WAR OF WHIPS

PART FIFTEEN (COLORS)

Idem walked with Tuli into the large, white tent and the sheer power and strength radiating from within made Idem feel like a child. The tent was at least thrice as large as either he or Tuli's and furnished with a large table that had six silver chairs sorrounding it, one for every present general. A large map of the Eastern extremes hung on the wall and the broken path was encircled with red ink. The entire tent smelled strangely of oranges and metal.

Idem sat on one of the the chairs as Tuli looked around then giggled childishly and Idem turned to look at him, eyebrows raised.

"You know, brother, with all the centuries you've existed, your behavior has not really outgrown a child's and I wonder if it is an act or if this is just you." He said and Tuli raised his eyebrow, grinning.

"Trust me, it is just me and what did you expect? That I'd wield my age like a hammer, smashing the foolishness of your youth? That I'd tell you of the torturous way the mind twists to accept the reality of a millennia of existence? That I'd whisper the loss and warp of memory and the weight of an age upon a man's shoulder? No, why should I? You will experience it as well in time and my age has also shown me the foolishness of crushing the hopes and illusions of youth." He said gravely then, almost as an afterthought, grinned. Idem narrowed his eyes.

"Aren't you a beautiful ray of sunshine on a dark day?" Idem asked and Tuli shrugged.

"I try my best, little brother. I really do." Then he went silent for a while before speaking again and this time it hit Idem's mind like a wave. He was speaking without talking.

"Do you think our father is a bad man?" He asked with such childish simplicity that it threw Idem off balance. He raised an eyebrow and knew that he could also reply with the same method. Tuli had made provisions for that.

"I guess to answer that question, you'll have to ask what exactly makes someone bad. Is a person bad because they have done a bad deed or good because they have done a good deed? What if they had to do what was bad in order to achieve something good and honorable, does that still make the bad act bad? Does the end justify the means?" Idem asked and Tuli waggled his eyebrows.

"Then we would have to ask what bad and good are in the first place and who we are to decide. A deed that's utterly bad to us is just so because of what we've been taught and conditioned over years to believe. Look at the Bulala warriors before father subdued them. They believed rape to be an honorable deed. Taking a woman by force was a testament to a man's superiority and they did not feel it was wrong in any manner. So you see? It does not touch their conscience to do that and it is not bad to them...at least from their perspective.

"Look at us for example. Some believe killing a man is a terrible deed but I have killed hundreds of thousands of men in my lifetime and you've killed hundreds but we believe we do good and it no longer touches our conscience. Tell me you see what we do as bad. I know you don't and it makes me wonder. Does our conscience decide what is bad and what isn't? But we deaden our conscience to a particular deed. Does that mean we change what is bad and what isn't? Then we really cannot say what is and isn't bad on a general scale. Eruption and castration! I'm sounding like a philosopher, aren't I? Been reading too much lately." Tuli said and Idem narrowed his eyes at him before he turned away, feeling Tuli leave his head.

Idem looked around, impatience welling up in him.

"Why is it that Elek takes pleasure in keeping people waiting?" He asked and Tuli shrugged.

"There's this saying...erm. I think....yes, yes. Something about patience and virtue and the fires of youth." Tuli said and waggled his eyebrows. Idem snorted and looked away. Just then, the three generals that came with them to the broken path stepped in and Idem's breath caught in his throat. Trailing behind was general Nsek. She was a short but skillfully carved woman with rock shoulders and fierce brown eyes. She had the full lips and high cheekbones of a beautiful woman but the hardness, muscle and strength of a warrior. Her dreadlocks were tied up on her head and she moved with the grace of a warrior but when it coupled with her beauty and the way the Flatlight caught her dark brown skin, it made her step almost hypnotic. She was about a hundred years. Young for a general whose life has been stretched but she was by far the most daring. She bowed to the princes in turn and went and sat on her chair, relaxed in a way that was anything but relaxed and Tuli waggled his eyebrows at Idem again. The man missed nothing.

