waiting.
‘Commander?’ the patrol with the radio called him.
The door of the Jeep creaked open. Taris’s boots laden with fresh mud weighed him down as he leveraged himself into the passenger seat. He waited for the radio to stop hissing while he scraped the thick mud from his boots along the edge of the door. Mud dropped off in chunks. The Jeep started, and the maps were being folded away.
He honed into the frequency Julianna was offering, but all he sense d was a wave of grey that obscured his vision.
Not well are you girl, not well at all. That or you’ve figured out who you are by now.
His back pocket chirped.
What now?
It chirped again, vibrating through his back pocket, until he left his distraction for the mud on his boots, to stop the disturbance.
The incoming message on the comms was from the general again. He swiped his finger across the panel, clearing his own reflection, for the pissed off face staring back.
‘You have your wish , Tarisos. The Senate’s agreed to your request. Meet with us at Central Command tomorrow morning before you visit the Gatehouse.’
‘Will do, General.’
The general leaned over his clasped hands, perching himself on the antique, wooden desk in his office.
‘We’re at their last camp.’ Taris replied to the general’s curiosity. ‘Closing in . I’ve just ordered my troops to rally here for orders. If I find them—’
‘Do as you will with the brothers. Keep them for the trials, for interrogation, kill them, I don’t really care. Julianna and Daniel, however, they’re to be captured alive.’
‘Daniel? Why Daniel?’
‘He is the Seer’s brother, why not? Do you have a problem with my orders, Tarisos? I can speak with the Senate again, if you wish?’ The general arched his brows. ‘Shall I?’
‘Just questioning your rational, General. Daniel holds no value, in my opinion.’
‘Just questioning my authority, more like it. Don’t forget who gave you your rank, son; and don’t forget who granted your tremendously long reach, as of our morning meeting tomorrow.’
The radio in the background stopped hissing, and the troops awaited his orders patiently. The comms blurred under the rain falling, and he wiped its screen over his pants. He raised it to his don’t–fuck–with–me expression.
The general leaned away from the comms. ‘Everyone else is to be killed on sight; and anyone who has a problem with that , kill them too.’
The patrol officer with the radio widened his eyes. The unexpected surprise amused Taris.
The general continu ed, drawing Taris’s attention to the comms, but Taris wanted to continue his stare at the officer. He watched from the corner of his eye, all too aware of his driver stuttering his last order over the radio, for a cleanup crew to attend their location.
‘The Senate’s had enough of this horseshit. When they heard about your suspicions of Caden mentoring the Seer, all hell broke loose here. You can imagine no doubt. The concerns right now are tremendous.’
‘No doubt,’ Taris said.
The patrol officer turned away to clip his radio onto his belt. He ordered everyone to their vehicles, and waited behind the steering wheel. Taris caught his eye again.
‘Maybe you should have tried harder with Julianna. We wouldn’t have this problem if you were still engaged. Hell, you should be—’
Fuck me!
‘Married? Marry that bitch to appease the Senate? Marry a traitor?’ he stole out of the jeep for privacy. ‘Don’t put that shit on me! I was a fucking mushroom with you remember? You kept me in the dark, kept me fed on bullshit until it hit the fan. Maybe you assholes should have mentioned something earlier about the Seer, but it was all about Caden then, now look at the fine shit it’s gotten us into – and who the fuck’s cleaning this fucking fine mess up now?’
‘Your men are listening , Tarisos. Lower your voice, show some respect.’
He thought of the Senate, took a breath and calmed himself.