Helion and Estrianes quickly moved in and leveled their spears at the groaning man. I looked around at the nobles, unsure of what they expected me to do. A group of nobles walked around us to get a better look. Klysestes pushed past the others. He bent down, took a knife from the man’s belt, and dragged him a few paces where he propped the man against a large rock so that he was sitting up.

Our prisoner had a leather thorax covered in small, metallic disks sewn closely together. His small bronze helmet was strapped under his chin and had a prominent dent in the right side. I cringed when I saw bone piercing the skin of his broken arm. It seemed to me his helmet was hit with a slinger’s stone and the fall from his horse broke his arm. Looking at his eyes, they were the same shape as the corpse in the blue shirt we had passed.

Klysestes held the knife up, “How many others are with you?” The man groaned and spoke in a tongue I had never heard. The blow to the head may have knocked something loose. Nobles spoke amongst themselves while Klysestes asked again. Still, the man did not understand and repeated himself unintelligibly.

“What is he saying?” asks another noble.

“Is there no common tongue?” inquires a third.

Klysestes repeats his questions, and the man seemingly gives the same answers that no one can understand. “Get me some water,” he orders to the group of men nearest him.

Finally, father pushes past and walks next to Klysestes. “We’re squandering time we don’t have.” Klysestes looked on helplessly while father speared the man in his chest. “We need to keep moving,” he said calmly twisting his spearhead free.

Klysestes backed up, disgusted. “So you know there was nothing we could have learned from that man?” he asked angrily.

“Nothing we wouldn’t find out later anyway,” replied father as he walked back to the column.

****

Our column marched up the path that led us up the mountain in a jagged pattern so that at irregular intervals we would reverse direction but still be ascending the heights. Though this was the quickest path to Lektrios, if one had a cart full of wares, the preferred trade route went south and added another day to the journey. The mountains were tall and jagged. From a distance, you could see the snow-covered peaks of the seven largest ones, in between were a dense series of smaller peaks and ranges.

I had traveled the route we were on twice before this with my father. To say that I knew our path already would be a far cry. I knew that eventually the path leveled out and would take us deep into the mountains but there were many twists and turns that lead to other smaller paths throughout the mountains.

Frequently I would look at the skirmishers, sent from our line to help with the wounded on the grassy plain, get smaller and smaller as the elevation rose. When I no longer saw the serpent’s tail of our column on the plain is when I heard the horns blow. Looking out into the plain I saw a group of about fifty horsemen gather on one side of the skirmishers and a group of one hundred on the other side. They were still out of range but they could close that distance with ease.

The skirmishers grouped together and readied their weapons. I could hear them yelling at each other in the distance. Archers drew arrows. Slingers readied their missiles. The enemy cavalry moved in slowly from both sides but picked up speed. Most of our men ran west towards the way we had come, where there would be patches of forest to run into. A smaller group ran east towards where we were.

We all watched helplessly as the enemy cavalry swooped in from both sides, filling unarmored men with arrows and galloping away. The skirmishers fired missiles back but after the second pass, there were too few to be effective. That was when the cavalry charged in and cut them down with swords and axes.

“We have to aid them!” I screamed to no one in particular.

“To what end?” replied father in a cold tone. “Would you forsake Lektrios to go back and save a handful of freed slaves and paupers?” I didn’t like that. These were still men from Demepolis, as we were. Deep down though, I knew it had to be this way. Not all who march off to war return home. There are times when you are not in a position to help others.

The slingers that ran towards us were cut down just within earshot. We heard their screaming and watched impotently as they were all put to grass by arrow or hacked down with swords. The horsemen rode closer to the mountains and stopped. One of them in the lead did not appear dressed in the same style as the rest. We were a ways up on the path, and it was hard to see them clearly, but it was noticeable. He pointed up to us and made a motion with arm and another man nodded then barked an order. The group rode off the way they came. I marched up the path bitterly with the rest of our men. I was angry that I was unable to do anything while men from our city were cut down. Men around me muttered and complained.

The top of the path leveled and became straighter, flanked by two angled walls of jagged rock that formed the bases of two small mountains. I followed the men in front of me into the pass. It was wide enough for our column to march at a width of eight men. I felt blessed because it was a reprieve from the sun beating down on us. The temperature was noticeably cooler in the mountain shade. My helmet was pushed back on my head so my face was exposed but sweat still dripped down the back of my neck.

