“Look at what strong muscles she has,” Ruth said, her voice dripping with mock admiration.She leaned casually against the doorframe, a smug smirk curling her lips.Her defiance was as maddening as ever, and it tested every ounce of restraint I had left.
She was great during training, and she hadn’t gone out hunting hellhounds by herself or with Che once, but she still defied me.Even with the added rules I set in place, I’d forgotten to mention the conference room and that she couldn’t be within twenty yards of it.I needed to keep notes and that was on me.I took a slow, even breath.
“I’m sure your mother has no idea you’re here,” I said to Che, deliberately ignoring Ruth and her provocations.
“Umm, no,” he admitted in a small voice, his gaze darting away nervously.“But we want to help you kill hellhounds.”His hopeful tone carried the weight of a child’s earnestness, and his eyes silently begged me to understand.
I lifted him to the chair I’d been sitting in and dropped him into it without a hint of gentleness.His bottom hit the seat with a soft thud, and his wide eyes somehow managed to get even bigger.Turning to Ruth, I fixed her with my most withering glare.
Unfazed, she stomped over to Nokita’s vacated chair, plopped herself down, and crossed her arms defiantly.The sheer audacity of her actions radiated from her like a challenge, and I couldn’t help but marvel at how much she reminded me of a Shadow Warrior.If there were any way to turn this tiny girl-woman into one, we’d never worry about an attack again.Ruth would conquer the entire world before lunch.
But as much as I admired her spirit, I couldn’t allow her and Che to run wild.If they got themselves killed, I’d be left explaining the situation to their enraged parents.My heart would also be broken.
I looked at Beck, and his gaze slid from mine.He was no help at all.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I inhaled deeply, forcing myself to find the balance between stern and non-murderous.They were just kids, I reminded myself.Exceptionally irritating kids, but kids, nonetheless.
I paced back and forth in front of them, giving them plenty of time to squirm.Ruth opened her mouth, but I held up a hand, cutting her off before she spoke.The men stood by silently, watching me with what could only be described as wary curiosity.If I was being honest, they were terrified of Ruth.Despite being human, she acted like a Shadow Warrior through and through.Combine that with her small stature and young age, and I couldn’t blame their terror.
I took a deep breath, trying to settle my own nerves, and wished I had time for a quick meditation.Then an idea popped into my head, and I stopped pacing, turning to face the kids with a firm, no-nonsense stare.
“I’m assigning you to our most strategic job,” I announced, making sure my tone carried the weight of the responsibility I was about to give them.Ruth and Che’s eyes widened, anticipation practically radiating off them.“You might not like the fact that you’re human, but you are, and that means you will not be fighting hellhounds under any circumstances.Instead, you’re in charge of weapons.”
Their jaws practically dropped.Then I saw the excitement growing behind their initial surprise.Good.I had them exactly where I wanted them.
“You’ll be stationed in the armory,” I continued.“Your first job is to take an inventory of everything we have.After everyone is armed, I want an exact count of what’s left.This is one of the most critical responsibilities in the battle.Should I ask your mothers to help you?”I added the last part with a perfectly innocent tone that I knew would hit exactly the right nerve.
“No, ma’am,” Ruth snapped, sitting up straighter.
Che nodded emphatically.“We’ll be the best armory strategists you’ve ever seen, Marinah.”His use of the word "strategists" caught my attention.I wasn’t even surprised at this point.Ruth had clearly been teaching him from the war books she’d been sneaking from my collection.
“I’m counting on it,” I replied, nodding at them both.“I trust you to put safety first when dealing with the weapons.You can each choose yours before the men take theirs.When you’re in charge of the armory, you need to be heavily armed with the best we have.”I’d taken them both shooting and knew they understood gun and sword safety.I also knew it was drilled in by their parents too.
I watched their expressions shift from excitement to determination.But I wasn’t done.
“You have a lot of work ahead of you,” I said in the most serious tone I could manage.“And to do it well, you need to be rested.If you don’t sleep, your mothers are going to be on me about it,” I added with a pointed look.“Head to the armory now and get started.Tonight, I expect you to eat every bite of your dinner and be in bed early.Only a well-rested soldier is ready for battle.”
Ruth and Che nodded so solemnly that I had to suppress a smirk.As they scrambled out of the room, I finally exhaled.It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it would keep them out of trouble for now.
The kids darted off the moment I handed them the key to the armory.The sound of their shoes echoed pit-a-pat on the tile, gradually fading into the distance.When silence returned, the Shadow Warriors shifted their attention back to me, their eyes expectant.
Naturally, it was Beck who spoke first.“Didn’t you assign the weapons inventory job to Kamin last week after he was late for training?”
“I did,” I replied evenly.
“And now you need it done again?”His tone rose slightly, edged with skepticism.
I shook my head.“No, I need those two out of our hair and somewhere safe.If they don’t have direction, they’ll be underfoot, and we’ll end up leaping over them while trying to kill hellhounds.”
“Do you even know what weapons are in that room?”he asked, his voice bordering on exasperation.He broke eye contact when Ms.Beast stirred, releasing just a touch of K-5 as a warning.
I let the silence stretch for a beat before answering.“Did you know they robbed the armory months ago and stashed their favorite weapons?”I didn’t wait for his response.“This way, they’ll head to their little stockpile first, keep themselves entertained, and not mess up the weapons count Kamin gave me.Plus, they’ll include their stashed weapons on the new list.”I gave him a moment to absorb what I said.“There’s also a small room off the weapon’s room they can be locked into if needed.”
Beck’s irritation melted into an expression of grudging approval, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.“Can Missy and I come over and take lessons from you?”he asked.
Chapter Seventeen
King
