152 Let Slip the Dogs of War

Tyr's group rested in a small dirt-filled room that barely fit all of them. It had a musty fragrance to it that smelled better than the feces or rotting flesh that clung to the other areas of the Masada Tunnels.

During the many tunnel fights they encountered, the traps and fighting claimed four more of their members. Right now they worried about Mathis and were hiding, trying to give Hassanatou some time to heal him.

Mathis had fallen into a trap while they were fleeing in the dark tunnels. Long spears had impaled his legs and he was lucky to have survived. While he was falling, Sing-chi had immediately grabbed his upper arm before the blades reached into his torso. This quick reaction stopped what would have been a fatal fall.

Now, Sing-chi held Mathis in a headlock, trying to feed him some meat from a snake they found in this room. His black bangs were swept behind one ear and he jabbed the food against Mathis's tightly closed mouth. Exasperated, he criticized, "Shut up and eat it already. You're gonna need the strength."

The cooked meat pressed against Mathis, causing the juices to dribble down his lips. Disgusted, he moved his head to the side. "Cut it out Sing-chi! I hate snakes. I don't want to eat them..." he hissed. As he complained, Sing-chi thrust the piece into his mouth and clamped his jaw shut, forcing him to swallow it.

Hassanatou gave Mathis a light pat on his cheeks. Her white hair reflected the soft glow from their necklaces. "Mathis, stop acting like a child and listen to him. You know real food is better for you than using magic to get your nutrients. Also, please stop moving so much." As a healer, she knew her friend understood the finer details of nutrition. It was in his best interest to eat the snake that Sing-chi offered.

Tyr allowed his team to unwind. The past few days had been stressful, and they needed to boost their morale.

He kept watch by the entrance and activated his ring. The faint red light's position appeared, causing the corners of his mouth to turn down. Today the line stopped pointing up and began to level out with his ring. He wondered what Macha was doing and why she would go so far beneath ground level.

Seeing her brother look at his ring made Luna pout. For the past few years, he constantly looked at his ring whenever they had free time. Sometimes before she closed her eyes to sleep, she would see the thin red line in the darkness. It always left her with a heavy heart.

A hand tenderly pet her head. "Get some rest while you can," Krystof whispered. He worried that she had been pushing herself too much. "I'll wake you if anything happens." His lips kissed her temple and he wrapped his arm around her, so she could rest against his chest.

Tyr overheard what Krystof said. He turned to face the group and announced, "Everyone, let's start taking our shifts so we can all get some sleep." It had been a few days since he slept. In the last fight, he noticed his body moved slower and his attacks were weaker than usual.

****

In a shady part of Marseille, a woman moved cautiously through the streets. She glanced over her shoulder, making sure that no one followed her as she snuck through the dark alleyways. Turning down a narrow side street, she tapped softly on a solid metal door that had a small eyehole that opened up. She brought her full lips to the opening and whispered, "Let slip the dogs of war."

The sound of locks opening permeated the darkness for a few seconds. Then the heavy door creaked open and the woman strolled into the one room building. She pulled her bandana higher up on her face as she stepped toward a large sigil on the ground.

A stocky man in the shadows asked, "Where's this going to?"

She took out an envelope from her trenchcoat and placed it down onto the sigil. "The Queen." Without another word she left. His Magisty would be expecting to meet with her within the hour and she needed to get back and prepare for their meeting.

A smug smirk spread across her lips and she shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat. She wanted to see either Phocée or Marseille fall. It was only a matter of time before one of the countries met its demise, and she enjoyed speeding up the process.

The woman turned a corner and changed her appearance to that of a man. What had been baggy clothes, now fit him perfectly and he ruffled his strawberry colored hair. He chuckled, "All right King Freyr, let's see which side wins in this proxy war that you and Queen Alala have going."

****

An arrow flew down the tunnel and stuck into the wall, a finger's width from Macha's face. The group had been assaulted when they entered a three-way intersection. Alcinous did not understand how troops came from behind them, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

Although three arrows were lodged deep into his side, he remained by Macha's side. If she died, then the mission would be a failure. The pain forced him to lean heavily against the tunnel's dirt wall, barely able to stand. He inhaled sharply as he broke the arrow shafts with his hand. They would inhibit what little mobility he had if he left them as they were. This area was slightly larger, but his people still had a difficult time moving about.

Macha saw that the enemy broke through on her right and she dashed towards them. It may be difficult for most people in this world to maneuver around down here, but she had a very easy time.

"Macha!" she heard Alcinous bark out from behind her.

An arrow shot at her, but she dodged to the side. Raising her leg, she kicked the archer's kneecap, causing it to snap. While the archer fell to the ground, she stuck her blade into the woman's temple.

She did not have a moment to rest because Miriro was having difficulty fighting three other opponents. They used spears, alternating their attacks so she could not move in.

Macha waited for one of them to withdraw and she slipped through the opening, stabbing one of them in the heart. This allowed Miriro to parry a spear to the side and slit the attacker's throat. The final spearman fell to both of them; Macha attacking the man's heart, while Miriro running her katana's blade through his eye.

As they turned to assist the others, Miriro nodded her head and confessed, "I probably would have died. You have my thanks." Sweat beaded down her neck from the intense fighting.

Her family did not train fighting multiple people at once, and the four attackers would have killed her in a few moments if it was not for Macha's assistance. The help was unexpected, and she had expected the small woman to sit back and watch them fight.

The two split up and each helped different sides. The others fared better but were at a standstill and needed assistance to turn the tables on the enemies. On the way to help, Miriro grabbed the fallen archer's weapons and shot a few arrows to help bring down the most troublesome enemies. This allowed Theodore to push through the line and behead the remaining soldiers.

Macha was not able to see what was going on because she crawled on the ground to slit the Achilles tendons of the attackers. This caused them to fall and Alcinous's family quickly overpowered them.

After the conflict settled down, Adama rushed to her husband's side. The fight was too intense, and she needed to assist in the battle.

She worked without any emotion playing across her face, neither husband or wife uttered soft words of comfort to the other.

Everyone was quiet as they waited nervously, hoping he would be all right. Fear hung in the air, his family knew that without him, their family would fall apart. His leadership is what kept the household together and strong over hundreds of years.

While they stood, frozen with worry, Macha activated her ring. The red line pointed down the tunnel that Miriro had been fighting. She did not want to impose on the family's moment, so she moved down the passageway.

She wandered to the two fallen comrades that she recognized as part of their party. Although she never learned their names, she still felt terrible that they died down here. Their lifeless eyes remained open, so she used her fingers to close them.