Page 18 of Forcing Fate

“No, he’s just early.”

“Which means I’m late,” I said, dejected.

“You didn’t know. He was told that you were coming and never sent for you earlier, therefore I can safely speculate that he didn’t want to see you any earlier.”

I nodded, trying to let his words assure my heart that I was not in the wrong. There was a bustle of activity around me and, for once, not a single soldier eyed me. They were all far too preoccupied with whatever task they were set to.

“Avyanna, you understand there will be times you will not be of assistance and asked to leave?”

“Aye.”

I had read of company inspections, though they were usually one per company, per day. There were many reviews a commanding officer oversaw, yet I could guess at the ones that Willhelm implied I would be absent for; the evaluations of physical fitness and hygiene—in which the men would be immodestly dressed, if at all.

I had no quarrel with being sent away for those. I had no more desire to see a naked man than I had to clean the dung pits of the Dragon Canyon. However, I hoped to observe as much of the other inspections as I could to better acquaint myself with the men I would be flying over and fighting alongside.

With a sure nod, Willhelm led me through the throng. He pressed closer than would normally be appropriate, trying to shield me from the surge of other soldiers. Soon, we entered a large opening between two buildings that led to an expansive field crowded with soldiers, war horses, and fighting hounds.

My pulse quickened, gazing over the multitude. Nervous energy hung thick in the air, and I wasn’t sure that General Rafe ‘shaking things up’ was such a bad thing. It kept people on their toes and forced them out of their trivial routines. Regardless of whether it was an inconvenience, the soldiers hurried about with purpose.

“The General has taken his respite in that tent.” Willhelm indicated a large canvas tent off to the side of the crowded field and walked me to the entrance. He stood only a pace away as he stepped forward to the entryway to announce my arrival. “General Rafe, your assistant, Miss Avyanna,” he barked out.

The corner of my mouth lifted. I hadn’t heard Willhelm use that tone before. It was all formality and respect. The cadence of a junior officer.

A grunt of acknowledgment sounded from inside, and nervous butterflies flitted through my stomach. I would finally meet a real General, a real ranking officer who fought the Shadows firsthand—and lived to tell the tale. A General who would lead soldiers under me as I flew on dragonback.

Willhelm held the tent flap open. Worry crinkled the corners of his eyes. He jerked his head toward the entrance, and I gave him my biggest smile as I stepped inside.

I entered and had the briefest moment of shock when my eyes landed on bare skin. A gasp escaped my lips as I looked at the back of a man. A man, or a mountain, I couldn’t be sure, to be honest. He was massive, with broad shoulders tapering to a thick, muscled waist that I wouldn’t be able to get my arms around. Scars littered that expansive back like stars in a night sky, some long and jagged and others small and smooth, as if from an explosion.

My line of sight was quickly blocked by Willhelm’s strong form as he stepped in front of me. “Female present, sir,” he barked.

Tension radiated off of him, presumably offended for my honor upon seeing a man immodestly clothed. My cheeks heated with shame, realizing now how blatantly I stared. I had stood there gawking at a half-naked man.

The General did not reply at first and Willhelm shifted, using his body to block my view as he walked about the tent. A tense moment lapsed, and I thought perhaps he would not respond at all.

“I am well aware the title ‘Miss’ implies one of the female gender.”

That voice—his deep timbre stroked my very soul, sending chills down my spine. There were no words to convey its power. The depth alone was enough to intimidate anyone who heard it. His tone purred with confident authority.

Willhelm stiffened in front of me, coming to the same understanding I did. The General did not care that I was a woman, and he was immodest. So, the rules of society would not matter to this man, I gleaned.

“I would stay till you are clothed, sir,” Willhelm bit out.

I clasped my hands, palms clammy and ears burning, as I stared at the floor. Muffled shouts came from outside as officers ordered their men about. Horses whinnied and dogs barked at each other. I knew the General was moving about as Willhelm continued to block my view, yet there wasn’t a sound. How could someone so massive move so silently?

Finally, after a few long awkward moments of wondering if he would ever dress, Willhelm stepped aside. I dropped into a quick curtsy, unable to meet his eyes. Staring at the floor, I waited for him to say something… yet only silence reigned.

I cleared my throat and dared to look up at him. Opening my mouth to greet him, all words died in my throat as I took in his behemoth frame. He wore black boots and black cloth trousers. His untucked white tunic hung loose about his thighs. The sleeves were ripped at the seams, revealing solid arms lined with thick muscles that were crossed over his broad chest. His head was shaven, and his jaw was devoid of the beard that was commonplace on the King’s grounds.

His top lip was raised in a slight snarl. When my gaze finally moved to meet his, I schooled my surprise, snapping my jaw shut, seeing the scrap of black cloth over his left eye. That was his injury from the Shadow Men. He lost an eye then, perhaps more, to them.

One eye did not diminish his glower, however, and it silenced any greeting I might have offered.

“Sergeant. Pray tell, why have you brought me a girl child?” he growled, looking me up and down unabashedly—probably the same foolish way I assessed him.

“She is your assistant, sir, to assist in any tasks that you may need of her.”

“And to learn what you have to teach,” I added, bristling that he called me a child.

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