“Kidane looks again at the photograph. Sunlight blazes on a group of men just behind the front columns. They are ascari, those soldiers from Eritrea, Somalia, Libya, and even Ethiopia fighting for the Italians. Even in the slight blur of movement, it is easy to see their crisp new uniforms. Those new rifles and ammunition belts. Kidane stiffens. When the time comes, his men will be able to count on speed and their familiarity with the area surrounding Gondar. They can have faith in the benevolence of villagers. They can rely on the monks living in caves, can demand assistance from those hermits who have pledged a life free from human contact. But nothing except skill and surprise can help Kidane and his men against the ascari who know as much as they do about this terrain, who can force villagers and monks into submission, and can bend the same rain and fog in their direction. Aklilu approaches and motions behind him toward the narrow trail that brought them to this plateau. Kidane points in the opposite direction. Aklilu understands. They cannot use even the faintest semblance of a path. Every step they take from now on will have to be erased, their presence rendered invisible to an enemy as calculating as they.”
―
Maaza Mengiste,
The Shadow King
