Chapter 28

Ishar was clean, for the first time in days he actually felt clean. It was a good feeling, he likened it to the caress of a lover midmorning even though he'd never been caressed by anyone or had a lover for that matter. Ishar was dressed in a brown shirt and black breeches together with his grey cloak. The soldiers had been generous enough with their spare clothing but they had been unable to get him any shoes or sandals hence why he was still barefoot. Ishar didn't mind, he liked the feel of the ground beneath his feet.

Mairek walked beside him while shivering, a small courtesy of the cold bath they'd dipped into. Ishar had noticed while going through the procedure of scrubbing bird shit and egg from his face, that Mairek didn't have a mark on his chest from where Ishar had placed his hand. Ishar had observed the mark on his own chest and still found it to be a vibrant dark hand print against his sepia colored skin. Ishar wondered if Mairek could see the mark of the God Ovek but he decided against inquiring, something about him had unnerved Mairek judging by how his friend snuck worried glances at him when he thought he wasn't looking.

They'd eaten to their fill while in the tent shared by half a dozen of the soldiers that had accompanied them. The soldiers had provided them with butter and cheese which was a rare delicacy especially in an army barrack. There was something odd with the way the soldiers treated them, especially how their eyes never left Ishar and how they all stopped whatever they were doing to listen to him whenever he spoke. Ishar and Mairek had eaten the last of their bread and smoked meat and it had been enough to cater to the growling of their stomachs. They were clean, they were fed and they felt fresh. Now all that was left was to see the King for Gods know what reason.

Ishar and Mairek found themselves once more walking in the middle of the dozen soldiers who had accompanied them towards the end of their trip. They made their way past numerous tents seemingly maneuvering towards the middle of the whole encampment. "They are so beautiful." Mairek whispered. Ishar had been staring straight ahead at the back of Kenne's and Goki's heads who walked side by side, guiding their march. Mairek's words caught him off guard and he turned to face his friend.

"I don't know about Kenne but Goki might have been an eye catcher back in the day." Ishar whispered back.

"What? I'm not talking about them you idiot, look at the women around you." Mairek answers, not bothering to whisper anymore.

Ishar complied and looked around him, he almost stopped dead in his tracks. The night's darkness was fought by the warm orange glow of the torches lit around the camp. The flames danced upon the torches and the light emanating from them bathed dark skin that looked smooth to the touch, green eyes of various shapes and sizes each as captivating as the last and delicate limbs complimented by lustrous curves that insinuated the glory of femininity.

Beautiful Talisi women passed by them and walked along with them but at a distance. They walked in pairs as if afraid of solitude with their faces that were symmetrical marvels turned away from the passing soldiers as if in an effort to hide contempt and their white hair danced around their heads from the gentle breeze that had found its way to the center of the camp. "Why hadn't I seen them before?" Ishar spoke aloud as he took note of the red gowns each Talisi woman wore. The gowns were wrapped around their bodies haphazardly leaving bits of dark skin bare that drew the eyes of every man.

"They are positioned closest to the King, as every gift ever given to the Binorians during a gift giving is." Memo, the skinny soldier with knobbed fingers answered Ishar. There was bitterness in his voice and Ishar turned his eyes to meet the man's. Memo looked away, as if ashamed of it all.

Ishar withdrew his attention from the soldier and turned to face Mairek. "We have to save them all."

"What?" Mairek asked.

"We can't find Niada in all this and even if we do we can't just leave the rest of these girls to meet their fate in Binoria, think of all the Talisi men who have daughters here, sisters or lovers?" Ishar spoke loud enough for even Kenne and Goki to hear. "We can't let this happen, Mairek. We have to do something."

"What the fuck do you expect us to do Ishar? Saving one girl had a low probability in itself. Five thousand girls? How in Tabrimas will we pull that off?" Ishar could tell Mairek was fuming by the tone of his voice but he didn't have an answer for his friend. He had no idea how they would save five thousand girls but maybe the answer lay with King Gans.

Goki and Kenne led them to the largest tent in the whole encampment that was set right in the middle of it all. The tent was in the middle of a clearing and had five sides to it with two Green Army soldiers positioned next to each side while dressed in full green armor with large swords in their scabbards. Kenne approached the two soldiers positioned at the entrance flap. "I request an audience with King Gans."

"Be gone Entrail Seer! The King is conversing with the Chief Red priest and shall not entertain anyone else." One of the guards spoke in a deep booming voice.

"The Chief Red priest is a Flame Seer, is he not? Is the King seeking the will of Meena?" Kenne asked.

"Be gone Entrail Seer!" The guard replied harshly.

Ishar sighed loud enough to turn several heads in his direction including one of the guards. He departed the safety of the huddled soldiers, passed Goki and went to stand beside Kenne. Ishar looked up at the towering guard who was several heads taller than him. "You think you're so tough because you're so tall and have a deep voice, guess what? Yours isn't the deepest voice I've heard." Ishar said. Mairek visibly face palmed himself.

The guard lowered his helmeted head to observe Ishar, "Entrail Seer, you dare bring a Kolotian, an outsider! To stand before the King?"

"We carry a message from the Gods meant for the ear of the King." Kenne answered.

"Gods? The King is currently consulting the only deity whose message matters." The guard replied.

Ishar curled his fingers into fists, he took a step back, a plan forming in his mind. It was simple, he would barrel through the arrogant soldier before him and spear his way into the tent by force. Sure the man had a huge sword attached to him plus his armor probably weighed three times Ishar's weight but Godsdammit there was no time to follow logic! He had to see the King, they had to do something to stop the Talisi Kingdom from sacrificing its own daughters, from sacrificing Niada! Ishar prepared to charge.

Suddenly a large screeching sound could be heard from the King's tent, the screech rose in tempo and became a loud scream that could shatter glass. At exactly the same time Ishar let out a scream of his own and charged towards the tent. The two guards positioned at the entrance of the tent turned in unison to sprint into the tent to aid the King and Ishar found himself barreling past them easily as the guards' attention was fully focused on the tent.

Ishar speared his way past the tent flaps while screaming, however, the sight he beheld within the King's tent cut his scream short. In the middle of the tent that held a range of various shades of the color green was a small fire that flickered with alternating violet and amber flames . There was an old man dressed in red robes lying on the ground close to the fire screaming his head off while crawling away from the fire towards the end of the tent where a stocky figure sat on a throne with two men on either side of it. The old man in red screamed while crawling away from the flames and his screams formed into the same words repeated over and over. "THE MAD KING IS HERE! THE MAD KING IS HERE! THE MAD KING IS HERE!.. "

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