PROLOGUE:
Te Ua Haumene revelled in the sounds of the militaristic chants. It made his heart beat faster and his blood pressure rise. He tingled with primordial excitement, the bloodlust rising in him. He looked on at the column of young Maori warriors, as they circled the tall Niu pole. He could see the fervour rise in them. Some stumbled over others as the pace fastened. The youngest were consumed with giddiness, many only 16 years or so. This was to be the nucleus of the new army, an army that would purify the land. It would fulfill the prophecy of Anhera. When the Pakeha and the non-believers were subjugated and slaughtered, the ancestors would rise again. The sick would be healed and the Archangel would impart to these kindred peoples all the useful knowledge in the world. Te Ua, as high priest, would usher in a new, utopian era with a cacophony of chants, marching and the screams of the enemy.
Te Ua was blessed by the four winds of Anhera with miraculous powers. He bathed in the mana won by his magical power. He could call upon the Archangel to protect his soldiers from the boomsticks of the enemy. They brought their families, their land, their Queen. But the disparate Iwi now had a King, and were united under his banner and the Niu. The pale scum had pushed into the Waikato. They were marching to their doom. Them and the collaborating Iwi of the North. The invader was to be driven back... for the sake of his people... for the honour of his ancestors... and for the sanctity of his land.
Te Ua Haumene revelled in the sounds of the militaristic chants. It made his heart beat faster and his blood pressure rise. He tingled with primordial excitement, the bloodlust rising in him. He looked on at the column of young Maori warriors, as they circled the tall Niu pole. He could see the fervour rise in them. Some stumbled over others as the pace fastened. The youngest were consumed with giddiness, many only 16 years or so. This was to be the nucleus of the new army, an army that would purify the land. It would fulfill the prophecy of Anhera. When the Pakeha and the non-believers were subjugated and slaughtered, the ancestors would rise again. The sick would be healed and the Archangel would impart to these kindred peoples all the useful knowledge in the world. Te Ua, as high priest, would usher in a new, utopian era with a cacophony of chants, marching and the screams of the enemy.
Te Ua was blessed by the four winds of Anhera with miraculous powers. He bathed in the mana won by his magical power. He could call upon the Archangel to protect his soldiers from the boomsticks of the enemy. They brought their families, their land, their Queen. But the disparate Iwi now had a King, and were united under his banner and the Niu. The pale scum had pushed into the Waikato. They were marching to their doom. Them and the collaborating Iwi of the North. The invader was to be driven back... for the sake of his people... for the honour of his ancestors... and for the sanctity of his land.