UPRISING

Chapter 6

The Army's General paused, this time, looking round the crowd from face to face. Then he picked up from where he left, ''I repeat, for the last time, whoever had Limah and her infant in their custody should own up now!'' Bastian warned, with his voice reflecting steel and threat this moment.

The steel and reverberation in Bastian's voice could only heat up the tension and send pangs of fear down Bojan's spine. In a moment of impulse, he was was forced to consider giving up Limah and her infant at the rare chance of clemency. The fear of the King Gaius and his army overwhelmed him to bits, but then, it was Limah he had harboured in his chariot; the priestess of Temple Nuh who had been a major character behind his commercial fortunes from the heart of Balkan Peninsula to the rest of the kingdoms. He could only consider himself ungrateful to harbour such malicious thought. Without ado, Bojan stood his ground to keep Limah and her infant, damning the consequences.

''And if any one of you filthy Balkans is found guilty of harbouring what belongs to lroyalty,'' said Bastian, slicing deeper through the crowd along with his troop, ''the king would not hesitate to make a meal of you dumbhead. Your Balkan dumbheads will roll and your blood will be feasted upon! No escaping.''

Bastian's resort to using vulgar words against the Balkans and their identity did not sit very well with the Balkan travellers and merchants. That singular tactless act caused a wave of suppressed murmurs of dissatisfaction across the crowd, except for a bitter Balkan traveller who dared to voice out his displeasure in the shape of an attack at Bastian's tactless approach.

''Damn you and your king, you f*****g cunt!'' One of the bitter Balkans cursed out loud. ''Your royalty has nothing of worth for the Balkans!''

As exprcted, the aggrieved Balkan drew attention of the crowd to himself as his bitter voice sliced through the heated quiet and mass of hushed murmurs. But it was not long before Ganicus advanced recklessly through the crowd, riding on a galloping horse out of the blue and struck his sword at the neck of the vocal Balkan. The sword sliced right through his neck leaving splashes of blood on the faces of his fellow travellers. Looks of shock and astonishment rushed to the faces of the Balkan travellers. The panic heated up amongst the travellers as much as the uproar that followed.

''Quiet!'' Ganicus bawled in an arrogant attempt to shush the commotion amidst the noisy crowd. He brandished his sword conspicuously around amidst the crowd. ''How many more rebels are there amongst you?! Come forth or forever hold your peace!''

The murmurs were instantly suppressed at the voice of authority and power as Ganicus picked up the head of his subject and dangled it in the presence of the crowd while he rode around on his horse parading the blood-stained head in a bid to strike fear in the hearts of others.