Rome Must Perish

"How is the Great Chief doing now?" Pulikas interrupted him, asking with concern.

"Don’t you visit him every day? You should know better than me how he is!" Cabdes showed a sad expression, speaking heavily, "Andres is not only still unconscious, but his chest, trampled by a horse, hasn’t improved at all. We’ve tried all kinds of herbs. Hemijias prays at the Holy Stone every day for him. Now we can only see if the Divine will protect him."

"If... I mean if the Great Chief passes away, who will you have succeed him?" Pulikas looked directly at him, asking in a deep voice.

"Of course, it’s Andres’ son, my grandnephew Ankasus!" Cabdes answered without hesitation, then reminded, "But he’s still young now, and I’m afraid the other elders and tribal leaders might not agree. You and I will have to take the time to persuade them."

Pulikas’s expression slightly eased, and he asked in a gentle tone, "Don’t worry, as long as you firmly support Ankasus, I will definitely help you convince the others! By the way, why did you call me here today?"

Cabdes observed him and felt a bit relieved in his heart. He still spoke carefully, "Leader Anrotas has been sending messengers these past few days. They say the mercenaries have left their camp and are now occupying Wallis and my former territory. They’re sending cavalry daily to probe his territory, making him very nervous. He hopes we can send reinforcements to his village to defend against any imminent attack from the enemy... What do you think of his request?"

Anrotas’ messenger came to the Main Camp to plead for reinforcements. Since Great Chief Andres could not handle affairs, he did not only seek out Cabdes but also visited the other elders in the city. Pulikas was aware of this and said with a worried look, "Anrotas’ village is in danger. We should send troops to support them, or else if Anrotas’ territory is occupied, they could directly threaten our lands on the Sava River next. It’s just that..."

Pulikas paused for a moment, his tone becoming less assured, "We’ve suffered defeats several times in battle, losing too many warriors. All the tribes now face many difficulties. It is really hard to form a sufficiently large force to repel the fierce mercenaries... I think we should seek help again from the tribal alliance, asking them to send reinforcements."

Surprisingly, Pulikas, who was always tough externally, showed hesitation, but this was expected by Cabdes.

Cabdes felt a slight joy in his heart, shaking his head as he said, "A few days ago, I specifically sent someone to the Maziyi Main Camp to learn about the situation from Great Chief Maitilis.