Chapter Forty One
Dahlia and Borreal weren’t the last captains into the hall. Others who had been contacted at their barracks or on the perimeter had had farther to come. A few were still missing but she spotted Belakris entering shortly after her. At least that was a good sign; the infirmary had been able to treat him after the exposure to the poison.
Ravin entered after them as well. Dahlia pointedly looked at neither him nor Borreal, instead focusing on Mazaran. The commander was placidly waiting for everyone to arrive. But she wondered what was going on behind that carefully cultivated expression.
As the last available captains entered Mazaran rose. “Captains, I know you are all waiting for good news so I will leave the formalities for now and simply tell you that we have confirmed that the self-proclaimed emperor’s forces are retreating. We have won.”
As befitting the formality of the meeting, no one broke out into cheers but Dahlia saw plenty of smiles and heads nodding.
“I ask that everyone remain alert. We will return to having our guards doubled but I see no need to continue with the division shifts. I know that our barracks are worn thin and our numbers down. Many of you bear wounds that could not be treated in the infirmary and I imagine your soldiers bear even more. Once we are assured this threat is over we will return to normal guard shifts and I advise you all to rest and recuperate your barracks.”
“It goes without saying that every one of you has shown immense strength and fortitude against overwhelming numbers. I believe this is a testament to your skill and the skill of our soldiers over our enemy’s willingness to sacrifice large numbers in battle. It will be some time before the next force chooses to smash themselves upon our walls.”
“And when they do, let them come. Their bones will break and their bodies will burn with those who have come before. I thank you, captains, on behalf of myself, the ones we protect, and our God-King for your service in this fight.”
And that was it. Mazaran waved his hand in dismissal. No invitation for questions as normal. It occurred to her that perhaps he, too, was tired. Just as likely, he didn’t want any negative questions to quash the intended effect of his words.
Dahlia heard and felt a lighter tone from the men and women than when she’d entered as they began to depart back to their barracks with the news. Borreal bowed to her and left as well. She saw an unusual eagerness behind his calm eyes. Perhaps this fight had dragged him down more than she’d realized. Out of all the captains, he had been the most involved from the very beginning when the two guards had been killed. She quietly watched him go, wondering why she didn’t share her fellow captains’ sense of elation.
Too much had changed for her, she realized. The other captains had lost soldiers but they had done so before. Dahlia had been publicly declared a monster and forced to reveal abilities she had kept quiet before. No matter that she won the trial, these things would linger in the minds of those around her.
She had found and fought against darkness in her soul only to turn around and surrender. It would take time to fully find a new balance. She could now feel the political wheels turning around her. She had been recognized as a strong player and, in Mazaran’s eyes, allied herself with Ravin. Lone wolf in the captains’ circle, he was no one’s pawn. Unpredictable and headstrong, Mazaran would suspect he would push Dahlia in the same direction. Separate they made Mazaran uneasy, together they could make him quite nervous. She could only imagine the consequences if Mazaran were to discover Ravin’s full abilities.
She left the meeting hall still in thought. So be it, the die had already been cast. Fall where it may she would deal with it.
That left Traedon. Her heart leapt to her throat. They’d never made promises, never committed to anything beyond the surface of their affair but Dahlia couldn’t hide behind that. She could easily see he’d started to see it developing into something more. Kenny had as good as told her he wasn’t interested in sharing her attention anymore and she couldn’t do that to Traedon anyways. She could use the excuse that her sanity seemed to vanish around Kenny but that was skirting responsibility. Truthfully she would be hurting him and there was nothing to blame but herself.
“Damn,” she muttered.
But at least for this moment she had her captain’s duties to attend to.
She arrived back at the barracks to find every available member waiting for her in the noon sun. Word must have traveled quickly. Since she knew what they were waiting for, she got straight to the point. “I won’t make you wait for it. The reports of the enemy retreating have been confirmed.”
Her barrack cheered and she smiled with them. “Each and every one of you have shown your worth and strength as a soldier. Those who are not here, soldiers who were injured and who gave their lives, deserve our thanks and our honor. They remain with us, with those who they gave so much to protect.”
She looked around, trying not to linger on how many faces were missing, how many had been among the casualties. One struck her, though. Where was Fidelity? She should have been here. Dahlia smiled slowly. She didn’t see Genji either.
She continued addressing the barrack members around her. “I will not say things will go back to normal now. As soldiers we are closer to pain and death than most. However, we will become stronger and we will return to hold these walls against anyone who would test us.” She paused and allowed them to savour their victory for a moment.
“Double our guards for tonight, then we can rest. If you had a chance to rest after the battles last night and this morning volunteer for someone who did not and catch a nap before the sun sets. I will rest tomorrow, when I am sure we have seen the last of our attackers,” she offered. She knew that every one of her soldiers who had not been injured in the first battle had supported Borreal’s efforts in the second. If they saw their captain standing guard with them then they would more readily shrug of their own desire for rest to fulfill their duties.
With a nod she left them with Sabir and Arreal to work out the guards. She trusted Sabir would ensure an adequate number of people would volunteer. She made her way to her room then removed her sheath and collapsed back in her bed, setting a mental alarm to only rest a couple hours.