Entry 19

"He wants me to do what?"

The captain's shouting had drawn the attention of the few soldiers not already staring at our scene. I stood before their war table, held at the end of a spear, while a Tritonian military commander half-growled into his palm to prevent the volcanic rage within him from erupting. The strategic minds nearby looked ready to remove my head for use as a mantle ornament, and, ironically, the only person who seemed even remotely calm was the guard to my left; the one whose incredible memory had put me in this situation to begin with.

He busied himself with picking his teeth the entire time, so maybe that could be better attributed to a lucky guess.

"Commander, these Confederates can't be trusted!" One of the strategists seemed a bit overeager. I suppose I couldn't blame him, considering the circumstances: for decades, Tritonians and Bovicans were taught early on (and often not so subtly) to despise one another. Each saw the opposing side as traitors, with neither willing to claim any sort of responsibility for their actions. I like to think that my understanding of their dynamic has grown over the years, but the full story is often more complicated than any one person can know.

The excited fool's nationalist fountain continued to flow, sadly. "No doubt they'll use this meeting to their advantage," he stammered, "as an excuse to eliminate you and -" 

"Livand, we understand that. Shut it!"

Words may not kill physically, but they can definitely leave a mark. Livand stopped, shaking his head as he looked down at the map to avoid eye contact. 

The commander continued. "Our problem lies in the fact that this fucking pass," he exclaimed, jamming his finger  to a spot on the map, "has been taken by a massive number of bandits! Let's assume for a moment, just one moment, that me and Crescian did, through some insane feat of pure luck, manage to make it to the center of the pass. What would be stopping those savages from ambushing us? Wipe out the leadership of both sides, cripple our command structure, and then expand outwards?"

Silence reigned, showing a quiet consensus amongst the ranks present that his words struck a chord. Sensing the effect his words had, he kept up the momentum. "Once they take over the pass, they'll have -"

"Sir, I have a question. May I ask?"

The guard who recognized me had spoken. After barely saying a word during that entire conversation, his interruption must have been of some importance.

A look of momentary shock at being interrupted mid-sentence replaced the former scowl on the commander's face. I must not have been the only one surprised at the guard's disruption.

"Yes, let it out. Be quick."

The mostly quiet guard paused for a moment, before asking a question which found its way into my thoughts as the commander spoke.

"Who is Crescian?"