“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.”
“If it tastes half as good as it smells, it’ll be great.”
“Go get washed up. Then we can eat.”
I did as she asked and returned to the dining table.
“Would you like something to drink?” I said.
“What do we have?” she said.
“Pretty much anything you could want. Wine?”
She nodded. I brought over a bottle of red and poured two glasses. She sipped on it and smacked her lips.
“It’s good,” she said.
We sat down to eat.
Was this what living with her would be like? I wondered. Ordinarily, my cooks made my meals for me. I couldn’t cook at all. I wondered how my cooking staff would feel about having Hazel working alongside them.
Knowing Chef, he wouldn’t take it too kindly.
Chef.
His helpers.
The guardsmen.
They were the closest thing I had to friends.
Who was I kidding?
They were my friends.
I tasted every ingredient before I settled down to stuff myself with my favorites.
In the morning, the battle would begin. I wouldn’t eat anything for breakfast. It was always better to fight on an empty stomach. Especially when chances were good you wouldn’t survive. Being hungry put your instincts on high alert.
“Make sure to save some space,” Hazel said. “I made apple strudel and custard.”
Now she tells me.
I chuckled. I wasn’t sure my stomach could take it.
Hazel said, “I thought it was a good idea for you to have a nice meal before…”
She let the sentence hang. She didn’t like the idea of me heading off to battle.
I reached across the table and held her hand. Her face was fraught with frown lines.
“Everything will be all right,” I said.
“I hope so,” she said. “I only just met you. I don’t intend on letting you go just yet.”
“And you won’t.”
“I wanted to speak to you about tomorrow.”
Aha. So here was the real reason for the meal.
I put my fork down and gave her my full attention.
“I was thinking,” she said. “You’ll need all the help you can get with the wounded tomorrow… And, I am a qualified nurse…”
She didn’t look me in the eye when she said it. She knew I wouldn’t like it.
“We have many Titan medics,” I said.
She wanted to join the fight and put herself in harm’s way.
I couldn’t let that happen.
“I have experience and training,” she said.
“Out of the question,” I said.
“Is this you speaking or the emperor?”
“Both!” I barked. “Do you honestly expect me to let you go into the field of war? For you to get hurt? You’re not a Titan. This isn’t your fight.”
“You are the emperor. You shouldn’t be going out to fight either.”
Her eyes met mine. They were fiery and strong.
“I’m their leader,”
