silent about it."
An ear-piercing scream filled the air before being cut short. Everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing and fell silent.
Pacha looked around. "W-what was that?"
Sapalla snapped his fingers for him to be quiet. The emperor looked around slowly, projecting an air of confidence despite his skin crawling. He listened carefully, ears twitching at the slightest sound. The forest around them was eerily quiet.
Another scream, louder this time. Closer. The jaguar could see the younger and newer troops's ears droop as they froze up. The veterans grabbed their weapons.
"Honor guard!" the emperor called out. "On me! Generals, get your troops off their sorry asses and ready for battle!"??Pacha tugged on the emperor's robe. "What's going on? Who's screaming?"
"Nobody's screaming. It's the sound of an instrument called the 'death whistle.' It's used by raiders to demoralize enemy troops." He looked around. "And it looks like it's working."
The forest in front of them erupted with the sound of hundreds of screams. Feral birds fled the trees.
Out of the chaos of the emperor's troops, twenty armed warriors of all races wearing fine red robes materialized and formed a protective circle around Pacha and Sapalla. As one, they raised their weapons and assumed their fighting stances. The honor guard was a force to behold.
"Pacha, I need you to go to my tent."
"Why?"
"I need you to stay there until this is over. Don't come out until I come back for you. Do you understand?"
"But your majesty I--"
Sapalla snapped his fingers. "Pacha. Go. I promise I'll come back for you."
The tayra gave him one last worried look before ducking between two guardsmen and running toward the emperor's tent.
"Your majesty! Your majesty!" A capybara pushed his way into the circle. His paws were over his ears, trying to dampen the sound of the death whistles.
"Cusi, you need to get to safety."
"What is the meaning of this? I thought we weren't expecting to encounter the enemy until the next season. How are they ready to fight after the blow we dealt them last year? How did they learn our position?"
"All good questions, none of which I have time to answer."
"Then perhaps you have time to explain why I saw you talking intimately with that tayra the whole day? Or why my men tell me he stumbled into your tent last night and did not exit 'til morning?"
"He was drunk. Simple as that. Now go, get to safety."
"Don't think that you can change the subject that quickly. There's something going on between you two, and for the good of the empire I swear I will find out what it is."
"I'm flattered by your loyalty," Sapalla growled. "Now, go. Unless you want to see what it's like being on the receiving end of a volley of arrows and spears."
The capybara grumbled and bunched up his robes. "Fine. We will talk about this later." Cusi scurried away.
The bone-chilling screams stopped suddenly and were replaced with the screams of war cries. Between the trees of the thick forest, warriors with blood-red faces could be seen running toward them.
"Generals!" the emperor shouted again. "Get your troops in line! Now!" But he knew there was only so much they could do. The camp was in disarray, and troops were tripping over half-assembled tents. Some of the recruits were being ushered into position without any weapons. Others were sobbing in fear.
Sapalla quickly evaluated his honor guard. There was the cougar and caiman duo; four sturdy red-footed tortoises wielding dual clubs; two trios of a condor, a cougar and a boa; two porcupines with a sword and shield; two howler monkeys with bows; two spectacled bears with spears; an armadillo with a spiked greatclub; and an iguana with a sling, a sword and a shield. They were his specially selected troops, the best of the best. They would not break, and they would not flee. But Sapalla knew the rest of the troops were not so well disciplined.
The raiders stopped about sixty feet from their lines and drew back their arms. They hurled their spears, axes and rocks. The tortoises stepped close together and Sapalla ducked behind them. They turned their shoulders so the spears and projectiles deflected harmlessly off their thick plastrons.
His regular troops weren't nearly as lucky. He could hear impacts neaby, could see soldiers clutching their chests and heads as they fell to the ground, with their friends next to them looking on in shock. Screams, gurgling, falling, rapid breathing could be heard from all around. This is what his nightmares would sound like.
"Sharpshooters!" the emperor called to his howler monkeys. "Aim for their biggest foot soldiers! The enemy will stop their volley and charge soon."
