The Rising Lion Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Lady-General,” The Centurion rasped weakly, grabbing onto Eliana’s arm. He squeezed it tightly and pulled her closer. For a dying man he had a surprising amount of strength. “I feel cold.”

She leaned down closer to him and nodded. Her hands gently rested his own at his side and pulled the soiled blanket over him, covering the black spots and hemorrhages that covered his body. One glance towards the surgeon’s anguished face told her everything she needed to know. The man is a goner.

“C-could you sing for me?” Despite the obvious pain in his face, the Centurion manages a ghostly smile.

The General chuckled and shook her head, laying her hand on the soldiers blanketed chest, despite the look of disapproval on the surgeon's face. “I am a terrible singer.”

A long gravelly sound came from his throat. Eliana looked closer frantically, believing that he had started choking until she realized that he was laughing. “At this point, even a dog whining is music to my ears.”

“Very well.” The General said, taking a deep breath before she started to sing. Her voice was hoarse and shaky, yet the soldier continued to listen carefully. It was a simple marching song that was sung nearly every time the men marched out.

She continued to sing, beating her chest with her fist. By the time she finished her song, the Centurions face was a mere ghost of a shell. “Thank you. I have one final  request.”

Eliana nibbled on her lip. She didn’t bother to pretend that he would live and nor did he. “What do you wish?”

One hand reached down into the ground and pulled up his crested helmet. “Give this to someone worthy. Make sure my boys are given a good leader to-”

His voice slowly grew weak as he stared up blankly at the ceiling. Eliana gave him one final salute before pulling his blanket over his head. “He looks almost happy.” The surgeon pointed out and gestured to the serene smile on his face.

“How many does that make now?” She asked the surgeon, not bother to turn around.

“Thirteen more dead to .”

The General winced, looking down at the Centurion helmet in her hands and pressed her nails against the cool metal. She reached for her own helmet and pulled it on her head. “I must go now. Make sure these men’s families are properly notified.”

“Yes General.” He replied and turned back to the remaining patients who still could be saved. Eliana turned at her heel and strode out of the tent. She barely reached outside when she felt a stinging sensation in her eyes. She placed a hand on her eyes and felt the tears.

Quickly she wiped them away and steeled her heart. “Were our losses that bad?” A voice asked quietly from the shadows between some tents. Elizabeth materialized almost out of nowhere.

All in all, their casualties were rather light especially compared to the numbers of their enemies. But each man and woman who fell had served under her for years with loyalty and bravery. Those were two things that cannot be easily replaced. “It was. It will take time to fully replace the army. You should visit your men in the infirmary.”

“I will.” She assured the Lady-General. “I just came back from the slavers. Most of the tribesmen captured have been sold. They’ll be sent to work the fields.”

Eliana nodded, it wasn’t entirely surprising. The Ciahmashi were considered far too savage to work as cooks or household slaves but proved to be skilled laborers. “They would fetch a fine price.”

“Indeed.” Elizabeth said reluctantly, folding her arms and rubbing her elbows. She glanced back at the holding area where the prisoners were being kept before before being transported back to the farmlands. “Though it doesn’t feel right.”

“You know that this is a part of war.” Eliana reminded her second chiddingly, frowning as she looked as well at a group of barbarians being forced back by armed guards with spears. One man gets up and raises a scuffle with the guards, only to be shoved back down.

This doesn’t appear to convince the brown haired Tribune. She stood up, rising nearly a head taller than the General. “Its inhuman. These are people, not property to be sold and bought.”

Eliana spat on the ground, shaking her head. “That may be true, but people are angry about the destruction they left over. If a few want begin to see them as less than that.” The bitterness was hard to conceal in her voice.

Her second looked as if she wanted to speak some more about it, but kept her tongue back, though the unsatisfied expression on her face was proof enough that this wasn't the end of the discussion.

She continued watching as the heathen who was on the ground. He glared hatefully at his captors and felt a cold satisfaction at the loud CRACK of a pike shaft connecting with his nose and knocking the warrior out. “Is this all you wished to speak to me about.”

Her barbarian companion lowered her head, pulling her helmet's visor over her eyes and nodded. “Aye. I’d best return to my post now.”

