When I stepped outside the simple tent that had hosted our discussion, I realized the sky had already gone dark.
Night had fallen.
After eight straight days of battle, the number of soldiers following me had dwindled drastically.
From the thousand I'd started with, barely a bit over a hundred remained.
This was no longer an army .. just a small battalion that had lost its way in enemy territory.
The rest had either run away… or died in past battles.
Their lives and deaths ..my decisions had clearly played a role in them. I was the one who dragged them here.
Maybe their souls would come to rest on my conscience.
Maybe that was why I felt this growing burden on my shoulders—this strange weight and pressure.
As I wandered through the few tents that remained in our crude camp…
A bitter smile crossed my face.
"What difference does it make now? I've borne far heavier burdens than this."
This was the price that had to be paid.
