Mara - The Lady Grief (Completed)

20 Pitch Dark

2651 B.C.E., City of Tmari-on-the-Euphrates

Early Fall, Month of Ululu, One Year and Six Months after Mara's Rebirth

Thelios

"Pull through, come on, Enlil, hand over hand," I encourage the young male to keep going.

This is battle. Not just swords and blades, but fighting your own body. The fatigue Enlil is clearing suffering from is awful. He's been stuck in this mudpit, cold, the sounds of his harsh breathing and the mud sucking his body deeper is all that can be heard. His hands are worn raw from the rough rope, but he can't let go of his only hope of rescue from this muck.

"Pull, one side then the other," I say calmly. Too many of my warriors are weak like this. Big muscles, but poor endurance and weaknesses in their musculature that can easily be revealed by changing the training regime in just the slightest way.

"Can't Captain," Enlil gasps out. "My heart is racing. It fucking hurts." He sucks in air. "Sorry, Cap."

"Keep going, Enlil."

"Lios," Belen is standing behind me, arms crossed over his chest, a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong?" I ask him.

He takes me aside and says in a low voice, "it's too much, Lios. I could barely make it through this training course. I told you yesterday that most of the recruits wouldn't be able to make it through."

"The first time," I clarify. I look over at the mudpit, the burning embers, the deep pool, and my favorite, the ropeline high above our heads. It took days to put it all together.

"Let me explain, Lios. We... most of us," his left eye twitches a little as he looks at me sternly, "most of us, became Recondites because we needed a home. Some may have sought glory in being a Recondite. Most felt a calling, but not like the temples, you know? Then, Lios, my friend, we fought a mock battle, a swordfight, with a veteran Recondite. If we did well we're in."

I scowl. Enlil is lying in the mudpit, still breathing too heavily. Amar is stuck on the ropes. He's moving, but so slowly that it'll take him most of the morning to cross. Urla is dipping his feet in the pool because the embers burned the soles of his feet. He's not swimming, he's relaxing... on my damn training course.

"Urla!" I bellow. That's all it takes for the male to fall into the pool. At least now he's swimming.

"Lios," Belen sighs.

"They need to be better, Belen."

"These males are recruits, Lios. They don't have the hawk tattoo. That's the difference."

"There are only twelve of us, Belen, who have the damn hawk. Twelve in this entire city who can pull themselves out of a mudpit and swim a little? How will we survive?"

Belen just looks at me. "It's like you're preparing for war, Lios."

"We just had a hailstorm, Belen. How much food for the city was destroyed? Always be prepared, Bel. Always be ready for war. If you're not? Then you'll die. It's that simple."

Belen just shakes his head. "Just take it easy on the recruits, right? Push them hard, don't push them away."

I scowl. "I will think about it, Belen."

Hanish, one of my twelve, jogs up to me. "Captain," he says grimly, "there's been a disturbance over in the Fourth District. Your female's there."

"Fuck," I growl out. My eyes flash on Enlil and Urla. "Make sure that those two don't drown," I tell Belen.