Their footfalls echoed in the quiet as they made their way down the hall. Another servant hurried them through another series of passages, Delilah hiking her dress to keep up.

　　They arrived at a small room. The servant announced their arrival and disappeared. The room was as somber as the party had been lively. The only sounds were pops from the roaring fireplace that spanned most of the wall. A man and a dwarf gazed into the flames, speaking inaudibly. Colonel Valen leaned over a map with three other men. They glanced up at the newcomers.

　　"Captain Allday, Mr. Thorn," Colonel Valen said. "Thank you for joining us. Please make yourselves comfortable. The rest of you can wait outside as this meeting will contain privileged information."

　　"I`ll vouch for them," Allison said. "Their presence is non-negotiable." She stood in the doorway, prepared to leave if necessary.

　　The men at the table shared looks of impatience, but didn`t protest when Colonel Valen said, "Fine. Counselor Fortune and Mr&I don`t believe we`ve met, please understand this meeting will include information that would prove valuable to our enemies. I ask for your utmost discretion."

　　"How have things fared since our last meeting, Colonel?" asked Allison.

　　"Terribly." Colonel Valen invited them to approach the map. The map was nearly as detailed as the one of Tarnothy Desert, but showed a much larger area of Nosirin and the surrounding area. Jeremiah recognized some of the iconography, illustrating trails, roads, and elevations.

　　"Nosirin overcommitted themselves to burning the barbarians out of the mountains," said Colonel Valen, indicating a cluster of military markers lined up on the map. "We sent troops and mercenaries to support them, but no one was ready for the guerrilla style combat they encountered. Besides their terrain familiarity, the tribes triggered an avalanche that cost us three divisions. Now Nosirin`s forces are depleted, mercs refuse to take the job, and Barad Celegald and Shabad are hesitant to commit forces."

　　"Didn`t you say these are just a small group of savage people?" Jeremiah asked, earning a reproachful look from Colonel Valen.

　　"I`ll remind you, Mr. Thorn, you`re here as a potential military asset. Leave the speculation to the professionals."

　　"I don`t think it`s speculation that depleted` is shorthand for dead`," Jeremiah said. "I`m willing to bet you`ve got more corpses than soldiers, and you need me to fix that."

　　Colonel Valen gave Jeremiah a hard stare, but Allison spoke before he could respond. "Tribal attacks from the mountains aren`t new. What`s different this time?"

　　"You`ve encountered what`s different," said Colonel Valen. "Your report on the regenerating minotaur mirrors what we`ve heard from the front: warriors healing from lethal wounds, unbreakable morale, and suicidal attacks that prove effective. Intelligence has seen them training against each other in mock battles with no restraint, and no casualties."

　　"What, the whole army?" asked Allison. "They can`t all be mages, can they?" Allison asked. More than one officer shivered at the thought.

　　A half-elf next to Colonel Valen answered. "We don`t think so. The warriors themselves aren`t casting spells, but we`ve observed what we believe to be a network of lieutenants that seem to know some form of magic. They cast spells on the warriors on a regular basis."

　　"Narooka had healing magic stored inside of him. Are these lieutenants imbuing the warriors with healing?" Jeremiah asked.

　　"Something like that," said the half-elf. "The lieutenants appear to be tribal leaders who have sworn to an alliance. But we`ve also caught glimpses of a single leader who we suspect is the actual provider of magic. The lieutenants seem to need to return to this leader regularly in order to continue to distribute healing."

　　"So only the leader is a mage, and a healer at that?" Allison stared at the map, deep in thought.

　　"We surmise as much," said Colonel Valen, "though we`ve spoken with a number of healers and none of them are aware of a way to impart magic unto followers like this. Especially at this magnitude. She`s an exceptionally powerful mage to say the least."

　　Delilah whistled. "A woman leading of a bunch of barbaric tribes? That is rare, isn`t it? Is she a giantess or something? How is she keeping them in line?"

　　Colonel Valen bristled. "Again, I would ask that non-military personnel please remain silent unless questioned directly. She`s providing them with near immortality, and we believe she`s the sole source of this power. She has also demonstrated considerable leadership and tactical skills, as evidenced by the unity of the barbarian tribes and the way they defeated Nosirin`s forces."

　　The dwarf handed around packets of paper. "This is what we have on the leader."

　　"An elf?" Bruno laughed. "An elf in charge of bunch of barbarians?" Colonel Valen ignored him.

　　Jeremiah skimmed the precious little information contained in the pages. Some of it was repeated, seemingly to pad out the report. He flipped to the last page and came to an artist`s rendering of a familiar copper-haired elven woman. Recognition hit him like a slap in the face. "Oh shit, Vivica?"Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

　　The room stared at him. Allison`s head dropped into her hands. She sighed all the air from her lungs. "Jay, are you about to tell us that you know her?"

　　"I do! I mean, I did. I saw her do it herself, or something similar. She escaped her cell and—"

　　Delilah suddenly spoke over him. "My client has nothing more to say on this matter!"

　　"Shut the hell up, Counselor!" Valen shouted. He was gripping the edge of the table so hard the wood creaked. "Thorn, you`re going to tell us everything, and if I think for even a moment you`re holding out on us, I`ll behead you on this very table."

　　Jeremiah recounted his experience in prison, being extra careful not to leave anything out. They winced when he described how Vivica squeezed herself between the bars of the cell. The room was quiet for a long time after he finished.

　　Colonel Valen broke the silence. "I want all information regarding her arrest and imprisonment. I want her jailers interrogated. I want to know why she was in this city!" One of the men hurried from the room.

　　Jeremiah gazed at the portrait. Even through ink and charcoal, he could feel the rage smoldering within her.

