Blade of the Avatar/Blade of Midras/Chapter 21

Practical Men

Chapter 21: Practical Men

Excerpt

General Milos Karpasic, Supreme Lord of the Westreach Army, was utterly exhausted. He fancied himself a great Warrior, an old campaigner who was tough as steel and tireless as the tide. Yet, as he stood at the flap entering his tent, watching the last shreds of sunset bleed over the horizon, he could feel the creaking ache in his bones and the stiffness of his muscles.

Time, he thought. I am running out of time.

For the sake of the guards standing watch on either side of the entrance to his tent, Karpasic straightened up, arching his back as he puffed up his chest. He felt several of the vertebrae crack back into place though not nearly enough of them. The guards were watching him out of the corners of their eyes. He did not dare show weakness to those under his command. He knew, more than anyone, that those who were younger, faster, and stronger could smell it when someone above them was ripening and ready to be plucked from their position. One is always the most fearful of becoming the prey one once hunted in one’s youth.

“Sentry!”

“Aye, sire!”

Karpasic knew the man’s name was Coopersrnith but preferred to keep the man beneath his notice. “You will find Captain Halik at once. Order him to assemble my war staff and present them here within the half hour.”

“Aye, sire,” Coopersmith answered.

“Do it now!” the general barked. “Move!”

The sentry only blinked once before bolting from his post. Karpasic turned and stepped into his tent. There were several compartments in the large portable dwelling that not only fit his stature as master of the Westreach Army, hut did duty as both his residence and place of command. His staff had set it up for him, as they always did, in advance of his arrival. They had chosen this spot according to his instructions, which, in this case, meant that they had settled the encampment at the farthest reach of their days’ march. Karpasic realized he should have been more specific in his instructions. The army had crossed the river at Jaanaford, sweeping over the town there like a carpet of locusts as they followed the Broken Road that afternoon, but then by early evening had stopped to encamp. Upon arriving at the encampment, Karpasic realized that the army had stopped just short of their objective and that they needed to press on to Opalis that night. Captain Halik had insisted that the army needed a night’s rest before they approached the city, and pointed to his tent already erected and awaiting his pleasure. Karpasic’s first look at his comfortable retreat now beckoning him against the banks of the West Jaana River nearly overcame his better judgment.

Now, weary from the prolonged ride and out of sight of his staff, he was grateful for at least the short respite despite the urgent thought that kept pushing at him from the back of his mind.

“Another day,” he muttered to himself. “I cannot afford one more day’s march. Tired or not, we have to press on before...” The general stopped his musings, suddenly glaring at the dark-clad figure that was sitting casually on his throne.

“Get out!” Karpasic snapped.

“Oh, must I?” the man in the Obsidian cloak asked with exaggerated disappointment. “And after coming so very far just to see you again.

“I said get out, Dirae!” Karpasic could feel the heat in his face as he flushed with anger and embarrassment at once. How did he find me? How do I explain this?

“And here I thought you and I had come to an understanding,” Evard said as the words dribbled from his lips in mock hurt. The playful pout drew tight as his cold eyes fixed on the general. “But I suppose when one misplaces an entire army of warriors more than a hundred leagues from where they are expected to be, one might be a bit. . . out of sorts and not prone to entertain sudden company. Especially if that company happens to represent the Obsidian Cause in whose service that general is supposed to be engaged.”

Karpasic held very still.

Trivia

• This chapter is additional chapter added exclusively to The Sword of Midras.