AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ve used them many times over the years,” I said. “I could find them with my eyes closed.”
Qi snorted, folded his arms, and looked away. Lurking in the shadows wasn’t his idea of a master plan.
“To do that, we’ll need to draw the Changelings out,” Nus said. “Create a distraction. So, we’ll need a head-on attack elsewhere. Maybe over here, in Klout Valley. What do you think, Qi?”
At first, he refused to be a part of the discussion. Then he glanced at the spot Nus was pointing at and snorted in derision.
“You think that’s a good spot to fight a large force?” he said.
“Tell me where is better,” Nus said, maintaining her calm.
Qi pursed his lips and stabbed a finger on the opposite side of the valley.
“It’s narrowed and the Changeling numbers will count for less in there,” he said. “It would be hard for them to sweep in behind us and the hilltops will allow us to engage their shuttlecraft with our spears.”
“Then that’s where it’ll be,” I said.
Qi loosened up after that, now that he was a part of the team. Honestly, sometimes it was like trying to corral children.
“How many men would you need in that pass?” I said.
We went around and around, exploring every nook and cranny of the map. Once the others forgot their titles and rank and the feuds that’d existed for millennia, they got on very well. It was interesting to see how differently each chieftain led their people into battle.
Eventually, we were decided. We would have a full-frontal attack and engage the enemy. A smaller team would head into the palace and take out the defensive turrets. Then, a smaller army would flank the Changelings and prevent them from escaping. We all agreed that once they were free, the Titan civilians would pick up arms and join us in battle.
As I left the war room, my honor guard followed me out. It’d been a long four hours, but fruitful. We had a battle plan and we would attack in the early hours of the morning. There was no time to lose.
Now, I went to visit the one person I cared most about in the whole world.
After tomorrow, I might never see her again.
I entered our new apartment. It was at least five times larger than our previous one. My honor guard followed me in. I told them to wait outside. They bowed and left.
“Bowing guards,” Hazel said, shaking her head. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”
She was bent over the dining table, pouring something from a pot into a bowl.
It looked too heavy for her. I rushed over to take it from her. She let me, before turning back to the cooker and retrieving something from the oven.
“You’ve been cooking?” I said.
She dumped a tray of bread on the tabletop. It smelled sweet and delicious.
“I figured I ought to do something useful while I’m here,” she said. “How did the battle plans go?”
“Fine. We came up with the final plans. We’ll attack tomorrow.”
Hazel nodded and removed the lid from another pot. Steam billowed from it. I could smell its contents from across the room.
“Is this Earth food?” I said.
“It’s called a roast. It’s a pretty big meal.”
There was a large roasted pluarch, slices of hexadodron meat, a pot full of steamed vegetables, and some sort of brown sauce.
It looked delicious and my mouth was already salivating.
“The ingredients are a little different from what I’m used to,” Hazel said. “Hopefully it won’t taste too bad.”
