Indigo merged into the golden haze of the bloody sun plunging into the earth. The flare of ignited torches bounced off Thaddeus's helmet, exposing his daunting stare upon the skeletal trees ahead.

'Someone's back!' announced Edminus, voice reverberating through the ventail of his helmet.

Excitement swept the small group of exhausted soldiers waiting in the back, eager for the day's end. Thaddeus's fisted hand forced order among them, allowing nothing but the resonance of their silenced voices to ripple with the wind, seeping into the darkness closing in.

A battered boy stumbled into their circle of light; the sword dragged behind him bloody.

Edminus glanced the forest from where he came, a furrow between his brows. 'Your comrades?' he asked.

The boy gulped, mouth twitching downwards. 'They're dead, Lieutenant Edminus. I...' he choked, looking at the ground, 'killed them.'

Thaddeus's approach caused the boy to wince, his week knees forcing him to kneel.

'What's your name?'

The boy bowed, stuttering.

'Lift your head!' Thaddeus thundered.

He lifted his head as told, meeting his commander's dark gaze. 'Grei is my birth name, Lord Commander.'

Thaddeus took a long pose allowing the name to dissolve into the stillness of the night, studying the boy's hairless gaunt face. Skinny and young he was. Too young to carry the burden of killing.

'Grei perished today,' said Thaddeus reaching for Grei's sword, 'dead along with those he has killed.'

Grei's eyes glinted, following his bloody sword, flickering lights of nearby torches swimming in his welled tears.

Thaddeus inspected the ridges of the worn blade with his thumb before thrusting its length into the sky, 'Illdin of the Damned, born to die for the cause!'

Grei bashed his armored chest, tears coursing down his blood-smeared face, repeating, 'Born to die for the cause!'

'BORN TO DIE FOR THE CAUSE,' hooted the soldiers repeatedly, the metallic ring of their thumped armors deafening.

'Welcome to the creed, brother.' said Thaddeus, placing the sword back into Grei's shaky palms.

With a flick of Edminus's hand rushed the soldiers, carrying the last of their brothers over their shoulders, marching to their well-earned new home, The Demon's Eye.

'Once, we too were like them.' said Edminus, his arms crossed over his chest, joining Thaddeus's side.

A whisper of Thaddeus's birth name left him bloodless, resurrecting a chain of memories forcibly submerged in the deepest pits of his mind.

His hands raced to lift his helmet, allowing him to inhale the chill of the night. A blow of crisp wind billowed his disheveled hair away from his sheen face, his friend's question almost unheard.

'Joining us tonight?'

'I haven't decided.' he answered, dismissing the images forced into his mind, marching forward.

'Decided?' wondered Edminus, taking off his helmet as well, 'Lord Commander, decisions tonight should exclusively be in relations to whom shall warm your bed!'

Thaddeus chuckled, 'Are women all you think of?

'Without a doubt!' laughed Edminus, following.

'So, what's the answer?'

Thaddeus lifted his hand, helmet in his grip.

'What does that even mean?'

'It means that I wish not to be bothered tonight.'

'Interesting! Escaping was never one of your tactics, Lord Commander.'

'Escaping?'

'Why not admit your desire of savoring the taste of that mystery woman?'

Thaddeus came to a sudden halt, rage pulsing through his veins. 'This has nothing to do with her!'

'It has everything to do with her judging by your reaction.'

Thaddeus huffed, continuing his march towards the cluster of lights flickering in the distance, Edminus's thumping steppes echoing behind him.

'Whatever it is you're hiding, Thaddeus, its effects on you are surfacing!'

Thaddeus stopped, hand clutching the hilt of his sword, his dark irises blazing with anger.

'Wow,' said Edminus backing away a few steps, 'It is serious!'

Thaddeus exhaled, looking away, 'Since when have you...' he asked, releasing his weapon.

'A while.'

'How long?'

'A couple of months.'

Thaddeus's heart raced. 'Did anyone else—'

'Sense it? No one knows you better than I; hence, it's probably just me.'

Thaddeus ran his palm over his mustache. A frustrated exhale escaping him.

'I won't pressure you into talking, Thaddeus. I want you to know that whatever it was, we can deal with it together, brother.'

An awkward stillness forced its weight upon the two men.

Minutes passed without the reply Edminus had expected. Without adding anything else, he left leaving Thaddius behind. 

What would've he said had he talked, wondered Thaddeus, the gushing wind flapping his cloak.

Tell of the nightly onslaught of nightmares tormenting his slumber. The unexplained feelings he has for the trespassing enchantress, or the ghostly recollections of the past visiting him unannounced.

Weakness gnawed at him, creating a void filled with fear. Overwhelmed, he lifted his head, facing the clear sky. The rising moon gleamed in the middle of it like a giant pearl sitting on silk, the stars its glimmering jewels.

