The Warrior's Pet(63)

"Well it's hard to keep a good woman down."

"Indeed." Kagan bent and kissed her. He had become very fond and skilled at kissing.

Giselle heard a gasp coming from Rahela behind her.

"I don't think you need to worry about Rahela anymore." Giselle whispered.

They couldn't spell it out to the woman any clearer.

"Rahela" Kagan nodded to the female before leading Giselle away. "Since you are up, I was hoping to discuss some things with you about the Scelus Cadi."

Kagan led her into a room with several of his commanders. Dagaa looked pissed when he looked at Giselle's injuries. Even Cyprian was there and stared at her in shock. The rest of the army must have arrived in the night.

"Alright I know I'm a mess. Cut the poor female crap and lets get down to business." Giselle insisted.

"Holy Kali" Cyprian snickered looking impressed.

The warriors who had been exposed to Giselle and her gregarious ways recovered faster than the rest which was a good sign. Maybe in a few years they might not bat an eye at her.

Kagan just grinned at her take charge no nonsense attitude.

"Vigdis is amassing his army three days inside the borderlands on the far side of the swamp." Kagan began to report the details and Giselle listened carefully.

In theory they had five days before Vigdis would realize Kagan's army wasn't going to mount a counter attack and found their way to besiege Nazario. That didn't leave nearly enough time to get the supporting army they would need. Only one province was close enough and already on their way. Even at that they would still be out numbered three to one.

Giselle studied the map projected on the table. The city of Nazario was well fortified and could withstand a normal attack. It had only fallen because Vigdis gassed the people, a one-time shot, thank god. The fortified city was well positioned on a rise and had its own untaintable water source from natural springs.

There was a large expanse outside the walls that afforded a view for quite a distance around the city. Beyond that was a forest that covered a hilly landscape. The trees limited their visibility of the coming army and offered cover putting them at a disadvantage. But because of the receding mountain terrain and a major river there was only one viable road that Vigdis would be forced to take. That was in their favor.

A dozen different battles throughout history flickered through Giselle's mind. She snickered as the story of Hannibal crossing the Alps came to her.

"What is amusing?" Kagan asked.

"Well I was thinking it would be nice to have some elephants. There was this general who marched these massive beasts from a distant land into battle. When he rode against the enemy, they were so thrown off they lost their minds." Giselle shook her head at the image.

"How does this help? We have the manx and rota that's it." One of the commanders asked. He looked at her as if she were a silly woman till both Dagaa and Kagan both gave him the evil eye.

"It just popped into my head." Giselle shrugged then paused. "Wait, a minute." Scenes from Return of the Jedi teased her. No one had expected the sweet little teddy bear Ewoks to put up a fight. Giselle turned to Kagan. "Why don't the Toufik fight with you?"

"They never have fought ever." Kagan looked shocked.

"But do you know for sure that they can't?" Giselle insisted.

"No, but I have seen them abused and even killed and yet still they do not put up a fight."

Giselle frowned as she recalled seeing such a thing herself.

"They are here because their planet is dying. Maybe none of them are willing to risk their clan being sent back to their ravaged planet." Giselle reasoned. She knew the Toufik were simple but not stupid.

"Dagaa bring Stone." Kagan asked.

Giselle loved how the Toufik had names derived from nature. She smiled when the very same alpha male from the Jurou Biljana ship was led in. The Toufik though a head shorter than the average Cadi looked like they could be fearsome beast, and yet they'd been nothing but gentle. Giselle hoped she wasn't wrong.

"Tell the male what is happening." Giselle suggested.

The Cadi gave the Toufik task but rarely did they tell the people the reason for the things they asked them to do, let alone include them in any sort of planning.

"Stone the people we took you from, the cruel one in red, my enemy, is coming with many warriors." Kagan spoke as he gestured. "He is the one that used Empty Death to kill your people and mine here."

Stone grimaced.

"If the cruel one in red beats us he will take your people and I believe your life will be harsh and short. We need your help. Do your people know how to fight?"

The large hairy Toufik male glanced hesitantly from Kagan to Giselle.