The remnants of the Uchanti were distraught and ruined. Their ancestral home which their people thrived in for centuries had been decimated in only a few days. Everything they knew and were was almost erased. The Uchanti’s future was in my hands. At that moment I was uncertain as to what I should have done. If I had left them alone to fend for themselves then death would claim them. Some might have considered that a mercy killing. A lesser man would have seen the Uchanti as dead weight; something to cast aside like worn out garments and let nature take its course.

  I am not a lesser man. There was potential to be had with the Uchanti. Yet I lacked guidance. I needed the right words. I decided that the best course of action was to commune with Ile’Sethak. I needed his wisdom to guide me. In moments such as that, it is always best to pray and meditate. I ventured off into the wilderness to be as far away as possible. Could anything go wrong? Yes, of course. There were many ways that disaster could have sprung forth from my need to pray; a wild beast could have found me and tore me limb from limb, or the Bull’s men would just so happen to find me in my most vulnerable moments and execute me without me being aware of their presence.

  Yet, alone I went all the same. One can not allow fear to overtake one’s heart. Not there in the Blasted lands. You had to be absolutely sure of yourself; to second guess your actions would be like offering your neck for the butcher’s knife.

  I found a place where I could meditate. A rocky formation filled with fossils of long dead creatures that once ruled the vast deserts in ages long forgotten, now left as reminders of titans that once were. I found a smooth stone to which I could sit down and pray. I crossed my legs, rested my hands on my knees and began to pray.

  If you are the type who acknowledges any sort of god, you know that when you pray, you do not always get an immediate answer. That does not mean that they do not listen. Especially when you commune with your god as often as I did. You may pray for hours and yet not get anything. Is that alone a sign that they are not there? No. Think of it like this: imagine the first time you did anything. The first time you make love with someone, even if they do not end up being your lover. Perhaps something as simple as the first time you ate your favorite meal. The first time is always memorable and the most intense. First impressions, of course. The more you indulge, the less potent it becomes, but that doesn’t mean that it's not there. Those that need divinity the most will feel as if on fire, but even if you feel nothing, do not stop. For prayer and meditation is well worth it.

  I prayed for what felt like hours, meditating on all that had transpired throughout my time in the Blasted lands; From my arrival, to being nailed to the cross, to finding Cao Tzu and Brutus and the others, gathering an army, conquering my realm and beyond, and all of it guided by the machinations of Ile’Sethak.

  I calmed myself and slowed my breathing to focus. I couldn’t afford to let my mind wander aimlessly. All I could do was continue my praying. As I sat there silently, my senses were enhanced and the air itself became alive with the sounds of nature; I could hear the almost indiscernible pitter patter of lizards crawling around on the sands, the scattering of dust under their feet. The buzzing of insects filled my ears as if they were flying right next to my head. I could feel a gentle breeze flowing over my skin and rustling the small hairs on my arm that sent shivers down my spine as I continued to focus.

  I had to ignore most of it so I could focus. Before long the sounds faded as if I was being carried off on some distant journey. I was treated to a loud and deafening silence. Eventually the quiet was broken up by the sudden emergence of hissing and the feeling of something coiling around my body. I once again felt the cold and rough embrace of Ile’Sethak, and heard him whisper inside my head.

  “The Uchanti as they once were are naught but ash. Like clay from the earth, all that is left has no shape or form of its own. We must guide them.”

  My head turned to where I felt the flicking of a forked tongue on my cheek, yet I remained focused on meditation. My eyes firmly shut to keep away all distractions.

  “What am I supposed to do with them? All that is left of them are injured men, women and children. They can hardly defend themselves.”

  “They do not need to defend themselves, Hadrian. They simply need to bend the knee. They have nothing now. Their gods have abandoned them.”

  “What?” I said, perplexed. “Why would their gods abandon the Uncahti to this fate? They did not spurn them as far as I am aware.”

  “Sometimes, my Kai’Sar, gods can be fickle creatures. One day they could raise a nation up to glory only to then flood that nation and let the ocean swallow them whole.”

  I cocked my brow, yet still kept my eyes closed.

  “And are you as fickle as other gods?”

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  “Be careful, Hadrian.” Ile’Sethak warned me carefully with a calm, yet firm voice mixed with a droning hiss. “I am not so easily…dismissive of my servants. You are my chosen; my prophet. As long as you do what I have asked of you, then you will prosper. Think not of it as a threat, but a warning as one would warn a blind man from walking off the edge of a cliff.”

  “I understand. Tell me, my lord: what must I do with the Uchanti?”

  The serpent god whispered to me. I listened carefully as the words burned in my brain. I acknowledged him and listened as carefully as one would listen to a parent. By the time Ile’Sethak was done, I heard another voice speak.

  “Hadrian.” I turned and opened my eyes to the direction of the noise. Instantly, the sound of the world flooded my ears and I was met with the gaze of Kallista. I stood up and faced her.

  “Kallista. What news do you bring?”

  She stepped closer to me and led me back to camp.

  “Our scouts captured a man and a cart. He’s a strange one. I’ve never seen his ilk before. I didn’t know if he could be a spy from the Bull, so he is our prisoner. I figured you might desire to speak with him.”

