Broken Soul

Michael

Michael wasn't able to help out in the healer's tent as long as he wanted to. Only an hour later, his uncle shipped him off to the command tent. Here, he was sitting on a chair while prominent knights, commanders, and nobles were standing around a small table discussing their next step.

He had been able to visit Samuel for a moment, though. The young noble had been a sorry sight with his arm shattered and several ribs too. Richard had been at his side and explained that Samuel would be fine even if he was expected to be bedridden for a couple of days at least.

It would get easier once he woke up. Once he was able to consciously direct his mana, his healing rate would skyrocket.

"I have sent out a pair of my men to redirect my father to Greyhold, so there shouldn't be any reason for us to linger here," Theden Wallsten said, pulling Michael back to the conversation.

"Good," Lord Grim replied and turned his gaze to Sola, who was the second person who was sitting. The priestess had been forcefully thrown out of the healer's tent by the other priests after most of the truly critical patients had been tended to. If Michael didn't know better, he would have said she was a wraith or something.

"Sister, how is the situation with the wounded? I would like to break camp and leave at first light tomorrow. Can that be done?"

Sola blinked a couple of times and then slowly turned her head to the lord. "It isn't optimal, there are many injured whose injuries will worsen if we move them. Having them in a better environment will help others, though. We will just have to make it work," she said with a sigh.

"What about the prisoners we took?" Lord Namer asked. "We took quite a great number. Are we able to guard all of them?"

"We will execute the mages and oathbound. It is too dangerous to keep them. The knights can easily contain the rest. We will sell them once back in Grent, and the profit will be distributed between the houses that participated in shares equal to their participation," Lord Grim explained without a hint of empathy in his voice.

Except for Eydis and Sola, no one seemed to take any offense to that plan, but before either one of the women could protest, Michael rose from his chair and stared into the group with outrage.

"We will certainly do no such thing!" he declared. "We will not murder prisoners-of-war. What are we animals?"

"Michael, I know this is your first campaign, but this is how things are done. We can't take them with us, and we are definitely not going to cut them free, so what other option is there?" Theden said stoically.

"We do have other options, and for the record, that isn't the only thing I do not agree with. This whole thing has been caused by exactly this behavior of killing or enslaving prisoners," Michael argued.

"You also disagree with selling the prisoners off? What are we supposed to do? Just let them go so that they can slit our throats tomorrow," Lord Namer asked with a condescending tone.

Michael scowled at the man, but his uncle stopped him from snapping back. "Michael, we owe this success to you, no matter how you look at it. Thus, I would like to hear your plan on what to do with the prisoners."

His uncle seemingly expected him to have a plan on hand, so he wasn't surprised when he actually laid one out.

"First of all, we will not kill any of our prisoners if we do not have to. We can force the mages and augmenters to vow not to cause trouble, and those who refuse, we can put into an alchemical coma if we have to. As you said, the rest can easily be suppressed by the knights," Michael started explaining, but was interrupted by Theden with a question.

"So, we are supposed to trust our lives on their word?"

"The Rangda place a very high value on oaths as long as they are reasonable and made right. We do know how to make them, too," Michael explained and pointed toward Eydis.

"Once we have them back with us, we will sell them, but not as slaves. We will ransom them back to their tribes just as we would with any other kingdom's warriors. Those that can't raise the ransom, we will return with an oath that they may not attack the kingdom for five to ten years."

"Why not into perpetuity?" Geron asked.

"No, an oath has to be reasonable. If we do that, then the likelihood of them breaking it is much, much higher. If we set a length that can be expected to be kept, then most will not dare anger their gods by breaking it," Michael explained.

"Either way, we will have to fight them again one day," Sir Helbrect said, obviously not a fan of the idea. "I don't see the advantage of doing it like this instead of just doing it as we have always done. Warriors who are dead can't fight, and if we sell them off, they won't be our problem anymore."

Michael shook his head decidedly. "Wrong! For every man we kill, a son will become filled with hate and an undying wish for revenge. With every woman we sell into slavery comes a husband who will invade the kingdom to find her."

He looked around in the tent to look for understanding.

"Don't you see this cycle of violence will continue if no one makes the first step to break it? The families of those who return home will be overjoyed to have them returned, a feeling that surely will sweep away all notions of revenge."

Those more familiar with Michael's unorthodox thought processes nodded, but neither Theden, the knight commander, nor the nobles from Grent seemed convinced.

