As the column of solders from another fort broke off from our own and took another road, I saw for the first time just how depleted we were, when we left Fort Masser we were a column strong, now I could see that we were about half a column strong, with one thousand six hundred solders to a column that meant we lost eight hundred solders.
Shaking the thoughts from my head I looked at my friend marching to my right, and beyond him was my whole squad, safe and sound.
"Thank you counsel for hearing my prayer."I thought to the gods in my head.
Then Maximus looked at me and asked."Hey, you OK?"
"Yeah, I'm fine,"I said."just thinking."
"What about?"Maximus asked.
"Back in the city, about after they surrendered."I said, which was the truth, before I was thinking about the safety of my friends I had been thinking about the battles end.
"Yeah, I was thinking about that too,"Maximus started."is that standard procedure?"
"I don't know,"I answered."I know it is standard to execute the officers, but to execute all the captured troops seems a bit extreme,"I continued."and I know it is not standard to sack a city."
After the battle ended, when the enemy surrendered, all the officers were executed, then two hours later all the prisoners were put in front of a wall and shot. Then after that the General ordered the city to be plundered then burnt, against the objections of all the Captains, but, when the order came we followed it.
"Yeah, but was it legal?"Maximus asked.
"Yes, it was, Generals are given complete power in a situation like that, unless royalty is present,"I answered."then its up to them."
"Fat chance we'll ever see royalty in this hell hole."Maximus remarked.
"Yeah."I simply replied.
"Hey, you two better keep talk like that quiet,"Sarge said."you don't know who will turn you in."
"Its not illegal to say something like that."Maximus said.
"It is if you're in the military and its about the royal family."The sarge replied."Now, shut up and keep walking."
At the Sarges request we were silent the rest of the day, the long journey stretching on and on, the land never seemed to change here in Griffania, unlike the constantly changing landscape in Unicornia here it was all flat, with some small hills every now and then.
It was day nine in the march and day ten was around the corner, so we should have made it to the fort by mid day tomorrow. But, things always went different then planed, at about three in the after noon a messenger from Fort Masser arrived with new orders.
Whatever the orders were I and the rest of the troops were not made privy to that information and we continued on the same road toward Fort Masser, the day turned into night and we kept marching long past dark, I didn't understand why we marched so late into the night but we must have marched until two in the morning before we were ordered to pitch camp, which was done very quickly, then it was straight to bed.
In the morning we had a quick breakfast then we were off again at seven, and by about nine I could see the beautiful wall of the fort on its hill.
"The Captains must have really wanted to get back."I thought to myself.
But when the captains got to the cross road at the bottom of the hill, the left path going right to the front gate and the right path going toward the mountains, the captains of both legions turned right, and right past the gleaming fort we marched.
We marched for the rest of the day until the sun set, the heat finally letting its oppressive hand rest, and we all gathered around camp fires and had super.
"Where do you all think we are going?"Ice Heart asked.
"My guess would be the Mallhearen front."Corporal Iron Hide said with a mouth full of potatoes.
"But the Mallhearen plains are over seven hundred miles away."Ice Heart said.
"They sent me nine hundred miles for a battle once."The Sarge said.
"Join the army, see the world."Maximus said.
"Yup, and all the troubles it has."I added.
"Amen."Fire Ball agreed.
"This has been one long year."Swift Steel grumbled.
"By the gods, has it been a full year?"Ice Heart asked.
"Since we joined it has been one year and three months."Fire Ball answered.
"Fire Ball, how do keep track of the months, yet you cant tell time?"I asked.
"I don't know."Fire Ball answered.
"Well,"The Sarge started before gulping down the last of his soup."get some sleep, I bet we'll be marching rather early tomorrow."
At that, we all hit the sack, for in the morning we would have a long day ahead of us.