Vaxes watched the injured and defeated trail back to the safety of her lines. She met the eyes of some of them, bloodied, some missing limbs.

One was wailing in anguish, clutching his bleeding stump of an arm. A rider fell off his horse, his back was embedded with more arrows than a porcupine's hide.

Some crawled, others walked defeatedly. Their eyes said their thoughts-this wasn't the glory she promised them. She had failed them.

She shuddered slightly at the thought. She had never experienced a mutiny. She didn't pray to. Here and now, it would mean certain defeat-if she was lucky.

There were stories of generals torn from limb to limb by disgruntled soldiers. Two hundred years ago, Akita the unrelenting was impaled on his on banner by his own men!

After three years of an unsuccessful siege at Tahita, that claimed more lives of his men. It was said that he groaned for days while birds tore out his eyes and feasted on his flesh!

That was not her fate.

Beside her, Ivack's dark eyes smoldered with a cold intensity. He had striped his injured arm of armor, he had bandaged it. And yet he still returned to the front.

He hadn't led a charge since then, but his eyes told her that even a one handed Ivack was deadly. His fighting spirit was still there. No doubt, he would be the first to reach for her when a mutiny starts.

Be calm, she willed herself.

This was the fourth assault altogether. Each one followed the other with at least an hour's interval.

She wanted to look desperate, to appear unhinged and reckless, battering her armies senseless against the enemy, to look vulnerable and baiting. She had to sacrifice them. It was for the good of Thigia, the ultimate good.

They now smile with the gods.

Did she really believe that? No! Her faith can wait later. Now, she was thinking and unless the gods were willing to perform a wonder as in the tales, they had better not disturb her thinking.

Each time she sent an assault, she increased it, made it more the previous, more tempting for the Alamarians to pursue down into the plains, into her waiting jaws.

She had used her men for life bait and the bloody fish wasn't biting!

She had started with acting desperate but now she was really becoming desperate.

The sun was obscured by a passing cloud and a cool fell with the shadow. Her men were tired, she hoped the Alamarians were too.

She sighed, offed her helmet and scratched her hair.

What would father do?

No answer came.

Sighing and scratching was what she did, until the sun was out again.

Late afternoon, she was running out of time. This battle wasn't meant to take more than a day. Much was at stake. The Alamarians must not be allowed to get reinforcements. Alamaria was her price! Her hope!

What to do? Her eyes narrowed to slits. To catch a big fish, one must use bigger bait, irresistible bait!

A shark wouldn't fall for worms, so the fishermen say.

It was a gamble, reckless, bigger than any of the assaults she had ever done. Gods if they could hear her now, she was about to play the biggest gamble. Virani of the sea, Hira of the winds and all gods, should stop and watch her.

They hadn't answered her prayers as a girl, but she was willing to forget those if they came to her aid now.

I should have offered a fowl at the temple for luck.

She called her officers and explained.

****

After she dismissed her captains, she touched Meat for comfort. There was no going back now.

She turned to her men, it was time to boost morale. She was no eloquent courtier but she knew a thing or two about rallying men with words.

"Touch their hearts, show them their strengths. And inspire them." Her father's voice was at it again.

She took a sweep of her army. Ranks of cavalry clutching the banners of the ship that sailed on a strip of land and sea. A representation of Thigian dominance everywhere. A sea of steel armor, grim faces, men ready to die at her command.

For how long, though?

"Soldiers of Thigia! Children of sea, conquerors of earth, terror of our enemies!"

She punched a fist into the air. Somehow that had warmed her up, made her rapturous. She hoped it seemed so to them.

It seemed a million years to her before she heard their ecstatic yells, bashing of shields and stamping of spears.

She exhaled. They answered, they were still hers.

Roused, she went on. "We set out to bring glory to Thigia. To bring terror to our enemies, to teach them the error of opposing almighty Thigia destined by the gods to rule all. To turn them into another glorious story to tell our children. To spur our men into action and strike fear in the heart of our enemies for centuries after we are dust and legends.

"We have come very far my friends. We have sacrificed so much. Shall we turn back now to flee and spit on the blood of our fallen brothers?"

She got a resounding rattling of steel as loud cries of defiance swept through the army. "No!" "Never!" "Till I die!"

She nodded, drunk in the moment. She should have been born a rhetoric. She tightened her fist even more.

"Five times did Alari and his bold companions storm the unfallen citadel of Ikos, built by giants and fortified by sorcery ancient. Four times, they failed. But on the fifth! On the fifth! The gods went with them and the citadel fell.

"Four times we have tried, now this is the fifth. This time the gods go with us!" She yelled, mad with excitement.

The soldiers clattered and yelled even more madly. It was expert to compare them to the legendary Alari and to invoke the gods. To give them the likeness of extra human likeness. This was genius.

She raised both arms together. "Now brothers, We will march together as one. Those who are injured but yet bear the heart to fight for Thigia may join us. We will strike as one. We would ride up that hill... "

"By day's end those cowardly Alamarians will know who ruled the world when they were yet infants."

"Today, we ride into legend! To die in glory if we must and be rushed into the realm of our fathers unashamed and bathed in the blood of our enemies! I shall lead you all to glory as I promised, for Thigia!"

She gave a piercing cry. If she had been a man it would have been deeper.

The horns blared as the army fell into formation.

She seemed drunk with ecstasy as she mounted her grey mare. She drew Meat high as horns blared and drums rolled.

The thrill, the live, the joy. She felt truly alive. This was it. She would throw everything at them. Let them stand that!

Meat caught the sun's rays that danced across him. She felt as if her father was at her side now, like old times. Was it because of Meat? It was said swords bear the souls of their wielders throughout their lives. Was father living in Meat?

Her blade gleamed unconcernedly.

This was it. She kicked into her steed. and led her army on ward on a large spreading arrow head formation.

She galloped, delirious. She felt dreamy, like a hero of the stories brought to life. Rocks and grasses passed in a blur.

This was more than any feeling, more than living. She was more than alive! She was a living legend.

Ahead the wall of mountains loomed. She laughed at the soldiers at the pass. How could they stand before her?

The foothills! She had arrived.

Out criers had gone ahead of her crying. "Tremble, Alamarian animals, Vantu the child of lightning is here!"

Yes, yes! I'm the daughter of lightning, the thunder of my father. Hear me roar!

This was the biggest bait. She had brought herself forth, who could resist?

A cloud of arrows more thicker than most she had seen came in response from the pass.

It whizzed and whistled like angry bees intent on dealing death. They found their prey, they descended.

Panic broke behind her, horses and men broke up in a frenzy of blood and chaos.

At once her right and left flank broke off, falling behind in the charge-retreating.

That didn't bother her. Let the enemy think them cowards, she rode on undeterred, under rain of arrows, laughing maniacally.

I'm truly alive.

She got up the last slope leading to the pass. Her men poured before her like lions on rampage heading for the Alamarian lines.

The Alamarian shields stood firm and their spears bust out into the attackers like strikes of a thousand vipers. More arrows poured like rain. Her men were beaten back, the high ground of the defenders left them open. They were dying even before they could strike a blow.

This was a slaughter.

She knew she couldn't break through their lines. She did what she had never done before. She turned around and fled downhill, sounding the retreat.

Her men came after her like dogs with tails ducked between their legs.

She looked over her shoulder at the Alamarian shields.

This was the time. All gods, this was it. She had gambled against all odds. Now, let them come to her aid, it was now or never.

Incredibly, like a dream the Alamarian shields parted and they poured out, charging down hill after her!

Vaxes roared with mad joy, she buried her face in the mane of her galloping horse.

Yes, yes, yes!