A general named Bujura sat beside her. The man was exceptionally tall, almost as tall as Idem and with a breadth of shoulders that made Elek's look like a child's. He smelled of metal, leather and blood and his fierce yellow eyes looked at everyone and everything with hostility. Beside him was the quiet, observant Ashu and sitting beside him was Obima, a shrewd but sometimes insane man who grinned at the map like an old friend.

Elek came in later,clad in his Sand metal armor. He stood before them and turned to nod slightly at Idem and Tuli. He spread his hands open like he was about to bless than and he slowly brought it down on the table than looked directly at each of them in turn, boring into them with eyes that drove terror into the hearts of enemies and when he was satisfied that he had their attention, walked to the map on the tent wall.

"The enemy has retreated to Mkpume igwe, the iron rock. They have resupplied and reinforced and they will hit again....hard. I have word that they bring a Calvary of thirty thousand men, led by a formless priest and a few whip masquerades and the main force is about two hundred thousand warriors and five formless priests. The exact amount of whip masquerades is unknown." He said and looked around. These were hard men. They knew the numbers were against them even with the reinforcement of eighty thousand men they had received but they were veterans and they trusted Elek's ability to pull a victory from thin air. Idem tucked that knowledge away. He knew he would need it.

"Nsek will lead a Cavalry of twenty thousand men with Idem. Both your skills will be needed in distracting the enemy's Cavalry and leading them away from the main force. Obima and Ashu will hit the left flank in a mosquito bite with thirty thousand. Do not engage in an all out fight. Just engage briefly and pull away then repeat. Bujura and I will take the Vanguard with another thirty thousand and Tuli, you will take the right flank with the forty thousand left. Remember this. If we are defeated, there will be no other true defense that can be summoned in time against the enemy. They will plunder and destroy unchallenged for a long while until something decent can be arranged. Will we let this blackened shit get into our lands? Our home?" He asked and there were grunts of anger then Elek nodded, satisfied then Nsek spoke.

"Commander, sir. I would prefer going with Bujura. With all respect, darkness but your brother is green, barely out of his first battle. I will need an experienced hand." She said and Elek flashed her with eyes of granite and she stiffened.

"I decide who is green and who's not, general. Idem will ride with you. Besides, I think you'll find his skills rather impressive." He said and turned back to the map and Idem saw the annoyance in Nsek's eyes that was carefully masked. Idem clenched his fist, striving to take the insult but it tore at him. Nsek turned to look at him and there was disdain in her eyes. He gritted his teeth. He would show her who was green and who was brown. He turned away from her and focused on what Elek was saying.

Moments later, they were done and Idem walked out of the tent with Tuli. Tuli suddenly reached out to grab his shoulder.

"An advice from an ancient being. Do not, in your need to impress our damsel in there and prove your color, do something rash and utterly stupid. She's just a general and you are a prince. Keep that in mind." He said and Idem clenched his jaw then nodded. Tuli smiled.

"She is a beautiful one, though. No? I have not seen a woman get into your skin before. Hmm, this might be interesting...if you and her survive, of course." He said and Idem turned to him quickly.

"Do not go about making reckless assumptions, Tuli." He said and the man raised an eyebrow then Idem sighed then sucked his teeth.

"You're right though, she is beautiful. Funny I am thinking about that in a war." He said and Tuli laughed, clapping his back a few times. His face then turned serious and grave as his red eyes locked on Idem.

"Have you read the book?" He asked and Idem raised an eyebrow, finally remembering the book.

"Oh, that. I forgot..." He trailed off as he saw the look of pure anger in Tuli's eyes. The man rarely showed his anger but when he did, it was ugly and fierce. Tuli nodded and walked briskly away. Idem blew out air through puffed cheeks and walked to his tent, wondering about the sudden change in Tuli's demeanor.