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THE TIME BEFORE
I stood on the brink of destruction - the army was behind me waiting for my all important word, my important decision. The extreme power I had studied about and used countless times before was reaching its climax within my heart and my mind. I would either succeed or die trying here this night.
In the distant, the thud of armour and the chanting of voices came to my ears. They had sensed us out and were heading this way. The enemy tribe that I hated yet loved - it was a weird relationship. How could I kill something I loved … someone?
'We are ready.'
I turned to the army chief behind me and held my staff firmly with two hands. It felt weird - like it was my first battle all over again. The staff looked fresh, new, like it had never been used before. But that was not the truth.
It had seen countless battles, countless enemies, countless deaths that I had caused. I, the Shaman, had caused this - I had caused death.
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Was I right or wrong for doing this? Did I have a choice? What really was I supposed to do in such a situation?
I nodded and gave the signal.
'To glory,' I said quietly, tracing a semi-circle with my staff. The army knelt on one knee.
The youngest looked as terrified and as scared as the eldest. I was petrified myself. It was a feeling I had never had before.
I thought of my mother and my family. It was those who I was fighting for. Fighting for their freedom. Giving them a chance to live their own lives without slavery or dictatorship. I was doing it for them. It wasn't for greed or dishonesty - it was for new life. And that wasn't a bad thing.
The army got up and gathered their belongings. I took a deep breath as I looked down the hill into the enemy's settlement.
Then we walked…
§
Prior to my eighteenth birthday, I had been
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