The two monkeys nodded and hopped on top of the backs of the tortoises. They nocked their arrows and let them fly, picking off large targets one by one. The generals shouted "loose!" and the emperor's troops hurled their own projectiles at the enemy. Dozens fell, but the raiders' confidence was unshaken. They bellowed another war cry, taunting his troops.
"My lord!" Sapalla looked down to see the caiman guardsman. He was holding out one of his obsidian-edged swords pommel-first. "Take this."
"No, Apo. I need you with your preferred set of weapons more than I need a sword. Besides," he said, flexing his claws in anticipation, "I'm sure I'll be able to pick something off an enemy soon enough."
A conch horn sounded, and the enemies surged as one. The honor guard formed a wall in front of the emperor and readied their weapons. The two howler monkeys dismounted the tortoises and fell behind them. "Ready yourselves!" Sapalla shouted. His men got into a defensive stance and held their swords ready to strike.
The air filled with the wet crunch of warriors colliding, stabbing, hacking madly. The raiders fought like ferals, not caring about danger and only lusting for blood. Sapalla's new recruits never expected to face an enemy like this. The emperor watched as some in the front lines stood frozen in terror as enemies charged and ran them through. Some of his recruits were turning, looking behind them for an escape as the front lines were eaten away and leaving them exposed.
"Fight, cowards!" Sapalla yelled. "Fight or your brothers-in-arms die!"
His tortoise guardsmen were performing admirably--they hadn't given up an inch of ground. The rest of his troops, however, had been pushed back slightly, leaving the honor guard around him as an exposed protrusion in the formation. "Honor guard fall back, slowly!" he shouted. The tortoises nodded and moved back one step at a time, careful not to create gaps in the formation.
An enemy ocelot dashed forward, staying low to the ground, and cut at one of the tortoise's legs. The guardsman couldn't reach him with his clubs, and the feline severed a tendon. Blood spurted out and the tortoise fell with a thump. The other tortoises had already moved too far back to help him, and he pulled his limbs and head into his shell as the enemy soldiers stabbed at him relentlessly, trying to find a weak spot. Sapalla growled. The guardsman probably wouldn't make it.
The porcupines and iguana stepped to the front line to fill in the gap, shields in front of them and swords at the ready. They held their ground and cut away at the enemy horde methodically, careful not to expose themselves. A towering enemy crocodile pushed his way through his own men toward the honor guard, dwarfing the porcupines and iguana. The red-faced warrior raised his huge sword and swung. The porcupines shifted to the side just in time to avoid it. The armadillo with the spiked greatclub rushed through the gap and smote the crocodile in the belly. The reptile doubled over and collapsed to the ground, where the honor guard quickly finished him off.
"My liege!" a spectacled bear guardsman called out. "Fliers inbound!"
Sapalla looked up. Two condors with red face paint were headed straight toward them, grasping heavy rocks in their talons. He knew from previous battle experience that their aim would be deadly, and a rock traveling at such speed would crush through any armor or shield. "Flier teams, go!" he shouted.
With a mighty flap of wings, the two condor guardsmen took flight, each carrying a boa guardsman in their claws. Sapalla watched as they gained altitude and speed, racing to meet the enemy before they got in range. The opposing condors spotted the challengers rising to meet them and headed straight for them. They let their heavy rocks drop, landing in the midst of Sapalla's troops instead of on him.
The distance shrank rapidly, and the enemy condors rotated to meet the guardsman with talons outstretched. At the last second, the emperor's avians pulled up abruptly and let go of the boa constrictors. The snakes arced through the air. Before the enemy could change course they collided. The boa guardsmen quickly wrapped around the birds's chests and maneuvered themselves to pin one wing against the body.
The enemy condors screeched as they spiraled out of the air, desperately trying to claw and peck at the boas, but they were too low already. The boas suddenly let go and threw themselves off the condors, stretching out their bodies to spread out the imminent impact. Sapalla watched them all disappear behind the heads of his troops and land with faint thuds he could feel through the ground. If the fall didn't kill the enemy condors, his troops would quickly finish the job.
