might expect to see on a dead man's face when asked how things fared.
'We were attacked, sir,' the man said.
'By whom? Where were you?' Taennen asked.
'On patrol, sir. The men who attacked the fortress before… it was them.'
'You were outside the citadel walls? By the gods, man!' Taennen roared. 'What in the hells were you doing out there with such a small force?'
'On the urir's orders, sir,' the man said firmly.
Taennen seemed to shrink before Adeenya's eyes. The color drained from his face, leaving a pale palette begging to be filled in again.
Adeenya fought the urge to pull her remaining soldiers out and march straight back to Durpar. The Maquar urir had overreached yet again. Jhoqo had ordered men outside the walls, and now more of them were dead. That did not surprise her. She hadn't been told about it. That did not surprise her, either. It angered her, but in no way did it surprise her.
Taennen hadn't known about the patrols, though, and that surprised her. She expected a certain level of secrecy on Jhoqo's part. She was an outsider, after all. But Taennen was like the commander's son, not to mention his second in command. He should have known about the patrol.
The durir of the Maquar stepped away from his soldier as healers pushed through the crowd to tend the wounds of the injured warriors. Taennen took several steps backwards, the throng parting for him as he went. His eyes remained locked on the bodies of the men on the ground for several long moments before he looked up and found Adeenya's face. Taennen turned from the gathering. She darted after him and found him on the far side of the crowd. She caught up to him easily and fell into step beside him.
'He should have told you,' she said. Taennen shook his head. 'No.' 'You're his second.'
Taennen stopped and looked straight at her. 'He was right to leave me out of it. I've been a joke of an officer on this mission, and I have lost the right to be in on those decisions.'
'That's not-' she started.
'Stop. Please,' he said, holding up his hand. 'I don't deserve his respect, but I will. From now on, I remember my place.'
Adeenya shook her head. 'So you'll just do whatever he says? Blind to what it might mean? Sending those men out there was foolish and he should have known better.'
'I led my men into that massacre, I failed to stop the attackers, and now I'm following up on the words of our enemy who is trying to deceive me?' Taennen said. 'Trust that formian? I must be mad. Jhoqo's right to leave me out of this until I get my head straight. I need to regain my focus.'
Before Adeenya could speak, Taennen started off again, his gait determined. She had no idea what to say and even less idea of how to say it. She let him leave. If he wanted to wallow in self-pity she would not stop him.
Adeenya turned toward her quarters. She stopped when out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Loraica standing nearby, looking out of place. Adeenya did not doubt that the Maquar terir had been trying to eavesdrop on the conversation between her and Taennen. She considered reprimanding Loraica, but the plan she had in mind could not be accomplished alone. She needed help. She could not approach Jhoqo, and Taennen had chosen to remove himself from participation. Adeenya smiled at Loraica. She would do.
But first, there was a more pressing issue to deal with. Adeenya made her way through the courtyard to Jhoqo's command building. She took long, determined steps and kept her focus on the approaching door. The guard there didn't even attempt to stop her, instead opening the door for her. Adeenya stepped into the dim room and looked for the Maquar urir.
Jhoqo sat in a chair on the right side of the room, several scrolls lying around him in a mess. He looked up when she entered and waved her in. If he was surprised or upset at her arrival, he did not show it.
'Yes, Orir? May I help you?' Jhoqo said.
'Sir, you are in command here,' Adeenya said.
'I'm glad we agree,' Jhoqo said, rising to his feet.
'But that doesn't excuse your decision not to inform me that you were sending my people out on a scouting expedition,' she said. She held herself still and poised.
'I had hoped that by sending out the party quickly and without much fuss, perhaps they could have slipped out unnoticed and caught our enemies unawares in the woods,' Jhoqo said.
'I'm not questioning your tactics, sir,' Adeenya said. 'Then what, Orir?' he said.
'You did not consult me or even tell me what you were doing. My people are dead and I never even knew where they were,' she said.
Jhoqo's shoulders sagged. 'They are back then? It did not go well?' he said.
'I'm sure they'll inform you, sir,' Adeenya said, 'but that's not why I'm here.'
Jhoqo watched her for a moment. 'Then tell me, Orir, exactly why you are here,' he said.
'Sir, I'm here to tell you to not let it happen again,' she said, stiffening her posture. 'If my people are to be sent somewhere, I expect to know ahead of time.'
'Orir, you said I was in command, didn't you? The resources in this citadel are mine to utilize,' Jhoqo said. 'And that includes your forces.'
Adeenya relaxed her stance and looked the man in the eyes. 'Never again without my knowledge, Urir. Never.'
Before Jhoqo could respond, Adeenya left the building, leaving the door wide open behind her. She felt better. She wished Taennen could experience what she just had.
Taennen strode through the courtyard, ignoring the salutes as he went. They meant nothing. The men giving them had not believed in the gesture since before their fight with the formians. That fight was why Taennen had lost the respect of both his men and Jhoqo. His feet felt heavy and part of him screamed to stop, but he moved forward simply to be away from anything.
'Taennen,' Loraica called. She jogged toward him, her leather armor creaking as it tried to contain her mass through the jostling motion.
'Terir,' he said.
'Can we talk a moment, sir?' she said.
'Of course. Walk with me.'
'I'm concerned about you, Taen,' she said.
He stopped and looked at her. His oldest friend's brow was creased, her eyes big and alert. 'I'm all right, Lori.'
'Are you sure? You don't seem all right. I saw what happened at the gate.'
'I was angry and ashamed. I'm dealing with it.'
'I'm glad,' Loraica said.
'What is it, Lori? There's something else bothering you.' Taennen had shared more with her than anyone else in the world. Stories of his childhood, hopes for the future, bruises, blood, tears, and joys. There was likely little they could hide from one another.
'You just seem different on this mission,' she said.
Taennen thought about her words. 'I suppose so. This is unlike any other mission we've been on, isn't it?'
Loraica shrugged. 'I guess, but… forgive me, but I'm not sure I trust the orir, and you're spending more time with her than might be necessary,' she said, her body stiffening to stand at attention.
'I'm not sure what to say, Lori. I'm glad you said something, but I don't think that's the case. I trust her so far, but I hope you can trust me when I say that I'm being cautious.'
'I do, Taen. You know I do,' Loraica said, a smile overtaking her face. 'Oh, speaking of the orir, she asked me to tell you that something's come up in her ranks, so she'll try to catch up with you later.'
'I see. Thank you. Can we break our fasts together on the morrow? I feel like we haven't had much time to relax together since we got here.'
Loraica smiled. 'You're on, sir. See you then.'
