Jaerdyn sat in the dirt, poking at the fire with a stick. He and the other twelve captains had been called by Darghaz for a meeting, where he would give out orders on how to proceed.
The captains all sat around the fire, chatting with one another, except Darghaz, who stood against a tree, his arms folded. The sun was setting and Freak had not yet arrived, which Jaerdyn could tell was making Darghaz very annoyed.
Jaerdyn poked the fire again. He could hear the other men, laughing and shouting from a different part of the camp.
“We should just start,” one of the captains named Aamade said to Jaerdyn. “We’re wasting time waiting for the big bitch.”
“She’s a captain, so we have to wait,” Jaerdyn said.
“I know, but this is ridiculous. She doesn’t even take her job seriously.”
“Maybe you could tell her to show up sooner,” Jaerdyn suggested and Aamade chuckled.
“I’m good. I’d prefer to have both my arms.
Jaerdyn smiled lightly and stabbed the fire with the branch absentmindedly.
All the captains went silent as the ground started to vibrate, indicating that Freak was drawing closer.
Jaerdyn saw her coming, how could he not? Freak was a monstrously large woman, standing at eight feet tall, with arms as thick as the average man’s torso. She was wearing full armour, which clanked as she stomped towards the small gathering. Her armour was totally black, making her presence even more menacing. Even though the air was still hot, Freak seemed unbothered under her armour.
She removed her helmet, revealing her square head and her pale face, which wore an enraged expression. She always looked like someone had just insulted her whole lineage.
“Good of you to join us,” Darghaz announced. “Now we can begin.”
Freak sat down in the sand with a heavy thud.
“Our work is paying off, captain Okine and his men have made their way to Zhad and the laughing dead now control king Obue, meaning we can make our way to a much bigger prize,”
The captains gave a small cheer, except Freak, who was looking at Darghaz like she was trying to crush his skull with her mind.
“Okine is going to force Obue to join with the laughing dead and declare war on Alathia. Before he does that, however, we must weaken the Alathian forces, which is why I called this meeting.”
Jaerdyn stopped paying attention and looked over at Freak. It had been years since he saw her last and she hadn’t changed a bit. The only difference was that she now had a long braid of brown hair falling down her back and resting in the sand. As if she could sense his gaze, Freak looked over to Jaerdyn and stared at him. Jaerdyn kept his eyes fixed on hers until Darghaz called his name.
Jaerdyn stood up and straightened his back.
“Your company will merge with Freak’s,” Darghaz explained as Freak rose.
“Both of your squads will take a ship and sail past Solus island and arrive at Port Hawksburn, where you will make your way to Eros. Once you’ve surrounded the city, we will send reinforcements and launch a full scale assault.”
“We don’t have the men for a siege,” Jaerdyn interjected.
“Your goal is not a siege. You will surround the city and ensure that no one gets in or out. Then, we will send more soldiers and begin the siege. Burn down any village, farm or stronghold you find. Take no prisoners.”
“Yes sir,” Jaerdyn said. Freak merely nodded.
“With that, you have your orders and I trust you will fulfil them. May Dahgla give you strength.”
A shout of ‘yes sir!’ came from the men and they all stood.
Jaerdyn walked over to Freak and looked up at her. She seemed almost amused to be working alongside him.
“Have your men rest for the night. We leave in the morning,” Jaerdyn said, trying not to let himself be intimidated.
“I can’t seem to remember your name, captain,” Freak growled.
“Captain Jaerdyn Cad,” he said. “I look forward to working with you.”
“I hope you can keep up,” she said and then turned and walked into the camp.
Jaerdyn shook his head and walked to his tent. She was an interesting one, to be sure.
Kurne was waiting in Jaerdyn’s tent, sitting on his sleeping mat.
“Well?”
“You know, this is my tent,” Jaerdyn said.
“What’s the news?” Kurne asked.
“Well, since you asked so nicely, we’re taking a ship to Port Hawksburn and wasting everything in our path. Then we’ll move to Eros and lock down the city until reinforcements come. Then we start a siege on the city.”
“Eros is a big city. Darghaz must be confident.”
“He has reason to be. We took Naka with only thirty men. Eros isn’t much bigger.”
“What about Freak?”
“She seems cooperative so far. She seems to understand where she stands.”
“I look forward to seeing how she handles things. I’ve heard the stories about how she is in battle.”
“Remember we have a job to do,” Jaerdyn reminded him.
“My job takes every priority. I’ll send a message to The Citadel right away. I’ll tell them to stand back for now so we don’t draw attention to ourselves.”
“I would be more worried about yourself, you’re not even Walkan.” Jaerdyn gestured at Kurne, who lacked the dark skin of a Walkan citizen.
“Darghaz has no reason to suspect me.”
“That you know of. Just be careful. Darghaz is cunning. For all we know, Freak has been sent to watch me.” The thought made Jaerdyn nervous. “We can never be sure what he’s thinking.” Jaerdyn waved Kurne away. “Now get off my mat, I’m tired.”
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDv7HKe8HlF
