Rising to Fall

Chapter 5-3 (and teaser)

*rubs hands together* My master plan is finally coming into action.

Near the beginning of history, there was one who came upon this world. Although he did not create it or the living things within it, he took humankind under his care and raised them as a species, teaching them. They flourished under his care and he taught them to look after the world they were in. With the help of his elite army, he also taught them how to protect themselves from the wild bears and lions who invaded their villages. But with this knowledge, humankind discovered that they relished war...

Mitch stands on the top of the wall surrounding Nad'ij, his arms resting on top of it, his eyes searching the horizon. Seto had been stubbornly secretive over the past several days since he had 'borrowed' the Amulet from Mitch, only revealing that he "might want to keep an eye on the horizon". More than a little annoyed with being kept in the dark, Mitch had organised regular patrols to go around the territory with the order to keep an eye out for anything.

Earlier that day, one of the patrols had returned to Nad'ij claiming that there was a large army coming from the south-east, about half a day's ride away from Nad'ij, displaying an unknown banner. Only about an hour after that report, another patrol had reported another army approaching from the north-east, having seen it from the very border of the Benja territory. Mitch had called all the patrols back and now he waits for the first sign of these armies.

"Who do you think they are, General?" a guard asks. He is wearing full armour like all the other guards on top of the wall and his spear head glints in the sunlight. Mitch stands up, tapping the wall a little as he does so.

"Not sure," he says, "but General Seto says not to worry."

"I don't know about you sir, but I'm of the mind to politely decline General Seto's advice and worry anyway."

Mitch grins. "I'll wait to see whether their swords are drawn when they approach before I make any decisions."

A call comes down from further down the wall as one guard points out to the horizon. Mitch looks and sees a large dark mass appearing like a low, dark cloud, slowly getting larger and larger as the minutes tick by. Footsteps approach behind him and Mitch turns around to see Seto standing there, his cloak on as usual, looking out to the dark mass.

"Come on," he says to Mitch. "We'd better go and meet them."

As the two leave the top of the wall and head to the stable, Mitch asks Seto: "You do know whoever's leading this army, right?"

"By reputation only," Seto says. "I have no idea who he is or what his name is or even if it's a guy at all. But I'm sure it'll be fine," he adds quickly, seeing Mitch's concerned expression.

The two mount the fast Arabians that are the primary horse in the Benja territory and with a small warrior escort of ten, ride out to meet the approaching army. As they ride closer, Mitch tries to decode the banner: a background that fades from dark blue at the bottom to a light blue at the top, with a sword and a lit torch crossed at the centre.

A small group detaches from the army as the large mass come to a stop, the smaller group approaching the Benja delegation. Mitch makes a quick appraisal of the man who leads the group. He's obviously a warrior, with a strong upper body but is built more like a swimmer. He wears a tight grey jumper over a white shirt and grey pants that come down to his white shoes. His head looks like it had been shaved at some point and his hair had grown back to be a black covering on it.

"Hey," Mitch says easily as the two parties come to a stop within comfortable speaking distance. "I'm Mitchell, General of the Benjas. This is Seto, General of the Sorcerers."