KINGDOM OF THE STONE -- a Wattpad featured novel

Chapter Twenty One

"How long must we sleep in these tents?" one of his reavers, Thrainos, asked as Amantis approached.

"Until you all can learn to arrive on time for practice.  At this point, I'd say never."

"Some of the men are beginning to complain since you won't allow their wives or girlfriends to visit."

"Please me, and I might give them an evening off to go visit them.  Where's Ctonos?"

"On the field doing striking drills."  He nodded over at a group of young men dressed as farmers standing on the street corner with a dozen mules laden with baskets.  They all stared in open-mouthed wonder at the city around them.  "We've also got a new bunch of recruits that need sorting out."

"Just great," Amantis growled.  "I guess I better deal with them first."  He strode over to an old man who stood by a mule clenching its lead as if someone might walk by and snatch the animal, or as if he feared they might get lost in the huge maze of buildings that comprised the city of Nur.  "Where are you from?"

"Korion-Koemae, if it please, dra.  It's just north by—"

"I don't need to know where it is.  How big is it?"

"Well," the old man looked up at the sky and scratched his head.  "It starts by the river—"

"Not the area, you idiot!  What's the population?"

The old man blinked at him in surprise.  "About two hundred and fifty I guess, give or take a handful."

"These are all the reavers you brought?  Less than a dozen scrawny boys?  Do you really think these will be able to save your korion?"

"Now the messenger said—"

"Is this the food and goods you brought?"

"Yes..."

"How much is there?"

"Well, let's see..."

"Is that a counting stick?"  Amantis ripped the counting stick from the old man's hand and examined the tokens hanging from the strings which represented the goods he brought.

"We've got some grain, some cloth and some vegetables..." the old man began helpfully in his slow drawl, but Amantis had already summed up the total in his head.

"You didn't actually bring cabbages did you?"

"Yes?"

Amantis ripped open a bag to find a bunch of half-wilted cabbages.  "Do you actually think this is enough to support these reavers for a year?"

"Now, these boys don't actually eat that much..."

"They will once I begin working them.  This is completely unacceptable."  Amantis waved the counting stick to indicate the mules, their goods and even the boys he had brought.  "Take them away.  Take them all away."

"But the messenger said—"

"I don't care what the messenger said.  If you expect us to defend your korion, you will need to bring three times the men and ten times the food."

"But we can't..."

"Listen, if the angorym come and you have no reavers, they will eat you, all of you, and I will let them!  Now go away and don't come back until you're serious about doing your part."

The old man glanced at the counting stick in Amantis' hand as if he wanted it back. 

Amantis nearly beat the man with it, but walked away instead.  He headed toward the field when Troekis, a distant relative of Corago who lived in his house and served as an assistant both in his home and at the business, intercepted him with a wax tablet.