162 And the fires burned

The barracks burned bright, and flames rose into the sky. Smoke, black and acrid, rose in plumes above Chenxi. It was visible for miles, and it was registered by most of the Twin Hammers.
Second Master was one of those. He watched as he contemplated their next move.
"Chenxi has fallen. We move forward."
"Sir, what do we do with these men? They are not Chen." The second in command, an older Hammer who had brought the group this far, looked at his superior.
"Assemble the men immediately. Two camps. Those who wishes to return and those who will form the reparations division." Second Master continued looking toward home. 'Yiran, are you still alive? Do we still have children? Please the gods, let her be alive at least.' Little did he know, his prayers had already been answered and his wife waited, still in silent shock, somewhere in the mountains with the two people he could still call family.
He came back to the present and waited for the men to assemble, then he climbed onto the back of a blacksmith wagon and addressed the assembled men.
"As you can probably tell, Chenxi has fallen. It is once more in Chen hands and the dregs of the Mu army, and I use that term loosely, will be rounded up and killed. Shortly, new fires will rage and these will be the pyres of men who have raped, murdered and sold Chen women and children. They have ransacked homes and looted the belongings all in the name of Mu, but more for their own self interests. They sold, they plundered, they are not soldiers, they are racketeers. Chancers who worked for their own benefit on the backs of your sacrifices.  Do not feel for these men, they are not worthy of your compassion" He looked around at all those assembled, Hammers and prisoners alike. This was a message to them all. Continuing, he said," None of you warrent death, you fought a war, a standard war against an enemy. You lost and as a consequence now stand here. You have been treated firmly, but fairly. Your wounds tended, your needs met. Some of you wish to go home. You have made your decisions and stand here, ready to leave. That is good. You will be taken back and handed over at a convenient border."
Murmuring echoed through the groups. Second Master held up his hand for quiet. The ground went silent once more. 
"Gentlemen, this is your final opportunity to change your mind. From this moment you have made a decision which will shape the remainder of your lives. There are no changes, there's no turning back. I give you a further moment of reflection then the two parties will be separated, perminantly."
One or two changed, not to return, but to stay. Once the two groups were static, Second Master continued.
"Hammers, lead the prisoners away and reshackle them. Prepare them for their final journey." At the call for reshackling, three more ran across the ground and joined those who would stay. Faces were fraught, but decisions had to be made and this was final.
Once those men had gone, the remainder looked toward Second Master with trepidation. He had their futures in his hands and this terrified them.
"Reparations Division stand at ease. First, get ready to receive your Twin Hammers brand and the smaller RD attached. Remove all military outer wear and adopt a less conspicuous attire. If you have nothing in your bundle, we will do our best to obtain civilian  clothing as we travel towards Chenxi. This will also give you a chance to see the devastation for yourselves. Reports tell me the majority of farms, homes and stores have not only been looted, but they have been set alight, sometimes with their owners still inside.....alive."
He stopped and looked at this large group of men. They were farmers, merchants, husband's, sons and brothers. The next six months would be hard for them. Turning to one of the men by his side, " once they are branded and ready, take them to get food and rest. Also, make sure the necessary salves are available." The soldier nodded. "And start getting them into working crews, carpenters, blacksmith, merchants, farmers  you know the drill."
"Sir."
With that, Second Master climbed down and headed for the mess tent. He was getting too old for all this. All he wanted was a quiet hearth, some gentle conversations and his wife's cooking. He sighed and went back to praying she was still alive. 
 
It was the smell that Niao noticed first. That acrid smell which had burned through her nostrils day and night for months. The smell of burning, human flesh. She couldn't see anything from where they had camped, but it wasn't long before Yiran caught the scent and began to wail.
"We need to move. Get away from this smell." 
Yiran had retreated into Hao's arms and sobbed uncontrollably into his chest.
Niao looked at her. "Can you get her down the hillside if I go first?"
"I think so. Can you carry our bundles? I can carry hers, but no more. She's clinging to me so tightly." Niao nodded and with that , the camp was rapidly collapsed, packed and they were on their way down the mountain side within the hour.

"We have perhaps three, maybe four hours of daylight left."

"Agreed. Steady but efficient." 

"And quick. We need to be down today."

 Niao nodded, and scooting in front of Hao and the frantic Yiran, they slide and trotted their way down, Hao holding Yiran in such a way so as to keep her off the ground but wrapped in his arms so she could continue her emotional outpouring. Each jolt made her scream. Each leap made her tighten her grip until she was almost strangling him. He hung on, following Niao with a precision which comes from practise. Night had fallen by the time they finally reached the foot of the mountain and into a deciduous wood which surrounded the base.

With practiced hands, Niao set up camp. Light was failing and she knew she needed to create a fire. Tea, food and shelter, but first fire.