The Battle of Peshtera

Wealthgiver 39

This is the thirty-eighth chapter of Wealthgiver, an alternate history serial romance about nationalism and cave-Thracians. For the back-of-the-book description and an index of chapters, click here. For the beginning, click here. For the previous chapter, click here.

It was another beautiful goddamn day.

Andrei stood on a hill south of Peshtera with Cenk and two of their tiny army's precious horses. Baba Karka's flag flapped merrily on its staff behind him, blue, red and black. From a distance, it would look like a national symbol rather than a collection of rags.

Andrei had seen war in all weather. Of course, he appreciated the fact that nobody's extremities were in danger of rotting or freezing off. Still, it seemed a sin to blow gun smoke into a sky that blue.

As he watched, another white plume reared from the northwestern edge of Peshtera. Andrei peered into its depths. "Artillery fire," he said, "Still artillery fire. Where the devil are Zülfü's assassin-assassins?"

"Useless to specul…