Contrariness, I told myself. A childish obstinacy of someone who can’t have their way. I should be above that…
“Aldait Han.” I flinched again, wondering what new accusations he had against me. “As soon as we return to Sfal, you will retake your first aid course. I know operating a syringe may seem folly to you, but it affects more lives than yours, and I won’t tolerate any ignorance in that matter.”
“Yes, kar-vessár,” I murmured. That phrase seemed to be the only thing I was capable of saying. My cheeks heated as I wondered what he—and all the others—must have thought about my intelligence.
“Did you at least collect the fresh adrenaline shots?”
I gritted my teeth. How did the bastard know? I guess it was his job to oversee everything happening in Mespana. Still, didn’t he have more pressing matters than caring about my medicine stash? Who was I to deserve his attention anyway?
Vessár of the Seventh Cohort. A chill ran down my spine as the realization dawned upon me, as if only now did I understand what his words meant, the silver sash on my chest, the necessity of replacing Laik Var. Tears prickled my eyes, and I did my best to push the last thought away.
“Yes, kar-vessár,” I replied, mentally thanking the gods that the medics pushed the new meds into my hands when I delivered Tayrel Kan into their care. Then I cursed myself, realizing I used that damn phrase again. Had he anything else to flay me for, or could we move on?
“Finally, we’ll attack tonight.”
I almost wished he kept flaying me. A cacophony of voices exploded around me, with every vessár set on expressing their displeasure.
Myar Mal silenced them all by banging his fist on the table. “We’ve been stalling long enough!” he said sternly.
“We were just attacked, Myar Mal,” protested the new woman. Marks on her arm identified her as the vessár of the Sixth Cohort. “Many people died or were wounded.”
“That’s why Tarvissi won’t expect us to move now.”
“And we still don’t have any way of protecting ourselves from their bolts,” added Tyano Har.
“Kiarn At and his men are working on an advanced version of a blurring spell. The Tarvissi can pierce our shields, but they can’t hit something they don’t see clearly.”
“If we try to storm their mansion, all they have to do is shoot at the incoming mass,” noted Ayrela Va-Roma, vessár of the Tenth Cohort. “Your spell won’t make any difference. More people will die.”
“And if we keep on debating, they will have more time to prepare the next attack,” said Adyar Lah in unexpected support for Myar Mal. “They made it pretty clear they’re not interested in a peaceful resolution. By stalling, we’re only giving them an opening.”
“And even if we do get to the mansion, then what?” asked Raison Dal, vessár of Eleventh Cohort. “They still have the numbers. The training. The magical weapons. They can swat us away like annoying flies.”
“We have our training, too,” replied Myar Mal. “And our magic. And ssothians.”
“We used to have kas’shams too,” added Raison Dal and the kar-vessár paled.
“We have to devise a tactic that will allow us to maximize the effectiveness and minimize the losses,” he said, perfectly collected despite the adversity.
“The losses you speak of are human lives,” remarked Ayrela Va.
“They are inevitable. We didn’t start this fight, but we have to finish it.”
“One way or another?” asked Raison Dal.
Myar Mal looked him in the eye. “If you have any objections to my leadership, you can take them to the Directory.”
“I object your recklessness and arrogance,” he snapped, and I barely held back a gasp at his insolence, “is it true it was you who devised that disastrous spell?”
Kar-vessár paled even more. “Yes.”
Raison Dal scoffed. “You got drunk on the power Tayrel Kan gave you; so much so that you never stopped to consider if it was worth taking.”
I was stumped. How dare he speak like this to Myar Mal? Was he immune to our leader’s strength?
Or was I the only one susceptible? I tried to discretely look around, for the first time wondering how other people acted in his presence, but the continuing argument made it hard to focus. I’d have to go back to it later.
“I took a chance, I failed. It won’t happen again.”
“I bet you were saying the same while leaving the Academy.”
“At least I graduated.”
Now Raison Dal’s face turned red. I recalled he studied both medicine and psychology but finished neither. What about the kar-vessár? The hole in the knowledge implanted by Tayrel Kan jarred me again, but a second later thinking about the sorcerer sent a wave of guilt down to my very core.
“Are you going to try to veto me?” asked Myar Mal after a moment of silence. Both men were staring at each other, neither willing to give up and despite not being the object of the scrutiny for once, I felt uneasy.
“I would if I had any chance,” replied Raison Dal without hesitation. “But you put in three new vessár-ai in this room, they’re not going to stand against you.”
“Those of us who know what we’re doing won’t either,” said Vareya Lyg coldly.
“Myar Mal is right, we need to finish this rebellion. The sooner we do that, the better,” added Innam Ar.
“What would you propose, Raison Dal?” asked Tyano Har, “stepping back and letting them do as they please? Trying to wait them out? Should I remind you about the potential involvement of Tarviss that we still aren’t sure of? Every moment we waste here is another moment they have to gather their army and lead it on Dahls.”
My heart jumped to my throat at the mention of Tarviss, but before I gathered courage—and words—to speak, Innam Ar was already talking.
“Besides, the rebellion here may serve as inspiration for others. It’s no secret that some settlers are not happy with Dahlsian domination. If they