He had to be at The Pentagon tonight, sharing the recruit's celebration. It would enforce his authority. He could not let a trivial matter ruin what he has worked his whole life to achieve. There is nothing that good wine and women could not fix, Edminus always said, and he might be right; it might give his restless mind a break.

Thaddeus recalled the creamy, silky texture of Maulirian wine over his tongue, its fruity smell filling his nostrils, and its delicious sharpness gliding down his throat. He imagined Wanaus's lustful gaze burning at him as her tender hands cupped the chalice.

His blood boiled, Wanaus's warmth hungrily craved—the motion of his feet carried him to where she would be awaiting him tonight, The Pentagon.

***

'Give them whatever they demand.' said Egdum, her voice a little over the music played in the background, 'Today is their day as it is yours.' she added, scanning the nervous faces of the young girls ready for their first assignment. Her sight caught the towering figure of the commander ducking the draped flaps of the entrance, marching into The Pentagon. 'Now, go!' she instructed, leaving their side, rushing to meet him.

A ritualistic mixture was the rhythmic bam of drums and the hypnotic sway of dancers. Gauzy dresses waved perfumed scarves, and tolled anklets awakened the primal, animalistic quality of men, desire.

Thaddeus paused, feasting his eyes, pleasant aroma sucked into his lungs, aware of Egdum's presence only when she knelt in front of him.

'Greetings, Lord Commander. How can I be of service this evening?'

Alluring she was, though older than the rest. Feared and respected by those serving under her authority. A leader by nature. Once his father's most favorited Edanom.

'I'd like to drink my fill of the Maulirian wine.'

'Surely, My Lord, anything else? A new girl perhaps?' she asked, lifting her gaze, observing his reaction.

'Wanaus,' he answered without hesitation, 'as usual.'

'Absolutely, she'd be with you shortly, My Lord.'

She rose as the music came to an end, retreating behind the curtains dividing the space, the tail of her burgundy dress swept behind her.

The agile steps of dancers followed briskly maneuvering between their peers, passing their paused leader and the absent-minded Wanaus anxiously stirring the colorful beads of her necklace.

'Wanaus.' Egdum called, tapping her shoulder.

Her heart skipped a beat, reading Egdum's lips, 'He asked for you.'

Waves of heat crashed over her, rising from the pit of her stomach to her thumping heart, causing her to shudder. Her cheeks burned, and a smile took its presence atop her lips. He called for her when he could have had anyone else! She stood, a glimmer in her eyes, grin hidden behind clasping hands.

'Yesterday never happened, do you understand?' Egdum instructed, eyes hard.

Wanaus shook her head, lips pressed together, hands straightening her purple dress.

Egdum leaned, space between them closed, 'It is he who matters. His comfort. His pleasure. His content, not yours. Remember that.' she whispered.

'Yes, Ma.' replied Wanaus, her eyes to the ground, her smile flattened.

'Now go, don't keep him waiting.'

'What of me, Ma?' asked Rekan, 'haven't Lieutenant Edminus ask for me yet?'

'He did ask, but not for you,' she turned at the group of girls giggling close by, 'It's Quil's company he desires tonight.'

A tall, thin girl stood, hands over her mouth, eyes impossibly wide, 'Me?'

'Yes, Quill, you. Do we have another Quil here?'

She immediately dipped her head, face flushed, 'No, Ma.'

'Then get moving; the Lieutenant has been waiting for a while.'

Quill muffled her giggles, passing her friends.

Wanaus's heart sank, her hand clutching Rekan's shivering hand.

Change.

Their biggest fear which she, too, was not far from. It was a matter of time, and she knew it. To be easily tossed for another, crushed like dead leaves under men's absolute power, unjustly subjected to their fleeting, lustful choices. Cattle hoarded for no more than sexual pleasure was the purpose of their being. A fate they willingly agreed upon in the name of the creed and their desire for survival.

'Wanaus! What are you still here for?' cried Egdum, a frown on her forehead.

Wanaus flinched, pulling her hand, laying an apologetic glance at her friend as she dashed towards the crowded passageway, passing the next group of dancers getting ready.

Their glances exposed their envy and their wish to be like her, an Edanom. Everything would change then. They would no longer belong to the many but to one until gifted to another or no longer able to serve. An Edanom was the highest rank any of the women could achieve, upon whom the stability of the colony relay.

By the elongated mirror next to the exit of overlapping curtains, Wanaus paused, staring at her reflection.

It is he who matters. His comfort. His pleasure. His content, not yours. Remember that.

'Not yours.' she whispered, adjusting the bodice of her dress where it hugged her breasts, leaning closer to the mirror, pressing her lips together, observing the blood's rush to its surface.  She slid her curls over her shoulders, exhaling before continuing on her way through the sheen curtains, separating her from the world of men.