The War Cry of the Lost (Part 2)

Two Weeks Prior

General Matthias of the Hygri Army fanned himself. The heat, unabating, was beginning to munch on his nerves.

"General, please. We have to know their plan." The voice behind him was trembling, nervous. Good.

The General turned to him. "I already know their game plan. They have no loyalty to their king. They will retreat at their earliest convenience."

The small soldier in front of him was nervously fiddling with the buttons on his jacket. "Yes, but . . . Sir, are you sure?"

Matthias turned back to face the giant hill ahead of him.

He sensed more than saw the soldier get more and more nervous. The buttons on the front of his shirt were clinking against the buttons on his sleeve as he fidgeted. Matthias heard him scratching himself.

"Spring is right around the corner, Samuel."

The soldier, nervous as to why his General referred to him by name, said, "Sir--pardon me, sir--but it's the middle of August."

The General whirled on him. "Yes, but eventually, Spring will come, and we must be ready for it when it does." The soldier looked nervously at him, not fully understanding.

General Matthias sighed and turned away again, irritated. He was getting tired of rotating. "Just as we have to be ready for Spring, so we have to be ready for this army of King Tulio, unloyal as his people may be."

“Y-yes, that’s good, sir . . . General, sir.”

Matthias, tired of this charade, dismissed the soldier with a wave of his hand. After a long pause, the soldier shuffled out.

The General huffed. He heard a tent flap open, a sound that was much like a muffled clap, as the soldier disappeared into a nearby tent. Tired of turning, Matthias continued to face the hill.

“You’re tired.” The voice, high and feminine, purred from behind him.

“Yes, well, that happens when you’re at the top of the command chain. Not to mention that this is an army of fools. Well, at least I can trust my commanders.”

The woman approached him and gently began to massage his shoulders in the most seductive way possible. Matthias shuddered in delight.

“You should rest,” she whispered, holding out the last word like it was an invitation.

Matthias thought about it, and he even considered saying yes to her unspoken offer, but he had too many things he needed to get done. “I’m sorry, love,” he said, spinning to face her. Her pink lips were open in slight surprise and hurt.

She recovered, smiling warmly and trailing her finger down her perfect Grecian nose. “Oh, alright. But don’t forget, twilight is coming soon.” She went back into the tent, giving him a little finger wave as she went. Matthias wouldn’t forget.

He sighed as he faced the hill again. He didn’t really know why he liked it. It was a rather short hill, dotted with flowers and blanketed in knee-high grass. The other hills surrounding it were much more impressive, with more slope, more flowers, and more overall grandeur. But this one . . . this one.

He’d always been attracted to less commonly liked things. His friends had always reminded him of this, and he had always obliged them by quoting some lesser-known theologian, or an author that’s never been heard of. He grimaced, remembering his school days. Matthias had taken an interest in things such as war strategy, pain, and theologians and philosophers who were dismissed. He’d searched for flaws in these theologies and strategies, filling in the gaps with his own reasoning. He’d debated with his teachers, who were well learned in the philosophies of Socrates and Aristotle and the like. Matthias tried to insert the philosophies of those ignored men and found that their reasoning hadn’t been far off, only dismissed due to the time period or some gaps in their points.

He didn’t remember his school days very fondly, as his teachers abhorred his constant argumentative inputs. He was also disliked by his fellow classmates because of this.

Matthias swirled and walked towards the center of camp, calling his commanders to him. “Otis, come. Leon, you too. We have plans to discuss.”

They followed obediently, slowly joined by three more of their rank. Thankfully, they didn’t ask questions or chat amongst themselves, as many of the foot soldiers did. They just followed silently behind him, waiting for instructions from their commander.

Matthias led them to the same tent in front of the hill, where the woman was pouring from a pitcher of wine. Six glasses. Perfect.

She handed them out to each of the commanders, giving each one a dazzling smile and a slight curtsy. She handed a glass to Matthias with a wink, then walked to the back of the tent, poured herself a cup, and sat down to watch. The commanders, quite accustomed to her constant presence, did not ask any questions.

“Now,” said Matthias after giving the men a chance to collect themselves, “we are supposed to be at war, yes?” His commanders nodded. “Well, we have not seen King Tulio’s army, but we know that their camp lies somewhere beyond those hills. We also know that they are quite unloyal to him and that they do not expect an attack anytime soon.

“Well gentlemen, we are going to give them the surprise of their lives. In two days, we will begin the journey into the hills. We have the element of surprise on our side, so we will storm down into the valley as soon as we know they don’t see us coming. We will attack, leaving them battered and bruised. And broken.”

He let the silence gather while he watched his commanders’ faces. They were all looking at one another, nodding slightly or cocking their heads. As the General had suspected, he had most of them on his side. He turned to look at the woman in the back. She nodded, her lips pressed together in earnest approval.

He smiled grimly at her. “Well, gentlemen…?”

His commanders nodded in unison. “Whatever it takes to get this bothersome army off our back,” said Commander Leon. “Our soldiers want to go home to their families.”

General Matthias smiled, but it never reached his eyes. “Spring is coming.”