My legs had started to feel tight when we ascended the path, made worse by an order from Ankarithesos that worked its way down the line, for us to move as rapidly as the terrain would allow. I had to distract myself. “What do you think will happen if they beat us around the mountains?” I asked my companions.

“I suppose we’ll prepare for a fight then,” replied Helion with fatigue in his voice.

“Now that is something I’ll gladly give them,” I stated. Estrianes snickered. “Something to say?”

“Only that they’re foreigners.”

“Estrios, did you hear that?” mocked Helion. “We’re fighting foreigners.” I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Being foreigners,” continued my brother in an annoyed tone, “they don’t know these passes like we do. You can barely bring any horses through up here.” Some small rocks skittered down the cliff next to us. Looking up, we saw an ibex bounding from one boulder to the next.

Helion dismissed the notion, “Well, I still welcome battle.”

“From what rumors say, there will be no shortage of enemies where we are going,” I offered. “Plenty of chances for us to wet our spears.”

The army and its slaves followed the winding path through the mountains, occasionally passing openings to different mountain passes. Most traders, craftsmen, and nobles know the way because of their trips to Lektrios. Were we without men who personally travel this route, I would fear the prospect of never emerging.

The conversation between us and men around us kept us occupied until we came to The Narrows, which is where the pass is the most confined. Leading up to The Narrows, our column had filed down to six and then down to a width of four men abreast. Ankarithesos was right to rush us through the pass, filing a thousand warriors and almost as many slaves down to half the original width took more time than one would think. Fortunately, the constriction of the path is short lived.

I didn’t notice until our part of the line was through The Narrows but there wasn’t much sunlight left in the day. In the course of a quarter hour, we were able to spread the line back to a width of six men, with ease.

A turn in the pass allowed us to receive the last sunrays of the day. The mountain pass was very wide at this part, by far the widest part of the trail. This small plain was wide enough to make a long camp on a layer of grass as thin as an elder’s hair. I say camp but what it really offered was space enough for men to sleep. Because of the urgent nature of the journey, tents and anything else that would slow us were left behind.

Helion, Estrianes, and I found a nice patch in the waning light, dropped our spears, and slid our shields off our backs. Our helmets made a soft thud as they hit the ground. It felt good to sit, even better to lie down. I unfastened my cloak to use as a blanket. Many men walked past us, finding places to lay their belongings.

I watched our slave, Leandros, help Estriadites out of his thorax. Though Estriadites had been a man for many years, only now did he seem to adequately a sense of nobility. He clearly had spent time studying how father spoke, moved, and carried himself. He seemed every bit the man that father wanted him to be.

Stolen story; please report.

I pulled some bread from a small bag slung over my shoulder and drank from my water skin. Many men, including me, ate and drank while we marched. Growing up when I heard tales of war they were either heroic epics or day to day stories. From both, I look a lesson. Eat and drink whenever you feel the need or have the opportunity. You might not get the chance later.

****

We all relaxed on the ground, happy for the day to come to an end. My whole life, I’ve worked towards goals that were given to me, large and small. Without purpose, I find myself anxious and in need of something I can put my hands to. My stomach was content and my mood was better, but my mind was uneasy.

“We should go on a hunt,” I stood up, spear in hand.

“A hunt? What would we hunt in the mountains, at night?” replied Estrianes.

“Any poor creature that crosses our path,” I replied with a smile. “We did see an ibex on the march.”

“Count me at your side,” said Helion, grabbing his spear cheerfully.

“Even if we were ordered not to make cooking fires, no one has any wood for one. What would we do with an animal?” asked Estrianes.

“I don’t know. I suppose we’d just salt what we can and take it along with us,” I replied with a shrug.

“Assuming anyone has salt.” Estrianes looked strained, “I’ll come only to make sure you fools don’t fall to your deaths.” He stood up reluctantly then grabbed his shield and spear.

“That’s just going to be dead weight,” I said of his shield.

“What concern is it of yours, if I’m the one carrying it?” he said while sliding the makeshift sling he had tied to the shield over his head. The shield hung on his back, and he let out a sigh.

“I don’t want the extra weight to cause you to fall to your death,” I winked. Estrianes glared at me, unamused.

