Ascendant

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: BETTER FOR A MILLSTONE

Runa's feet traveled across the ground as the last night of day shone over the city, the stone beneath her catching little of it because of its dark color. She wore a brown leather tunic and fur cloak over her shoulders to help with the dropping temperatures. As she eyed the scaffoldings built around various structures, she stopped, admiring how much work they'd gotten done on the city so far.

"How's the belltower coming?" she asked their general.

"Getting there," he said vaguely with his arms crossed, looking up at what they could see of it with the lack of sunlight working against them.

[GEM]

She glanced to her left as one of their guards were lighting a torch by the doorway into his home, helping to illuminate the city as night fell on them.

"We had some set backs when the fresh water supply went dry. But we're back on schedule," he continued.

"I heard about that," she said but as she spoke she saw some of the men who were working walk down the street in matching brown tunics, looking exhausted and dirty.

When they passed she watched their backs and said, "What's with the uniformity?"

"It's supposed to help the higher ups tell between themselves and those who should be working. It's new."

She hesitated as her brows pulled together, and following where those men left from, she saw men wheeling in bricks as they continued to fix the city walls, appearing half dead as they did so.

"You think you can tell me what to do?! Get back to your post," one of the men dressed in black threatened a worker who was hunched over, puking blood as he was kicked by his superior again.

"I could do this job fifty times over and you have the nerve to talk back to your captain?! Move it or I'll have you flogged in the square!" he shouted when the worker didn't do as he was told.

[GEM]

"What's going on?" Runa asked when she approached the scene.

"What's going on is nothing if your concern, damned girl," the overseer spoke down to her, clearly not in a peachy mood.

"I think you forget who outranks who here, sir... Which is surprising since you seem to be concerned with it only, exercising what little power you have over someone whom you see as lower than yourself," she said to him, her hands behind her back.

"If you want to sit here and defend the drudges, why don't you join them, little shite? Go on, pick up a stone and put it somewhere if you can even manage."

"Alright I will... but you might feel some discomfort," she replied with a calm tone.

"You little—"

"What the hell is going on here?" Claudius interrupted, walking up to them as he attempted to end whatever was impeding their work.

"Why are these men working after sundown?" Runa asked.

He glanced at the others and walked over to her, pulling her aside as he took her arm and they got behind a half wall. He faced her there, irritation in his tone. "We're at war, sister," he said nearly though his teeth. "Tempus Mora has a plan and a deadline that we have to stick to at any cost. Tell me what solution you would choose to act on this?"

"Did Tempus Mora say to treat these men like they have no rights?"

[GEM]

"They don't have rights, girl. They have luck. They were lucky to be rescued and privileged to be here as free men. We are here to carry out Mora's orders and you would be wise to do the same as you remember your place." he turned to shout at the rest of them. "Now all of you stop this bickering nonsense before your usefulness in this city has outlived its welcome! Return to your duties. All of you," he finished, commanding the people to go back what they were doing before as he walked on...