The emperor turned his attention back to the battle in front of him. With the boa guardsmen so far away, he wouldn't be able to use them to trip up the enemy nearby. With all the stomping feet of distracted soldiers, it would take them considerable time to get back to him. The battle could be over by then.
"Sire!" one of the condor guardsmen circling above shouted. "They're coming from the other direction!"
Sapalla's stomach dropped. It's a trap. He turned around. With his superior height he was just able to make out the dust cloud of advancing troops. "Generals!" he shouted. "Circle formation!"
His command was echoed throughout the army, and his men slowly started pulling the formation together at the sides to make it round. The troops in back turned to face the new threat.
"How many are there?" the emperor shouted to the condors above.
"The same size as the first group, at least two thousand strong."
Fuck. They would be outnumbered soon. With so many inexperienced soldiers, he didn't know if they could keep them at bay.
The dust cloud was changing direction. The new legion of enemies were no longer headed for them. Where are they going? Sapalla traced their route and looked in the direction they were going.
The emperor froze. They were headed straight for the camp.
"Pacha!" he cried. "Get out of there! Pacha!" With the sounds of pitched battle, there was no way the tayra would hear him.
He quickly evaluated his options for saving Pacha. He could make the army fall back to the camp, but the front line would be left un-supported during retreat and take heavy casualties. He could lead his honor guard to the camp and rescue Pacha himself, but with the enemy already so close they would be easily surrounded and outnumbered a hundred to one. He could send his condors to quickly extract Pacha from the royal tent, but as the emperor's only soldiers in the area they'd be met with a hail of arrows and spears and likely get shot down before they even got close.
"Sir," Sonco said, "orders?"
There was nothing he could do for Pacha. He'd sent the tayra to his death. Sapalla let out a deep sigh. "Hold your ground," he told the cougar. "The fight is here." He could only watch as the raiders reached the edge of the camp and started setting it ablaze.
One of the spectacled bear guardsmen cried out and slumped to the ground. There was a small throwing ax sticking out of his abdomen. His fur was turning shiny with blood. The two howler monkey guardsmen grabbed him by the arms and dragged him behind the tortoises, in front of the emperor. The wound was deep. If he didn't bleed out, he was sure to get an infection in this climate. And with the camp under attack, he didn't know if there would be any doctors left to try to save his life.
The spectacled bear looked up at him and motioned toward his dropped spear, then at Sapalla. The emperor nodded, picked up the spear, and filled in the gap in the line. It was the least he could do.
The red-faced savages were pressing forward steadily. The jaguar gripped the spear tightly and thrust it repeatedly into the furious mob. They were so tightly packed it was impossible to miss. A warrior rushed at him with club raised; Sapalla stabbed him in the gut. Another came more carefully, shield first; the jaguar slashed at his calf and stabbed him before he could get up. Stab. Recover. Stab. Recover. As soon as he killed one raider another one took his place immediately. Sapalla could feel specks of hot blood on his face and paws already, but his contributions weren't even making a dent in the size of the mob.
"Sir," a condor guardsman called out, "the enemy behind us is now advancing."
Done with the looting and killing that quick, huh? the emperor thought sourly. He spared a quick glance. The fires were still spreading and screams could still be heard from that direction, but some of the warriors appeared more eager for battle than for looting and were now charging the emperor's lines in a loose, disorganized formation. "Generals!" he shouted, "have archers loose at will!"
The command was relayed quickly, and the rear guard of the emperor's army showered the raiders with arrows--not en masse but picking off the spread-out targets individually. At this range their aim was deadly. None of the enemy warriors were lucky enough to get within throwing range.
The enemy in front of them showed no signs of slowing, despite their heavy casualties. The bodies were starting to pile on top of each other in front of the honor guard, making for difficult footing for the advancing raiders. Sapalla stabbed at them freely without having to worry about them getting inside his range, and his guardsman archers and slingers pummeled the enemy with their precise projectiles.
