Friday, January 24, 2014

Page 524

There are equivalent rankings in the air and naval forces which would also be considered “higher up” than Lt. General, but you get the idea,’ said Garovel.

Yeah,’ said Hector.

As the salutations concluded, a certain tension began to fill the air. Everyone knew there was still dangerous work ahead of them. And just like that, it was already time for goodbyes again.

Gina gave a last hug to Roman. She had one for Hector, too, which caught him by surprise. “Look out for each other, yeah?”

“Of course,” said Roman, to which Hector added a nod.

Another round of handshakes and reluctant words for the King, and then he and Gina took their leave. Only the servants and reapers now remained, making their way toward the next set of vehicles.

Voreese started them off. ‘So we only know that the enemy will be passing through the Carthrace Nature Reserve. That’s a lot of ground to scout with just the eight of us, but we know that they have to cross the border into Rendon, so I say we keep a line formation.

They won’t be difficult to spot,’ said Mehlsanz. ‘They’re taking a whole platoon of soldiers with them, so scouting shouldn’t be too much of a problem, especially considering we also have the element of surprise.

It’s still four against seven,’ said Garovel. ‘Much of the burden will fall upon Harper. The rest of us should form up around him as soon as possible and support his position.

“Let’s get underway,” said Harper. “The four of you can discuss details while we’re en route.”

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David couldn’t sleep. He knew too much about what would transpire tomorrow for that to be possible. It was the sense of powerlessness that really got to him. Hector hadn’t messaged him back. Admittedly, that was the smartest decision. Strictly speaking, David didn’t need to know how or even if Hector planned to respond to Abolish’s actions. It would’ve been a needless operational risk. David still would’ve appreciated it, though.

Draped in a soft bathrobe, he shuffled into his kitchen, looking for something to calm his nerves.