the sand-colored tents, the cooking pots, and the supply corral on his way to the holding pens. The Maquar set up their camps the same way every time, leaving no need to learn a new layout.
Stumbling as much as walking, he crossed the last several paces of the camp to the holding pens, which were nothing more than rope strung between thin poles sunk into the ground. The field did not lend itself well to keeping prisoners locked up. Taennen's vision, still blurry from blood loss, picked Jhoqo out of the figures standing near the prisoners, and he approached his commanding officer.
'Sir, Durir Tamoor reporting for duty,' he said. Taennen saluted, wavering unsteadily.
Jhoqo turned and grabbed for Taennen, steadying the younger man. 'You ought not be up and about yet, son.'
Taennen turned and looked to the pen. Seated on the ground were a few goblins, kobolds, humans, and a half-ling. In another pen nearby, the formians were bound at the wrists and there were strips of black cloth across their mouths and eyes. There were a few of the smallest, a handful of the pony-sized ant creatures-the guards eyed one of these as it had no mouth to gag-and the large one who had given Taennen the wound that now ached and pained him so.
'What have they said, sir?' Taennen asked, never taking his eyes from the large creature.
'This one's been quite open, actually,' Jhoqo said, indicating the large one. 'The formians have one goal and one goal only.'
Taennen looked to the man steadying him and saw concern on Jhoqo's face. 'What is it, sir?'
'To bring order to the world.' Jhoqo said. 'And as best I can tell, they plan to do it by making slaves of us all.'
Taennen stumbled, but Jhoqo did not let him fall. 'Slaves? All of us?' Taennen asked and turned his eyes back to the creatures. 'What of the other prisoners, sir? The humans and the halfling?'
Jhoqo turned from the holding area and walked away slowly. Taennen followed him as best he could, the world still wobbling a little under his feet.
'They say that they were slaves, put to work as manual laborers. They say the formians had some sort of control over them,' Jhoqo said quietly. 'Hence, the blindfolds and gags. No telling what kind of magic they used to manage it.'
Taennen nodded, the itching of the invasions into his own mind coming back to him. 'I'd sooner die than be a slave to those things,' he spat.
Jhoqo stopped and turned Taennen to face him. 'It's not that easy, boy. If they're telling the truth, they had no choice.'
Taennen nodded, remembering his own experience on the battlefield but not wishing to share it with his commander. A Maquar should not be so weak. But he had a duty to report all he knew. He took a deep breath. 'Sir?'
'Son?'
'Sir, during the battle… that large formian… it did something. Or it tried to anyway.'
Jhoqo stepped in close to Taennen. 'Go on.'
'I could feel it trying to convince me to help it, but it wasn't speaking. In my mind, it just all seemed like such a good idea for a moment. It made sense to work with them instead of fighting them,' Taennen said. 'But I fought it off, sir. I shoved it out of my mind. I wouldn't have followed them.'
Jhoqo nodded and stepped away, watching Taennen closely. Jhoqo had been the one consistent, solid influence in his life since Taennen had left his old life, and his father, behind. To see that immovable force waver with an uncertain look made Taennen shiver. Did the man think less of him? What could he do to ensure Jhoqo's continued trust?
'Sir, I thought you should know so we could be watchful,' Taennen said.
Jhoqo nodded and said, 'Well, let's hope that the bindings we have on them make it impossible for them to try that again. I wouldn't mention your experience to anyone else.'
Taennen said nothing but wanted to know more about the formians. It had all seemed so sensible and logical, if even for those few moments.
'I've not told the others about the domination plans of the formians yet. Only you, Loraica, and I know,' Jhoqo said.
'And the Durpari commander, sir?'
'I'm just not sure yet. For now, we keep it between us.'
Taennen nodded but said nothing.
'You take issue with that, son?'
'No, sir,' Taennen said.
Jhoqo sighed.'I know they are our partners in this. Partners are well and good when there is danger to be faced and blood to be spilled, but I will not compromise the safety of Estagund until I know more about these Durpari mercenaries.'
'Yes, sir,' Taennen said, lifting his gaze again. Jhoqo was right, of course. The Durpari had acquitted themselves well in the fight but they were an unknown element. They had no code or rules. They were not like the Maquar.
'Very good,' Jhoqo said.
'What do we do next, sir? What of Neversfall?'
Jhoqo was looking to the ground but raised his eyes to meet Taennen's. 'What if it was these beasts that took it?'
Taennen nodded. 'We should be on our way, sir.'
'Before we go,' Jhoqo said, turning a soft eye to Taennen, 'I need you to tell me what happened out there.'
'Sir?' Taennen said.
'Son, you lost nearly a quarter of your men in that fight. Those are not acceptable losses and you know it.'
'What?' Taennen's legs went out from under him, and he fell to the ground. He watched in silence as the dust settled back around and on him, covering his shins in a light powder. Jhoqo offered his arm to help Taennen stand.
'Who?' Taennen asked.
'The terir has the list for you,' Jhoqo said. 'I asked her not to inform you before we had a chance to speak.'
Taennen accepted the man's assistance and paid no mind to the dizziness as he stood. His eyes scanned the camp, looking for those he had led into the battle. The fight played out in his mind. He watched the deaths of the first two soldiers. Every commander had lost men under him-nothing could be done for that. But what if his idea of taking captives had cost his fellows their lives? He thought of the low strike the first woman had used. A few inches higher and the goblin would have been too dead to kill her.
His thoughts were interrupted as Jhoqo leaned in close to him. The man's face was grim and tight. 'What happened?' Jhoqo repeated.
Taennen focused on his commander and said, 'Sir… I… I told my people to try to take prisoners if they could. I thought we could get some useful information out of them about Veldorn and maybe even Neversfall.'
Jhoqo shook his head and said, 'Durir, I've never been in a battle where every member of either side was killed. I knew we would have a few prisoners, that's why I didn't specifically request that any be taken. It's a given in any battle and soldiers fight harder if they're fighting to kill.'
Taennen tried to pay attention but found his eyes wandering the camp for those who had fought under him. Who hadn't made it?
Jhoqo grabbed the younger man by the shoulders and looked him hard in the eyes. 'This sort of thing is why we must adhere to the chain of command so strictly, son. I'm disappointed in you. I had hoped for better from you in that fight. I lost men, too, son, but… by all the One,' Jhoqo said.
'Sir…' Taennen said, his mind back on his situation. He winced away from the look of disappointment on his commander's face and wondered if he had looked the same to his father all those years before.
'Rest now, son. Just… leave me for a while,' Jhoqo said.
Taennen saluted and limped toward his tent, Jhoqo's words stinging in his ears. The man he loved as a father
