The Four Realms Read Online Free Page A

West he held short of voicing it.  
    "Mr South," the older man asked, "now we're all finally here, could you update us on the operation."Mr South looked nervous. "There's been a complication, Mr Magellan, sir."
    "Complication?   What kind of complication?"
    Mr West considered Mr Magellan closely.   Were those body tics, surprise, exasperation or worry?   Magellan was difficult to read.
    "I was interrupted intercepting the target," Mr South continued.   Mr West watched the sweat starting to form on Mr South's brow, before South added, "all our simulations showed that if they had been interrupted then the humans would run off to get assistance."
    Mr West dabbed at his chin with a paper napkin.   "And did they?"
    All heads turned to him.   Mr West knew it wasn't his place to ask the questions, that was Mr Magellan's job.   Magellan was, after all, leading the operation.   But if he was honest with himself, Mr West felt that Magellan wasn't suited to this task, had felt that for some time now.   Magellan's loyalty to the Dictatoriat was beyond question, it was just that West felt the man’s arrogance stopped him from getting a grasp of what they were up against.
    "There was an unseen factor," said Mr South deciding to honour Mr West's question with an answer before turning back to look at Mr Magellan.   "A vampire.   We had no models for this eventuality."
    "A vampire?" said another of the triplets, clearly showing worry.   "Did the wizard have the notebook?"
    Mr South shook his head.   "When I managed to return later and examine the corpse, he did not have it on him."
    "Ah, so either the wizard never had it or the vampire took it?" West commented.   Proof if he ever needed it that Magellan did not have the flexibility to lead their mission here.   Everything planned out, and yet when put into practise introduced chance and probability.
    "You don't think they have discovered our plans?" one of the men asked.
    "Unlikely, Mr East," Mr West, mouth full of pizza, laughed.   It was as if the Gods of efficiency were smiling down on him, giving him the very tools to support the plan of action he would propose.   "The vampire community has never been one of the more integrated or service-orientated groups in these realms, now have they?   Did we consider the eventuality that he took it because he thought it might be worth something?   They're little more than petty thieves these days.   If they indeed took it?   I don't suppose anyone thought to build a check into their operation plan, did they?   I mean, it's not like it isn't important whether the old wizard had the notebook on him or not?"
    Mr Magellan's resentment bubbled over like an overheated saucepan.   “I know he had it with him.   The models said so.”
    West scoffed.   “Yes, and the models have proved so accurate of late.”
    Magellan’s reaction was expected, even anticipated.   "Why do you find this so funny, Mr West?" he roared.   "Is this operation just one big joke to you?   You turn up here late and then sit here dripping food down you like some kind of..."
    "Human?" Mr West finished.   This was it , he told himself.   A battle between confidence and doubt raged inside of him.   It was now or never.   He put his pizza bag in the bin, stood up, and brushed his hands off, before walking over to stand next to Mr Magellan.
    "Gentleman," he started, addressing the triplets rather than Magellan, "you seem to forget that we are fighting a war here.   Maybe no weapons have been fired as yet, maybe the people we are fighting do not even know of our existence, but it is a war none the less.   And it is a war where the difference in culture is as large as the distance we have travelled.   Here are worlds ruled by chaos."
    He expected Mr Magellan to stop him here but the interruption never came.   No mind, it wasn't vital to his plan, but he made a mental note to revise the data model he'd made of his superior.   Perhaps behind all