"Here they come!" Apo shouted from atop a tortoise. The main body of the enemy behind them had finished pillaging their camp and were now advancing as one. By now the emperor's generals had formed his troops into a defensive circle, ready to fight for their lives with no chance of escape. The enemy advanced, hurled their projectiles, and rushed in with ferocious war cries. The two forces met with a clashing of weapons and the screams of the dying.
The ferocity of the new attack was forcing the rear line back. Sapalla's men were being pushed closer and closer together. Soon, they would be trampling each other. Meanwhile, the emperor's arms were tiring. When are they going to stop? He was a skilled warrior but he wasn't used to fighting for this long. He knew the minute he tired out would be the minute he got careless.
Sapalla could see his troops starting to pile up on each other. He had to act now--there would be no coming back from a trampling situation. "Generals! Everyone pushes one step forward on three! One, two, three!"
His soldiers pushed against the tide of enemy soldiers. The emperor saw his troops falling as they stepped into the enemy's reach, but he knew it would be far less casualties than the alternative. "One, two, three!" Again they pushed forward, obeying the emperor's orders even if it meant their own death. "One, two, three!"
They were slowly gaining back ground, but would it be enough? His honor guard needed more room to operate--right now the archers and support fighters were stuck behind the frontline fighters, useless.?
The honor guard seemed to sense this, too. Apo stepped forward and squeezed between the legs of the tortoises. "I'm clearing a path!" he shouted, gripping his two obsidian swords tightly.
"Apo, no, don't!" Sonco shouted. But it was already too late. The caiman dashed forward and disappeared into the crowd. Sapalla could see red-faced raiders nearby clutching their legs and falling to the ground, but he could no longer see where Apo was.
"One, two, three!" The slow advance was working. Now that his troops weren't on top of each other, they were fighting more effectively, driving the enemy back with each step gained, forcing them to retreat through the piles of bodies the emperor's troops made earlier. Sensing their advantage, his troops fought more vigorously. His circle of troops expanded, eager to take back lost ground. Momentum was theirs.
Here and there Sapalla was starting to see gaps in the thinning enemy lines. They were depleting the enemy's troops quicker than they could be replaced. "One, two, three!"
A conch horn in the distance blasted a series of notes. Sapalla could see the raiders in the back turn and flee. The ones engaged in fighting looked nervously behind them, looking for a chance to escape. The enemy lines were dissolving, and soon the front line was tripping over the bodies of their fallen comrades as they made their escape. Sapalla's generals prevented his soldiers from giving chase and ordered the archers to spend their last arrows shooting down the fleeing enemy.
The emperor's troops cheered as they saw the last of the red-faced warriors disappear into the forest. They had done it. Against all odds, they had driven back the enemy and showed them the empire remained strong. "Three cheers for the emperor!" a cry rose up. The troops roared with praise. Sapalla smiled at them and tried to shake as many paws as possible. He saw their warm grins underneath the blood on their faces, and paws felt sticky from all the blood being traded between palms. But it was worth every one. His troops deserved recognition.
Sapalla's eyes widened. "Pacha..." He turned and headed back for the camp. The cheering troops made a path and followed him, showering him with blessings he knew he didn't deserve. Why thank me for sending your friends to their deaths? As they drew closer the cheers gradually quieted. The troops halted as they saw the extent of the destruction. The new recruits were finally understanding that they did not win this battle.
Sapalla strode through the smoldering remains of his army's camp, flanked by his exhausted honor guard. There was hardly anything left; the food and personal items were all stolen, and everything else was now ash. His army only had what they brought with them onto the battlefield.
He finally reached the spot where the royal tent once stood. His plush bed was now nothing but a smoking frame, and he could barely recognize the remains of furniture that had once been carved by the empire's finest craftsmen. The jewelry chest was lying empty on its side. There was no sign of Pacha.
Sapalla knelt in the hot ashes. He grabbed a fistful of the scalding substance and let it pass between his fingers. He didn't care how much it hurt. Pacha was gone and it was all his fault. Sapalla had ordered the tayra to go to the royal tent and stay there until he returned. And knowing how obedient Pacha was, he probably followed that order to the letter.
Sapalla never expected things to end up like this. And now because of his lack of foresight, his most loyal, loving subject was now dead.
