The Holy War Army was a rabble with almost nothing to its name except fanaticism. Even that fervor had begun to ebb under exhaustion and hunger after a whole night of "fierce fighting."
If Alanka had possessed any military knowledge, the first thing he should have done after taking control of the Holy War Army was not lead an assault on the walls held by the Prince's Army, but pull back, let his troops rest, and find food to fill their bellies.
Alanka was neither hungry nor tired, but the members of the Holy War Army who had spent all night running around were both!
The high priest failed to understand what the members of the Holy War Army needed. He had not recognized the problem, and even if he had, there was nothing he could do... Even as high priest, Alanka could not produce enough food in Votradnoi to feed a thousand people.
There was actually plenty of food in the Earth Mother Goddess Church's cellar, but those provisions were the personal rations of the priests and senior priests. Alanka knew nothing about them.
Even so, once Alanka displayed his divinely bestowed might before the enemy, his unstoppable performance greatly emboldened the members of the Holy War Army behind him, who had fallen into chaos under attack.
The exhausted members of the Holy War Army squeezed another burst of strength from their bodies. Faces flushed, they followed the high priest in pursuit, charging straight toward the western wall occupied by the Prince's Army.
High Priest Alanka raised his scepter, inlaid with plants, fish, and beasts. A faint glow radiated from his body, illuminating the ragged members of the Holy War Army behind him.
They wore civilian clothes and carried an assortment of weapons looted from the battlefield. Fanatical flames