Page 63 of The Crimson Walls Of Algorath

Loren took to the stairs, his boots muffled by the red runner up their center, and went to the double doors on the second floor balcony where he pushed his way through to the war room beyond.

Officers milled about, talking in small groups around the massive table with a three-dimensional depiction of Valenul and its closest surrounding regions. The mountains rose above the outlined provinces at their center. The Irem Tundra stretched above Notten, with L’Oden Forest to the west and the Saalo Desert to the east. Flags of different sizes and meanings stood throughout the map, depicting the number of soldiers in each area of Valenul.

The chatter died upon his arrival, and the officers turned almost in unison to set their fists to their hearts and incline their heads. With so many of them in one place, the most basic of soldier greetings was necessary.

“I have orders from the Council.” Loren took up his place at the center of the map and leaned forward on his hands, not unlike the way his father had during the meeting. Apple, tree.

Officers found their places, and it was the stalky, curly-haired Colonel Trev Wintre who spoke first from across the table. “Expansion?”

Loren gave him a curt nod. “In a way. The Lord Governors are desperate for more protection.”

“Are they unsatisfied with their current troops?” another colonel, George Rasterson, asked from Trev’s left. His short blond hair and bushy mustache seemed to ruffle with indignation.

“Now, now,” Loren said, holding up a hand and failing to hide his smirk of approval. His officers would consider the very notion of dissatisfaction an affront to their efforts. “I believe they fear for their people. Raids continue in Notten, and Eastwood has done their job in providing critical data to put an end to the attacks. Permanently.”

In truth, Loren had been pleasantly surprised by Madan’s compliance. Perhaps their time together a couple of weeks ago had done its job in softening him to Loren’s demands. A pity, then, that Azriel had had to meddle so much in his affairs—Ariadne, after all, had no means of such atrocities as he found in that cellar. He had been ever so close to breaking the ex-guard to his will. What a perfect little servant the new Lord Governor would have made. Maybe, with another small push, Madan would bend.

“Permanently?” Captain Nikolai Jensen scoffed as though confused by how Madan could possibly know such outcomes.

Loren, however, got the feeling that with Madan’s proximity to Azriel, he maintained some knowledge of the dhemons’ movements or habits. Why Markus Harlow believed him to be no risk to Valenul, Loren had no idea. He would need to change that soon.

“Indeed.” Loren looked to his officers with a swell of pride. Not one of them had turned their back on him during his temporary leave. Those who had…had been removed upon his reappointment. “We have new recruits to train so we can get them into their positions in Waer and Eastwood Province. I would like to increase our presence in each of them to prevent further enemy movement into our territory.”

“How many soldiers?” asked Captain Pietro Niil from further along the table. “We are spread thin as it is.”

“I want training camps set up in each Province,” Loren said, pushing back from the table and crossing his arms over his chest. “We will distribute the new recruits into Waer and Eastwood. Those who prove ready to move on to duty, therefore, may do so as soon as possible.”

George frowned. “We are to send them back home so soon? This will prevent them from remaining focused.”

“No.” Loren surveyed the map and the placement of his troops. “Recruits from Waer will go to Eastwood and vice versa.”

“What of those from Notten?”

“Divide them between the two.” Loren tapped his home province and continued, “Notten is protected by the tundra and neighboring provinces. By keeping them strong, we will see a fall in deaths across Valenul.”

A low murmur fluttered down the table on either side. Whether his officers believed this to be true or not, Loren did not care. All evidence pointed to his statements being factual. Without the Keonis Mountains, and therefore without a direct line to the dhemon clans in them, Notten was the least likely to fall victim to large-scale attacks.

Nikolai leaned forward again, studying the map. “And what of the Central Province? We are to empty our resources here in the Hub?”

“We will maintain our numbers here.” Loren refolded his arms and leaned back on his heels. All eyes were on him, and he reveled in it. “We are, after all, the main defense for the capital. After this summer’s numerous attacks, it is critical we continue protecting the heart of our great kingdom.”

Nods and calls of agreement came from this statement. Around the room, shoulders eased down from ears as ease swept across the gathered officers. These Caersans will be the ones to either ensure his orders are carried out or deliver the message to those in the other provinces who were not able to be at this meeting. Having each and every one of them on his side was, as always, vital. Without such, he would be having a very different conversation, and Loren did not enjoy having to defend himself.

Nonetheless, the General answered his officers’ questions until they were satisfied with the plan. At last, as the night crept to an end, Loren rapped his knuckles on the table to settle down the latest debate about who would oversee the training camps in each province and return their attention to him.

“A final announcement.” Loren looked each officer in the eye and pulled from his pocket a gold patch of the Valenul crest. There was a collective inhale as he turned to find the one he trusted above all else. “Step forward…Colonel Nikolai Jensen.”

Applause erupted from the gathered officers as the Caersan’s face flushed red, and he made his way around the table. He stopped before Loren, who took out a small knife from his pocket and flipped it open with a flick of his wrist. Holding the lapel of Nikolai’s jacket, he dug the blade beneath the silver patch, prying it from the fabric.

With both patches in hand, he pressed them into his new Colonel’s palm. “Well done.”

The officers shouted their congratulations, some pounding their fists on the edge of the map as Nikolai took his new place on Loren’s left.

“You are excused,” Loren announced after several minutes of this but placed a hand on Nikolai’s shoulder. “Stay a moment, Colonel.”

Nikolai remained in the war room as the others filed out to find their sleeping quarters throughout the tower. The Colonel kept his chin lifted and face neutral until the door closed behind the officers. Only then did he seem to relax, his eyes tracking Loren’s movements as he neared.

Once close enough to ensure he could lower his voice to a level unable to be detected by vampire ears outside the door, Loren said, “I need you to return to Algorath.”

---