　　The door to the room swung open and a liveried footman entered with a stomp of his black heeled boot. "Presenting His Royal Majesty! King Hector of Dramir!"

　　There was a mad scramble. The woman on paper was forgotten. Jeremiah spun, unsure of where he should go or what he should do, then Delilah yanked him down to a knee.

　　The wooden planks of the floor groaned. His head bowed, Jeremiah watched them bend under their load. He flinched as a pair of boots as long as his forearm stepped in front of him, one after the other. He resisted the urge to look up. Instead, he glanced to his left and right to see everyone arrayed in a line, all having taken a knee. He was surprised to see even Bruno in the same position.

　　"You may look upon the royal person!" the footman shouted.

　　"Calm down, Sylvester." The voice rumbled like an earthquake. Jeremiah had never heard a king speak before, but the casual authority of the voice perfectly fit his idea of royalty.

　　He looked up and discovered that Allison had not been exaggerating. King Hector was massive! Jeremiah guessed that even standing he`d only come up to the man`s elbows. The king`s arms and shoulders were gigantic muscled slabs on top of a heavy gut that hung in front of him. His golden crown gave him the appearance of being even taller, and thick robes, billowed pants, and a bejeweled war-maul hanging from his belt helped him seem to take up every spare inch of space in the room. A thick black beard hid his mouth, and his keen eyes swept the room&but then fixed on a particular person. "Allison?"

　　Allison`s eyes flicked to the king`s face and away again before answering. "Yes, Your Highness. Captain Allison Allday."

　　The king`s face broke into a jovial smile. "Allison! It`s me, Hector. From the halfling peacekeeping campaign. I was the one with the crown?"

　　Jeremiah saw Allison struggle to maintain a straight face. "Oh, you`re that King Hector? Now I remember!"

　　Hector grinned and Allison stopped trying to look away. Bruno leaned out from the line and locked eyes with Jeremiah. "Oh, my gods!" he mouthed. Jeremiah felt his own lips trying to screw up into a smile, but it was nailed down when he turned and saw Delilah, glaring at Allison so fiercely he was sure she was trying to commit murder with her thoughts.

　　Colonel Valen cleared his throat. "Your Highness? To what do we owe the pleasure?"

　　"Hm? Ah yes. I wanted to check on this meeting. Has everyone been briefed?"

　　"Yes, Your Highness."

　　"Very good. Now, which one of you is Jeremiah Thorn?"

　　Jeremiah`s breath hitched. "I am, my highness." The footman who accompanied the king tutted. "I mean, your liege." Faster, furious tutting.

　　"Calm down boy, I get it," said the king. "You can stand by the way, you`re all small enough as it is."

　　Everyone rose to their feet. Jeremiah still had to crane his neck to see the king`s face.

　　"Your name has been in my ear more times then I care to count lately." The king was inspecting him like a particularly interesting specimen. "Younger than I thought you`d be, less scary looking as well. But I`m sure you get that quite a bit."

　　"Yes, sir." Jeremiah wasn`t sure what to say. He`d never met someone so effortlessly imposing that wasn`t trying to kill him.

　　He is trying to kill you. It`s the king that will sign your death warrant, said a voice in his head that sounded equal parts Bruno and Vivica.

　　"Your kingdom needs you, Jeremiah. I intend to send you north as soon as possible. Serve us well, and I`ll personally see to it that you`re taken care of. Can we count on you?"

　　"Yes, sir," said Jeremiah automatically. A mixed feeling of relief and dread settled in his chest. He finally had a promise to be free from his deadly burden, but it was as a weapon for the people who had hung the weight on him in the first place.

　　"Good. I look forward to the results. Colonel Valen, High Marshall Esteed, I hope I don`t need to stress that you are not to underestimate this threat. Arrogance has cost many soldiers their lives, and our enemy has enough allies already without recruiting our own egos."

　　"Yes, my liege," said Colonel Valen and the dwarf together.

　　"Good." The threat rumbled in the king`s words. "Now then, Captain Allday. I would like to speak with you about the mission and get your perspective on& on a number of issues. Will you join me in the ballroom?" The floor beneath the king protested as he shifted from one foot to the other.

　　"Of course, Your Highness," Allison said. Jeremiah thought he saw a smile threatening to break her solemn expression. Bruno`s grin, on the other hand, was ear to ear.

　　"You heard the king, Mr. Thorn," said Colonel Valen. "We have a fresh batch of troops departing in a week`s time. We`ll add you to the caravan."

　　Jeremiah stomach dropped as he realized what he`d agreed to. His mouth felt dry. "I request that the rest of my party be included. If they want to come, of course." He hoped they would. There was no way he could do this without them.

　　"I`ll give you Captain Allday. You`ll have no need for a counselor and a&friend on this trip." Colonel Valen returned to studying the map.

　　Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. "Colonel Valen, with all due respect, I`d be happy to let the bodies continue to pile up until you have no choice. Two extra people for the hundreds of soldiers I can make for you, that seems fair, doesn`t it? Or would you like me to get the king`s permission? I`m sure Allison can —"

　　Colonel Valen slammed his fist into the map. "This is not a negotiation, necromancer!"

　　"You are correct," Jeremiah said.

　　Colonel Valen closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Fine. Get out."

　　Delilah and Bruno followed Jeremiah out into the hallway. As soon as the door swung shut, Bruno clapped him on the back. "Now that`s how you throw your big—"

　　"Dancing me! Now!" Delilah grabbed Jeremiah`s arm and yanked him down the hall back towards the party. Jeremiah hadn`t realized a person could dance angrily, but he soon learned as Delilah whirled him in tight circles, glaring daggers at Allison and King Hector dancing and chatting on the floor.