'No, sir. She was transferred. Promoted, actually. She now leads her own regiment,' Adeenya said. She wondered at the life of conflict the man must have led to assume her second had died. In that moment, the glorious shine of the Maquar seemed a little scuffed to her.
'Ahh… I see the pride you feel for her,' Jhoqo said. 'It is a wonderful feeling, isn't it? And it speaks highly of your skills in teaching her how to lead, daughter.'
She nodded. 'Yes, sir. May I ask a question, sir?'
'Of course. Everything begins with a question,' he replied.
'When will I learn why my troops and I have been called here, sir?'
Jhoqo stopped and turned to face her. 'Straight to the point. A fine quality, I suppose, Orir.'
'Yes, sir,' Adeenya said. She could hardly imagine what urgent need demanded that she lead her forty soldiers to the middle of the wilds at the northern end of the Curna Mountains.
'A reconnaissance mission,' her superiors had said. 'Nothing to worry about.'
Which did not explain why they had met the Maquar- or, more importantly, why they were expected to be subordinate to the almost equal force.
'Have you spent any time in Veldorn, Orir?' Jhoqo asked, resuming his stroll once again.
'I've passed through a few times, sir. Never very deep into those lands, though,' Adeenya said.
'Why is that, do you think?' Jhoqo asked.
Adeenya chose her words carefully and said, 'Between business interests and the Durpari government, many campaigns have been launched with the intention of clearing Veldorn of the monster tribes. They've all failed. It is not our custom to throw good money after bad. The few civilized folks who do choose to live there are on their own. '
Jhoqo nodded. 'I appreciate your honesty, Orir.'
'Sir-we're to go to Veldorn, then?' she asked.
Jhoqo seemed to gauge her carefully. 'We travel to the one place that might eventually solve many of the problems we in the South have in Veldorn,' Jhoqo said. 'To Neversfall.'
Adeenya did not speak for several moments. 'For what purpose, sir?'
'You've heard of Neversfall?' Jhoqo said, watching her.
'Aye, sir. My father mentioned it a few times,' she said. She remembered how casually her father had talked of his interest in the citadel when the proposal had first come to him. She knew then that he was interested. Her father only responded so coolly when he was excited about a proposition.
The urir raised his eyebrows. 'He is Yaviz Jamaluddat,' she added reluctantly.
'Ah! Of course,' Jhoqo said. 'Such a wealthy merchant would certainly know of it. No doubt he invested in it.'
His tone made it clear that his last words were not a question so Adeenya did not address it as such and forged ahead. 'What is the mission at Neversfall, sir?'
Jhoqo stopped walking and faced Adeenya and both of his subordinates. 'To secure it.' 'Sir?' Taennen asked.
'The conditions at the citadel of Neversfall are currently unknown,' Jhoqo said. 'The last report from the commander assigned to Neversfall is three days overdue.'
'Three days? By the One,' Taennen said.
'Yes, the councils are quite concerned,' Jhoqo said. 'Estagund and Durpar have invested too much time, coin, and mutual respect into this endeavor for anything to go wrong.'
Adeenya puzzled at the man's notion of respect as an investment. Though, she supposed, respect often yielded the finest returns. 'Yes, sir. Do we have any theories as to what might have happened to the troops stationed there?'
'Yes, sir, how many were there?' Taennen added.
'The citadel was held by nearly forty combined Maquar and Durpari troops,' Jhoqo said.
Adeenya reeled at the number. What could possibly overcome forty well-trained soldiers with a strong fortress as their line of defense?
'Sir, are there more reinforcements on the way?' she asked.
Jhoqo shook his head. 'Not yet. We're to scout the situation and call in more if needed.'
Adeenya quelled her immediate reaction and offered a measured response. 'Sir, we could be dealing with a huge enemy force here if they overwhelmed that many troops. We aren't prepared for anything larger than a clean- up effort. We need battlemages, clerics-the safety of our two nations could be at stake.'
Jhoqo nodded. 'Or perhaps it's nothing serious at all,' he said. 'That's what we're going to find out. No need for expensive magic-users then. It's best not to jump to conclusions, Orir. Try to remember that.'
Adeenya restrained herself. 'Yes, sir.'
'Our first goal is to make sure the men and women at the citadel are safe.'
'Of course, sir,' Adeenya said. 'I'm just trying to keep the bigger issues in mind.'
'I believe in the Adama, Orir. Do you?' Jhoqo said.
'I'm not sure I see the relevance, sir,' Adeenya said.
'If all is one, if everyone and everything are connected as that thinking would have us believe, then we should treat one another with great care, don't you think?'
Adeenya nodded, though the relevance still eluded her. 'The wholeness of the All is a fine and good concept, sir.'
Jhoqo nodded. 'The Adama is a wise formula that benefits us all. Too often, we hurry through life without thinking about the small connections and opportunities we pass up every day. Those small things cannot be sacrificed for the bigger issues. Details, Orir.'
Adeenya said nothing but nodded again. The Maquar were known for their devotion to the ways of the Adama, the belief system of most inhabitants of the Shining South. Never one to give the matter much thought, Adeenya usually just smiled and nodded when the topic was broached in conversation-especially when the person doing the broaching was also her commander.
'When do we move out, sir?' Adeenya asked, hoping to leave the previous conversation behind. She had used the word 'sir' more times in the few moments she'd known the Maquar commander than she had in the previous two weeks. It didn't fit well in her mouth.
'I want to address the troops before we go, but we will move out immediately after,' Jhoqo said.
'Yes, sir. My people will have our camp broken down in two bells,' Adeenya replied.
Jhoqo gave her a hard look and said, 'No, Orir. You'll be ready to move before next bell.' With that the man offered a nod and moved toward the rest of the Maquar soldiers who still stood in perfect formation, awaiting their next command. Adeenya held back a sigh, hoping she had never come across to her subordinates as Jhoqo just had to her.
Xaennen fell into step behind his commander. He felt the anticipation in the air among his fellow Maquar. Jhoqo was a true orator, his many speeches worth the waits between and good for morale. Taennen glanced over his shoulder to the Durpari commander. She nodded tightly.
Taennen wondered at the woman's inattentive expression. He needed no mirror to see the enthusiasm on his own face. He saw it reflected on the faces of his brothers. The Maquar stood rigid-disciplined but excited to hear their commander speak. His words led to their deeds and their deeds were great. Yet Adeenya and her troops stood quiet in body and spirit, their eyes seeming attentive but dull and lacking illumination. Was there a better moment in the life of a soldier than the one just before a mission?
He basked for a moment in the pride of knowing that when the troops heard their new mission, they would cheer. They would celebrate the opportunity to bring the rule of the Rajah to new places and people. They would revel in simply being soldiers, doing their duty and helping one another along the way. Taennen cast an eye back to Adeenya and wondered if she ever felt such joy. Probably not-she was still a mercenary. Soldiering was all about money to mercenaries.
Jhoqo paced before the soldiers as the last few Durpari fell into their places. Next to one another, the differences between the two forces came into sharp focus. The bright, bold colors of the Maquar arranged next to
