“Now?” he asked her.
Her long black hair had been pulled into a bun. She wore the standard adviser’s uniform—black shirt with two red diamonds stitched onto the collar, black pants, and boots. “Now.”
By that point, the rain had soaked through to his skin and there were puddles of water in his boots. At least Onyx was in good hands. Back in his home, the stable boys descended with warm towels, combs, and fresh hay. Lucky bugger.
As Valek trudged after his colleague through the large U-shaped manor house, he longed for a hot bath and dry clothes. They arrived and Dema waited until Valek entered the room before dashing off to…well, he’d no idea. The lanterns had been lit in the Commander’s office, which had been Brazell’s before the general was arrested and incarcerated. The yellow glow did not give off any warmth, neither did the Commander’s cold gaze as it swept over Valek’s bedraggled appearance.
Valek shivered.
“Sit down,” he ordered.
He perched on the edge of the plush chair facing the massive wooden desk. The Commander stood and went to a sideboard. He poured a couple drinks and handed one to Valek before resettling behind the desk. Valek took a grateful sip. The whiskey burned down his throat and warmed his stomach.
The Commander had regained a bit of the weight that he’d lost, but that hard edge he’d acquired since his ordeal lurked in his gold almond-shaped eyes. More gray streaked his bristle short black hair, even though the man was only forty-one-years-old.
“Report,” the Commander ordered.
Valek recounted his pursuit of Tam, also known as Tamequintin, the assassin that had taken Yelena’s order of execution with the intent of carrying it out. The order the Commander had signed because magicians were illegal in Ixia; any mage caught in Ixia was hanged. Valek also included in his report the details of his capture.
“A magician named Ziva Moon helped me escape from prison in exchange for a favor. She also accompanied me to Delip, a city in the Cloud Mist Clan, where we caught up to Tam. With her aid, I was able to trap and kill Tam,” Valek said.
“And the favor?” the Commander asked.
Reluctant to detail the family drama, Valek said, “Taken care of.”
The Commander quirked an eyebrow but said nothing as he sipped his drink. After an uncomfortable silence, he asked, “What happened to Yelena’s order of execution?”
Ah. “Ziva Moon put it into my saddlebags. I’m assuming it’s still there.”
“Still won’t touch it?”
“Not unless it’s to burn it, sir.”
The Commander huffed in either amusement or annoyance, it was hard to tell. “You didn’t miss much while you were gone, Valek. I’ve uncovered a few more people involved in Brazell and Mogkan’s plot to overthrow me and have arrested them. I also decided to promote Colonel Ute from MD-3 to general of MD-5. Her service record is stellar, and she’s impressed me over the years.”
“Are Generals Tesso and Hazal still here?” Valek asked.
“No. I sent them home. Both are rather opinionated, and I want Ute to run her Military District as she sees fit.” Ambrose smiled wryly. “Plus, I don’t want her turning into… What did you call the other generals?”
The Commander knewexactlywhat Valek had called them. He never forgot anything. Even though he was being teased, Valek was happy to see Ambrose relax a bit.
“Old windbags,” Valek supplied.
He snapped his fingers. “That’s it! Does she provide enough fresh blood for you?”
Another jab. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. You are to take a couple soldiers and deliver the promotion to her. Then escort her here.”
That was unusual. Normally, the Commander sent the papers to the district’s general to notify the person of a promotion. “Are you expecting trouble?”
“Possibly. This is the first time since the takeover that I’ve promoted someone to general. The other seven have been together a long time, and they are probably expecting me to have a meeting and consult them on the new general. It would be a courtesy and generate good will toward the newest member. Except, I’m in no mood to play nice. Not when one ofmygenerals tried to usurp me. Plus, the old windbags would want to promote another old windbag.”
Ah yes. The good-old-boy network.
The Commander took a drink as he gazed into the distance for a moment. Then he returned his attention to Valek. “By sending you to officially present the paperwork, I’m letting all the generals know I’m serious. If I send the orders to General Franis, he might hang on to it in order to delay things and perhaps demand that a meeting is called. Either way, he’ll have all the generals in an uproar in no time. He might still try to slow you down.”
Valek smiled without humor. “He can try. We’ll also be traveling through MD-4. Do I need to worry about General Tesso?”