  “Indeed I will, Kallista. You did well.” A small curl formed on my lips, though not only of the good news, but of something…more. I followed her and looked ahead, with a determined glance. “I will speak with this prisoner later. Right now, I must speak with the Uchanti.”

  Kallista acknowledged my statement and followed closely behind me. I found a good position to stand at so the Uchanti would hear me. I settled for a rock that had to be carried by a few men. It didn’t grant me the greatest height, but it helped nonetheless.

  “Children of the Uchanti. Look around you. Your homes are reduced to ashes, rubble and broken memories. Good people died here without warning or mercy. This came about because the Bull couldn’t control a few of his barbarians. Like rabid dogs they flew off their leashes and slaughtered your people down to this.”

  “It is regrettable that this had to happen. There are many questions that linger, chief among them being: ‘why did this have to happen?’ I’ll tell you. It is a bitter drink to swallow, but your gods have abandoned you. They failed to protect you or even give you any sort of warning about the atrocities that we find ourselves in.”

  Some of the elders of the Uchanti whispered to each other and questioned, but they chose to keep their objections to themselves. Their silence made it all the easier, and Ile’Sethak was well pleased.

  “Look around you, brothers and sisters. Look at what has become of your once great people. Your shrines to your gods are defiled and your priests lie crumpled like refuse. Your idols are little more than pebbles not even fit to be thrown into a lake to see if they can skip. I am sorry, but your gods abandoned you. Fickle little creatures as they are.”

  I placed my hand on my chest as I scanned around, making sure that each Uchanti could look into my eyes and feel as if I am speaking directly to them.

  “But not me. Not my lord Ile’Sethak. I come here because of his grace. Your old gods may abandon you on a whim, but Ile’Sethak will not. We will avenge your people with all the fury and anger that all your dead feel at this very moment. Stand with me, submit yourselves to Ile’Sethak, and revenge will be yours! The Bull’s degenerates are dead, but your dead will not rest until his reign of terror ends! My warriors will lead you back to my capital. There you will recover, but not as the Uchanti. The Uchanti the world knew was murdered.”

  They could feel my words ringing in their chests, harmonizing with their spirits. Broken, beaten and nearly dead, they understood that they could start again as something brand new.

  “Join with me, and you will never know the sting of defeat again! You will never be degraded, abused and brought to this point again. The Uchanti may die, but the children of Ile’Sethak protect their own. And all you have to do —the only thing you need to do, — is to kneel.

  Many hesitated. However, one by one, they all knelt down in supplication until only Jess’Talali stood. I looked firmly at her and she stared into my eyes, though we were far apart from each other. She could see at that very moment, it was the end. If the Bull’s rejects were the knife that plunged into the Uchanti’s heart, then that moment where they bent the knee was the final breath leaving the carcass. Jess’Talali shuddered, an icy shiver ran down her spine before she made her choice.

  If there was anything she found wrong in my speech, she would have said something —anything— to stop me. But she and I both knew that her silence was louder than anything she could have said, and just like that, she knelt down as well and lowered her head. The Uchanti were mine. Simple as that. I turned around and gave the orders to escort the Uchanti back home while I would speak with the stranger my people captured.

  ***

  The wagon that the Ophidian Praetorians found was a ramshackle mess. A hastefully put together thing that was meant to have function over form. It could carry a lot. A man’s entire life could be placed into that thing, everything from his trade to his memories. And there, shackled by the Ophidians so he could not flee was a familiar sight. I remembered him quite well. The mad genius that helped me so long ago freeing the slaves back at Akari.

  “Vatrez!” I said as my eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and my arms opened even wider to embrace him. The look on his face was one of relief like a prisoner being told: no. It was not, in fact, his day of execution and he would be pardoned.

  “Vatrez. What in the name of the gods are you doing out here?”

  “Hadrian! You have no idea how happy I am to see you! You’re a sight for sore eyes. Here I was expecting to be flayed alive or crushed under foot by the beasts of burden. I’m pretty sure these…ugh…lovely gentlemen were discussing how to eat me. I don’t know, their language is unfamiliar to me.”

  “Ssethiss ekhirrath iss'skara. En ssethiss venkrass ki'issath vressar skethis shasskath.”

   The Ophidian said in his native language. I nodded and smiled before turning to Vatrez.

  “They don’t want to eat you, they just find you annoying.”

  “Oh…is that all?” Vatrez gave a weak laugh and looked around. I gestured for the Ophidians to free him. They simply nodded and unlocked his shackles. “Thank you.”

  “Vatrez. Answer my question, please.”

  “Oh, well, Lak’Ashara’s people eventually traced your efforts back to me. What with you blowing up their stuff. After I made a…quick diversion tactic, I fled my home. I wanted to be secluded, but here I am. Though I have to say I feel much safer now knowing that you’re here rather than some warlord.”

  A thought popped into my head and I had a burning question. With half hooded eyes and a wry smile on my face, I gently placed my hands on Vatrez’s shoulders and tilted my head.

  “Vatrez…is it possible for you to, oh I don’t know, make more of those explosives?~”