Sonco cleared his throat behind Sapalla. "Your majesty, the honor guard has found no signs of Pacha."
"You think I don't know that?" the jaguar snapped. "He is dead. Thank you for your insight."
"My apologies, your majesty. I misspoke. I meant we have found no signs of his body. No bones, no jewelry."
"What do you mean?"
"The enemy knew this tent contained treasure." He gestures at the empty jewelry box. "They didn't leave anything of value. If they found someone hiding amongst the riches, someone clearly not a warrior, then they might have assumed he was being hidden there because he had value. Pacha could be alive as a prisoner."
"Do not try to comfort me. I have heard stories about how the raiders treat their prisoners of war. If he's somehow alive, he will soon be sacrificed to their false gods in the bloodiest way they can think up."
"Not if we attack them now while they lick their wounds."
The emperor scoffed. "With what army? There must be a quarter of my men dead and another quarter injured. We don't even know if we faced the raiders' full army today. We have, what, two thousand troops who could fight? And all exhausted after today's battle?" He shook his head. "If the raiders managed to get this many warriors this far south, their supply lines would be large enough to support many more."
"Or they're being supplied locally."
"No, we would have heard of raids by now."
"Not raids. Allies." Sonco pulled a bloody obsidian-edged sword from the folds of his red robes. The blade was crude, cheap-looking even, but the grooved grip was professionally made.
Sapalla looked up at him. "Where did you find this?"
"Apo's chest, sir." The cougar dropped the sword in the ashes. "He's dead."
"Apo..." The emperor gave a heavy sigh. "He was a good soldier. And I know you two were close. I'm sorry for your loss."
"He got careless," Sonco growled. "Rushed right in when things were getting thick. He should have stayed behind the tortoises!" Sapalla noticed the cougar was shaking with rage. "I told him. He should have listened."
"His death wasn't your fault," the jaguar said. "It was his choice. It was how he would have wanted to go out. And his death taught us something valuable," he said, motioning toward the sword. Sonco nodded stiffly.
There was nothing Sapalla could do for the cougar. Nothing he could do for his honor guard. Except help them remember the honored fallen. "Did he take many with him?"
Sonco gave a soft chuckle. "Oh yes. The small bastard cut a huge hole through the enemy horde before he got surrounded."
"Then remember him by that. Remember the path he carved. Remember the enemies cowering in fear. And remember that he was proud to fight by your side."
The cougar sniffled. "Thank you, your majesty. I will."
He wished he could give the same comfort to everyone who had fought for him. So many guardsmen died today, Sapalla rued. They died protecting me. He stared at the sword on the smoking ground. But by whose hand?
He picked up the sword. The pommel had a small copper circle hammered into the end of it. It was stamped with a set of fine wavy lines. The seal of Mayu Llaqta.
"Yauri and Sayani," he growled. "Those... Those..."
His rage would not be contained. He stood up and kicked the charred jewelry chest as hard as he could. It burst apart and rained splinters into the soft ash. He attacked his bed with his claws, and it too fell apart under his wrath.
Those bastards had fucked Pacha, made allies with the empire's most vicious enemies, and had just tried to assassinate him. They had killed or captured his pet. He should have had them executed long ago. He was eager to make up for lost time.
A condor guardsman swooped down and landed by Sonco's side, sending up a cloud of ash. "Your majesty, the two groups of raiders have rejoined and are fleeing in the direction of Mayu Llaqta."
The jaguar snorted. Figures. Running away with their tails between their legs, back to their corrupt masters. If Yauri and Sayani were willing to let raiders into their city, the walls would be impossible to conquer. But if they kept the savage raiders away from the populace, then he might be able to overwhelm the city's remaining soldiers. But how to attack the city without engaging the horde?
"Orders, sir?" the condor asked.
Sapalla looked around one last time. There was nothing left for them here. "Have the soldiers bury their dead. Leave the corpses of the enemy for the feral creatures of the night." He stood up to his full impressive height. "Then, we will pay Yauri and Sayani a visit."