"I think you are too optimistic, Lord Rowan," Baron Namer said. "These animals wouldn't even know what to do with gratitude if you threw them into a barrel of it. They will return home with stories of how we mistreated them and in a few months' time will be straight back at raiding and pillaging."

Michael could hear Eydis growl at the description of her former people.

"I think you are stuck in your prejudices and hatred, Baron," Michael replied sharply. "I have already proven that long-term peace and trade are possible with the Vargr-Släkt in the beastwoods. I am confident that the Rangda are even less different than us, and I think I wouldn't harbor animosity to a foe who I planned to attack but still returned our prisoners."

"I am not so sure if they are capable of such civilized thought," another Grent baron smirked.

"You should show more respect for your enemy, or you are bound to underestimate them, like being caught completely off guard by a multiple-thousand-strong army forming," Tara came to Michael's aid before he could reply. "I for one agree with Michael that these constant fights are helping no one, and if we can lay the groundwork for a more peaceful coexistence with the Rangda, then we should try.

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"I mean, look around! Do you think Reen could have sent such a large relief force if they had to fear raids and attacks at any moment? I can't see any advantage in this cycle of blood and tears. Anyone who does should think back on the oaths he once made and reconsider if he is worthy of his title."

Michael stared at his cousin with a perplexed expression. Her passionate speech made her seem like a raging fire as her hair swung with every gesture.

He had not expected to get this kind of support from her. She had spent the last two years struggling not just with monsters but with the very people she was now advocating for. But maybe that was exactly why she was grasping for this opportunity. She had experienced firsthand what damage the Rangda could do the moment they stumbled, and rather than make her hate them, she realized that the hatred was the problem.

These were only his assumptions, but he would have to ask her about that later.

Tara's outburst had a much greater effect on the men of Grent than Michael would have expected. Some were looking on stoically, but others looked apologetic or even ashamed. Tara seemed to have gained a lot of respect, and it made Michael respect her even more as well.

"Thank you, cousin," Michael said and nodded at her appreciatively. She smiled back at him with a fierce expression.

"It might not be my opinion, but I believe my lord father would also support this plan," Theden said with a sigh, and so all eyes turned to Lord Grim, whose plan had been called into question.

He had stayed eerily silent throughout the whole discussion and now inspected Michael. After a few moments, he nodded.

"Fine. We will do it your way, but you will have to pay for their food and accommodations if it takes longer to organize their return home," the count said. "The ransom will then be divided as the spoils would have been before."

Everyone nodded in agreement, even if not everyone seemed fully on board with the idea.

"Good, now that that is sorted. What do the scouts report?" Lord Grim turned to Captain Wendel, who was the leader of the outriders.

The man was in his mid-thirties, had a thin figure, a bald head, and intelligent eyes.

"Milords. My men have been harassing the Rangda while they are retreating. So far, there is no indication of them rallying and attempting a counterattack," he reported, his voice weirdly raspy.

"Good. That means we can retreat orderly, and if they can't manage an attack now, they probably won't again for at least a few months," Lord Grim announced, looking pleased.

Tara looked confused and asked, "Why is that, Father? They still have two thousand men and outnumber us, even with the lord duke's reinforcements."

"You didn't have to deal with alliances of clans before, so it is no surprise that this confuses you, milady," Sir Helbrect said. "The losses they took were devastating for a single battle. It will leave the clans that were present in a majorly weakened state, and some of them will have had their warriors completely wiped out. The problem for them is that not all clans were present. The Rangda like to fight each other nearly as much as they like to fight us. This means that there are clans that are at full strength and others that have lost half their warriors or more until we send them back. They will most likely devolve into infighting."

Eydis whistled to get the attention, and then Michael began to translate for her.

"Eydis believes there will be little to no overt fighting. They are all bound by the rules of the Kirhen, which do not allow fighting. There will be a lot of political infighting, though. Those who took the brunt of this battle won't want to continue fighting, while those who didn't will want to bully the clans that have."

Eydis hesitated and then continued, "There is also the issue that many people saw her betray the Rangda, which will cause them to not want to go ahead with the Kirhen called for by a clan of traitors."

Silence fell on the tent as no one wanted to say the obvious. In the end, it was Geron who spoke up.

"They will turn your clan into the scapegoat and abandon the war."

Eydis nodded simply, her face a forced mask of calm

"I intended to inform you later, but some members of your former clan have been brought in by the outriders. I assume they won't be ransomed with this new information, so I will gladly hand them over into your care, Michael," Lord Grim announced.