We found a small path away from our camp that looked like a path I had imagined animals might go down. I’ve never been too gifted at hunting, lacking the patience. This was the night before battle, and we were too excited to fall asleep. If I’m being honest, I think we wanted to kill something.

The path didn’t take us too far from camp but we traveled a good ways down it, laughing and singing crude little songs until we came to an opening that amounted to flat, rocky ground bordered by a chasm.

“So I told them, ‘Hand to the gods, I have no idea what happened to your goat!’” exclaimed Helion. We all roared with laughter at his absurd story.

“You truly are a blessed idiot,” declared Estrianes as we walked.

The sound of rocks sliding drew our attention. “You idiots!” Kyron skidded down the rocky slope from a concealed position behind us. With the exception of his helmet, he was in full armor. Three of his friends emerged from hiding spots and moved to where Kyron stood. They all were armed and armored similarly.

We all brought our spears up defensively. Helion and I had both left our shields at camp. We were outnumbered and under-equipped for a fight. “Trying to settle accounts away from the army, Kyron?” I asked, trying to sound defiant and not to show how afraid I really was.

“What?” he replied, he regarded us with annoyance. “We were on a hunt and about to trap our quarry when you noisy fucks scared it off!” That gave me some joy, both in the thought that Kyron wasn’t looking for a fight and that we had still inconvenienced him.

“Now that we are here, why don’t we revisit that comment from earlier?” continued Kyron. “What was that about my beloved sister?” I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned his sister.

“I don’t remember any comment, only the sweetness of her lips,” I replied defensively, my hand making a lewd gesture.

Kyron took a step forward aggressively, his face flushed, and then laughed humorlessly. “Heh, speaking lies of a noblewoman, I should expect this of your family. You are not so far removed from your grandfather, the very reason everyone looks down on your family.”

This time I flushed with anger, “It would be something if I had been lying, wouldn’t it? Have you even considered the possibility that I’m not? Can you account for all your sister’s actions? I would think not.”

Kyron brushed the comment off, “Do you ever notice the nobility looking down on your father with disdain, knowing the sins of his father plague you still? I can’t imagine what that must be like. I guess I would spread lies too, were I as lacking in honor as you.”

Stifling the urge to hurl my spear, I looked to my side. Estrianes was noticeable measuring Kyron’s companions, trying to decide who he would attack first if it came to blows. I looked to my other side and did not find Helion. “Fuck. Shit!” said Helion behind me.

I turned to find Helion with his back to us, his spear pointed at five wolves appearing from around the bend, gaunt but dangerous. One of them foamed at the mouth as it snarled. No one moved. The wolves ears went back slowly and they exposed teeth. Estrianes slowly reached for his shield. “Move back slowly,” said Kyron in a commanding tone. “Helion, you and Estrios get behind us. We’ll form a phalanx to protect those without a shield.”

Immediately my companions and I backed up slowly, careful not to turn our backs to the wolves that were now creeping forward. All of them growled and snarled. Helion and I passed between Kyron and his friends. They locked their shields with Estrianes, their spears protruding over their tops, forming a five-man phalanx. Helion and I guarded their flanks with spears.

The snarling beasts edged closer, the foam sprayed from the sick wolf’s mouth when it barked at us. “We’re going to move back a step when-” Kyron was cut off as the wolves charged us. Spears thrust forward to keep them at bay. The sick wolf tried to run around my side of the line, but I thrust my spear at it, causing it to leap back.

“One step back, now!” yelled Kyron. Our line moved back in unison. If we could make it back a short distance, we could hold in the pass we walked through, with ease. The wolves would have no room to get around our sides. “Another step back, now!” The line moved back. The sick wolf tried to bite me and the legs of Kyron’s friend. Both times I kept the beast at bay with my spear. Finally, I cut its side with my spearhead. The sickly wolf yelped and backed up, bearing its teeth.

“Step back, now!” ordered Kyron. The line moved back, now only about ten paces from the opening of the pass. The others kept the other wolves busy. One worked its way between the spears but Estrianes rammed it with his shield, causing to fall over and run out of our reach. Another ran in and bit Kyron’s spear shaft and refused to let go. Running over, I placed one hand on Kyron’s shoulder and lurched my arm up and over his shield, driving the spearhead into the wolf’s flank. The sound it made was hard to forget.