Eliana walked back to her tent, she regretted her words. She couldn’t blame her for her loyalty towards her people. The older woman always walked a thin line between her two cultures. A job she did not envy her for having. But she was one of her soldiers, and she needed her loyalty. She was not going to apologize for that. “Before you go, call the captain of the Third Legion pikemen to my tent. I wish to speak to him.”

She didn’t wait for her reply of yes General. Elizabeth followed her orders. The Lady-General continued to trudge to her tent. The center was dominated by a simple desk and table which she used to sort files. At the side was a straw mattress and simple pillow. She resisted the urge to collapse right at her bed but forced herself to sit on her desk, grunting at the uncomfortable chair.

A body servant was at her at once, helping Eliana remove her mail shirt and legguards, leaving only her baldric with her Gladius along with her brown uniform, stained and covered in grime. She waved away any suggestions by her servant to have it cleaned. Here it only showed her authority over her soldiers.

The servant took a step back and disappeared into the bed area.

The tent flap flew, open and a young man walked in. He looked to be one the most unremarkable man she has ever seen. With medium height and plain mousy brown hair along with a slight stubble on his face. Yet there was steel in his amber eyes and his squared jaw made it clear that he was ready for anything I had to give.

He wore the standard armor of a soldier, though he bore a gold pin of a pair of spears crossed over a disk as a symbol of a captain that hung on his cloak. “Captain Flavius Traianus reporting. You called for me Lady-General?” He spoke with a slightly rural accent.

“Aye soldier.” Eliana replied, stretching her muscles and tried to get comfortable on her chair. “I saw you in the battle earlier today? You fought quite well there.”

“Thank you m’lady.” He smiled slightly and rubbed the back of his head and shifted from foot to foot.

She reached down for the Centurion's helmet and held it tightly in her hands, letting the captain see. “Do you know what this is?”

He inclined his head closer and picked up the helmet, examining the notches drawn on the top with chalk. “Centurion Nikias?”

“Indeed. He perished today on his cot.” Eliana said curtly, shaking her head. “His final wish was to give his old job to a soldier worthy.”

Flavius seemed to have understood the message quickly as he looked back down at the helmet. His eyes were wide in surprise as he set it down. “He can’t mean to speak of me? We’re not even of the same Legion!”

She silenced the captain with a swift wave of the hand. “He had said nothing of the sort. In fact he did not even give any names for his replacement. It was I who chose you for the job.”

“You General?” The helmet slid out of his grasp and clattered on the ground. Eliana simply grunted in annoyance as she waited for him to pick up the helmet and wipe of the dirt. “But what of my counts of insubordination?”

“A few cases of you disobeying your Centurion means nothing to me.” Eliana rose from her chair and began to walk in a circle around him. Flavius’s eyes followed her as she walked.

A small smirk tugged on her lips as she saw the discomfort. She raised his fist and waved it in the air as she spoke. “I need officers who take initiative and can think for themselves in battle. You have proven yourself capable of both in our recent battle. Additionally Tribune Elizabeth has spoken highly of your abilities. So do you accept?”

Flavius looked down, staring at his reflection against the metal. His eyes bored into it and there was a gleam of determination as he removed his old helmet and donned the new one. “I will be honored.”

She clapped him on the back and nodded approvingly. “That's what I want to hear. Now your first task is to begin recruiting new soldiers to replenish our ranks in this battle.”

He slammed his fist onto his chest, straightening and puffing his chest out. “At once Lady-General.” The newly promoted Centurion marched out leaving the general alone. She sighed and returned to her desk, sinking into her chair. Eliana begun to look over the papers left over by her offices.

Most were nothing of any real import, it was just documents regarding expenditures as well as reports from the border forts. One note however got her attention, it was a report from the fort closest to the Asaltian border. What was odd was it had a letter attached to it.

She pulled the letter out and opened it, recognizing the handwriting as one of Quintus’s best rangers, Satyros.  

General Amora.
There has been a massive build up of soldiers in the border. It is far too large to be a simple raiding party. By my count there are at least nine thousand men already assembled and more continue to pour in with each day. You may busy yourself with campaigning in the north, but your troops are needed here now.
-Satyros.


“Gather Quintus and some of his swiftest riders!” She suddenly called out, startling the servant who nearly fell over. Eliana simply handed him the letter as if to answer the questioning look on his face. “Give this to him and only him. Tell him we’re riding out tomorrow.”