Eydis's head snapped to the count and then to Michael.

"Thank you, uncle. I will go see them later," Michael replied and gave Eydis a reaffirming nod.

"Good, then there is nothing more to discuss. Make sure your men rest and that they are ready to march home an hour after first light," Lord Grim ended the meeting, but asked Eydis and Michael to remain with him for a moment.

He waited until everyone else had deserted the tent before turning to Eydis with a measuring gaze.

"I have to apologize to you. I was firmly against your part in this operation and didn't trust your loyalty. I must also say that I am rather impressed by your skill. You have grown considerably over the years."

He paused for a moment and seemed to consider his next words before he continued

"I am aware that you surely still hold a grudge against me for what happened to your clan, which can easily be extended to this war as well. If you ever want to settle this score, I will be ready, but know that while I will fight you alone, I will not go down easily."

Michael stared at his uncle in complete shock and then quickly turned to Eydis. If she ever took him up on that offer and killed him, then that would surely destroy the relations between the two houses for good.

The woman was standing there like a statue carved from stone, simply staring at the tent wall. She then slowly turned her head toward Michael with a questioning expression. He could feel her considering getting justice for both of them.

"Eydis, he had nothing to do with the fate of my family. I found out shortly after your departure, and there is no doubt about it. This is your decision," he said when realizing that she didn't know that he and his uncle had made up.

She turned back to Lord Grim and then firmly shook her head.

"I will break the cycle of vengeance. My only request is that you keep an open mind to do the same with the Rangda," Eydis signed, and Michael translated.

Lord Grim nodded with an aura of respect. "I will do so, I swear."

Eydis turned to leave but then stopped and signed some more. "One more thing, if I ever find the bastards who cut out my tongue, I will murder them, and no one can stop me."

After that, she left the tent to wait for Michael outside, who faithfully translated her words. Lord Grim seemed lost in thought after that last declaration.

"Is there anything else, uncle?" Michael asked. He wanted to get back to the medical tent to help some more.

Lord Grim seemed to shake off what had kept him distracted and then focused back on Michael.

"One more thing. That masked fellow. I want you to be careful with him. I have a bad feeling about that one," he said with a grave voice.

"Lynx? You met him?"

His uncle nodded.

"What is your issue with him? He has been quite the boon," Michael asked.

"He is some kind of ancient creature, of which you are probably aware, but I can't imagine that something like him would really see you as his master or even care for you. You are probably just a toy for him or something worse. He also has no scruples. We found about a dozen or more oathbound and druids with slit throats in their tents, and I think you and I both know who did that. I can't condemn that as it helped our cause, but it still rubs me the wrong way to murder warriors in their sleep," Lord Grim said.

Michael inspected his uncle for a while. It was indeed a little strange to hear his uncle complain when this was not the first but the second time he had ambushed a Rangda force at night. But apparently, he drew the line between an ambush and sneaking in to assassinate people.

He himself didn't know what to think about this new information. A part of him was similarly disgusted by killing them in their sleep, but another part was indifferent, as it was clearly a boon and definitely saved Telios's lives.

"I promise to be careful, Uncle. I will not start scrutinizing him, though. He saved my life multiple times already, especially the night the castle was attacked. I would be dead without him, so he deserves my trust," Michael explained.

His uncle seemed surprised and then nodded. "I did not know that. It may be nothing, I just feel like he is dangerous, but that doesn't mean that he is dangerous for you."

"I appreciate your concern nonetheless," Michael said, and after a few more sentences, they separated.

Michael and Eydis wandered back to the medical tent. He would probably help out there the rest of the day, as he was one of the few people who wouldn't get tired, but for now, he was looking at Eydis with blatant curiosity.

"Thank you for that, Eydis," Michael said after walking with her for a while.

She cocked her head slightly at him. "It would be quite hypocritical of me to hold on to the past while expecting others to do the opposite."

"Being a hypocrite has rarely stopped people from being vengeful. I am speaking from experience, so my thanks stand," Michael replied with a smirk.

Eydis didn't reply, seeming completely detached from herself.

"You want to go see the prisoners from your clan?" Michael put his deduction into a question.

She nodded quietly, and so Michael turned to the next soldier he found to ask for the location of the prisoners.

It didn't take long to find them as they had been brought in by a unit of outriders that was still lingering around the prisoner groups. Unluckily, they were still all knocked unconscious by some kind of alchemical sedative, so a reunion would have to wait.