“Sir,” an intrepid sergeant said to Achilles as he read a book.
“Yes, sergeant?” he asked without looking up from his reading.
“It’s the children, sir,” this made his eyes flick up to see the sergeant, “We found them.”
Achilles set down the book. “Where,” was all he said.
“Just south of the fourth mountain to the east,” was his answer, “yet they have not fully descended from it just yet.”
The lord let that sink in for a moment. He remembered briefly his talk with her and realized the best course of action. They were near the compound, a location he could be present at in a few days.
“Steer them farther south.”
“Excuse me, sir?”
“You heard me,” Achilles’ eyes looked up to the sergeant again, causing a drop of sweat to trickle down his brow, “Steer them farther south. I want them captured.”
“All of them, sir?”
“Hm…” he thought, “as many as you can, but I would like one in particular.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Whichever seems to lead them as a group,” Achilles felt a smile growing on his face, “I believe he is the blonde known as Luke. He would be invaluable to our purpose.”
“You think he will be that easy to capture?”
The smile grew. “Oh, yes,” Achilles chuckled, “I’ve heard he’s rather…compassionate.” Then his face returned to the stone it usually was.
“He will be the first to put himself in danger. We must utilize that. And take a few more of them, as well. As many as you can capture. If you divide their forces, they will be all the more desperate to arrive at the compound.”
“Yes, Lord Achilles,” the sergeant bowed, beginning to leave his office.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Have my carriage prepared. I would like to be there at once.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And, sergeant?” Achilles thought of one more thing to…encourage the young man into action.
“If you succeed, you shall be rewarded with a promotion,” the soldier’s face lit up, although he tried not to show it. “And if you fail…”
Achilles reached for the knife still stuck in his desk from weeks before and casually threw it to the other side of the room, hitting its intended target. A wanted poster of the boy, Luke.
“Do I make myself clear?” Achilles calmly asked.
The sergeant’s throat bulged as he gulped. “Y-yes, sir.”
“Thank you, sergeant,” Achilles once again smiled, “I do hope that your mission goes well.”
The door closed with a soft click, and the smile fell from Achilles’ face. No doubt he had convinced the sergeant of his duties. He would not fail him. Not like Boromir had.
Although, he did seem to serve a purpose now. Boromir was a walking example of what should happen to soldiers who underestimated these children.
Because they were far more dangerous than they appeared…
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