The spearhead emerged bloody and the wolf cried out and fell over. The other wolves backed up. “If they’re so hungry, I did them a favor,” I said. Our line backed up to the opening of the pass. The remaining wolves circled their whimpering brother.

We walked single file through the pass with Estrianes carefully walking backward, protecting the rear. We heard the wolves tear into their fallen friend. We felt safer but moved at speed our camp. Moving in silence, listening for following wolves, we wound up the path until we could hear soft echoes of talking and laughing. Our pace slowed, knowing safety was near.

It was a welcome sight when we walked among our resting army. I examined my bloody spearhead. The moon was full and bright, illuminating our camp. Part of me wanted to wipe the spear clean and another part wanted to leave it bloody.

Before we split ways, I tapped the arm in front of me, “Kyron.” He turned. “Gratitude, for we would be far worse off had we not had your help.”

It wasn’t a smile that crossed his lips but something like it. He addressed me in a far less contemptuous tone than earlier, “Nothing has changed between us.” Kyron paused, “Your blow was well struck.” He nodded to me and parted company with his friends. Before leaving his friend, whose flank I had protected, smiled and nodded in gratitude. This is one of my fondest memories of the expedition because it was when I learned that even between hated enemies can respect be found. In the brotherhood created by marching to war, enmities can soften as you must rely on a rival to help defeat a greater enemy.

I walked back over to where I laid my cloak and the rest of my kit. My father walked up to me, “Where have you been?” he asked, more curious than upset. He saw the blood on my spear in the moonlight. “I trust you haven’t been up settling scores.”

I smiled as I dropped my spear, “Estrianes, Helion, and I settled accounts with a pack of wolves intent on seeing us devoured.” My father’s face was hard to read.

Suddenly next to me, Leandros wore a welcoming smile, “Is there anything you would have at the moment?” I dismissed him with a wave and looked back at father.

Estrianes nodded, “It’s strange. I want to sleep but find it impossible to keep my eyes shut.” All of us sat on the ground. Estrianes and I were full of excitement. Helion lay back on the grass and was sleeping within a few breaths.

Finally, father broke the silence, “I’m glad you two are unharmed. It’s good that you had some excitement.” He looked uneasy in the pale moonlight. I hadn’t noticed it until now, but in his hand was a small wooden bowl. I could smell the wine on his breath. Rarely had I seen father drink as of late, though he did not seem out of sorts. “We may have to fight tomorrow if the enemy has any scouts on the other side of the mountains.”

“Then we’ll fight,” I said plainly.

“A father always worries he hasn’t done enough for his sons before battle,” he said, “hasn’t done enough to prepare them.”

“We always find time to practice with our spears and swords,” said Estrianes. “Estriadites instructs us well on technique.”

“There are some things that cannot be prepared for,” replied father. “Little things. They must be experienced to be understood. That is what I think about now. How one will fatigue after trading blows. How men can be trampled if they fall in the line.” My brother and I were silent. Father stared up at the stars and sipped from the wooden bowl. “I know you both will make me proud. All I ask is that you both stay near me.”

We both smiled. “An easy enough request,” said Estrianes. I nodded.

Father looked up at the stars again. “There were times I wondered about the stars. Some say they can foretell our fates.” He sipped from the bowl again. “It makes one wonder if our fates can be changed.”

It may have been the wine, but I had rarely heard father talk in such a way. “It may sound foolish,” he continued, “but for a time, I actually wanted to be a carpenter.” He laughed at nothing in particular. “That is actually how I began to court your mother.” Estrianes and I exchanged glances. Father held the now empty wooden bowl in front of us. “Though it’s worn from years of age, I made this for your mother.” He bit his lower lip and reluctantly smiled. “Rest well. I’m off to find your brother. Be ready in the morning. You both will be tested soon, and I want you to ready.”

I watched father walk off into the darkness. Truth be told, I did not know how to react. Father and I did not share words often. Moments like that gave me hope that more would follow. Seeing him in the moonlight, his likeness was that of a titan. Looking over to Estrianes, I found him lying on his back, beginning to sink into sleep.

It occurred to me as I yawned that father may have wanted to talk to us with the goal of calming us so we can sleep. The thought was soon fleeting and I lay back on my cloak, looking up at the stars. Soon my eyes grew heavy and sleep finally came. Tomorrow would be chance to prove myself, and not fully realizing it at the time, I would give anything for a reason to make father proud.