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The challenges Nyrielle laid out so plainly were ones that weighed on the minds of everyone who had dwelled in the Vale of Mists their entire life.

Virve and Lennart both nodded along as Nyrielle laid out the challenges, quickly understanding why, even with the sizeable reinforcements they’d brought from across the mountains, Lady Nyrielle would choose to create a new, more senior position imbued with the authority to command their forces in such an unconventional campaign.

Others around the table showed reactions that had less to do with the coming war and more to do with what they saw as long overdue recognition of Thane’s position within the Vale of Mists.

Ashlynn wore a radiant smile as she looked at the man who had declared himself her ’big brother’ when she first arrived in the Vale, and Ollie, sitting nearby, looked equally proud at the recognition his mentor was receiving.

But not everyone reacted to the appointment of Nyrielle’s oldest human progeny to the position with the same levels of enthusiasm.

Sitting beside the bearish commander, Marshal Jacob reached out to put a gentle, reassuring hand on his long-time friend’s forearm.

To give an entire life to the service of the vale, leading his men in countless minor actions of the long-simmering conflict since the end of the War of Inches, and suddenly finding himself relieved of command now that the next real war was about to begin. ..

The diminutive Marshal couldn’t begin to understand how his friend could swallow the insult.

"It’s fine," Bassinger said quietly as he gave his old friend and fellow councilor a fragile smile that held back a storm of conflicting emotions. "If it were anyone else, I might argue, but compared to Lord General Thane, I truly am inexperienced and lacking."

Thane had been old, wise, and experienced when Bassinger was still a cub.

It had been Thane who noticed the bearish commander’s talents during the War of Inches, pulling him away from the front lines and assigning him to Nyrielle’s personal guard where he could begin to observe more of the decision-making that shaped the final days of the war.

Years later, it had been Thane again who recommended Bassinger to take over the position as Captain of her guard when his predecessor retired.

There had never been a point in Commander Bassinger’s long career when he hadn’t been able to turn to the powerful vampire for support, whether it was honing his fighting techniques or adjusting to life behind a desk when he assumed what had once been the highest office in Nyrielle’s army.

Thane had always been there, acting like a big brother to Bassinger and everyone under his command.

"Thank you, Bassinger," Thane said graciously from the opposite end of the table. "But just because I’m assuming command as the Lord General, that doesn’t mean I won’t need capable commanders like you to help through this war.

In fact, I need three more men to take up burdens every bit as heavy as your own if we’re going to use our forces to the greatest effect. "

As soon as he said it, people once more cast glances around the table, some more overt than others.

A few gazes gathered on the newest vampire at the table, wondering if the former captain of Nyrielle’s guard would be taking up some greater responsibility now that he had transcended the barrier between life and death.

Others looked to Zedya, Virve, and even Savis, wondering which of them would be next to be named to a position of authority.

"There are five pillars of strength within the army of the Vale," Thane said.

"The largest by far are Ordinary Soldiers, men who are well trained, disciplined, and who we will rely on to man the walls in defense and lay siege in offense.

Commander Bassinger, these men will be yours to command, and you can expect that you will receive several reinforcements as we reorganize our soldiers to thicken your ranks," the Lord General explained.

"Our next pillar of strength are the elite soldiers who are capable of serving as the sharp point of the spear on the attack, and siege breakers on defense.

They are men and women with the power to become arena champions in High Fen City or to serve as the most feared division under the command of High Lord Hamdi," Thane said, turning his gaze to the white-furred vampire from the Golden Eyed clan.

"Sir Savis, will you accept the title of Commander and weld together the greatest of our warriors into a force that can stand toe-to-toe with the Templars and the knights of our enemies?" Thane asked.

"You want me to submit to a man less than a quarter my age and accept that he is a greater general than I am?" Savis said, his white fur bristling in instant revulsion at the idea. Savis was the first of High Lord Hamdi’s progeny, and he stood within the same generation as Nyrielle’s grand sire, the late High Lord Torbin.

Nyrielle’s parents could be considered his nieces and nephews, to say nothing of Nyrielle and her own progeny.

To the proud and mighty Savis, the mere suggestion that he should answer to ’Lord General Thane’ was little different than asking a veteran warrior to take orders from his own great-grandson who had barely graduated from playing with toy soldiers in the dirt!

"Lady Nyrielle, I can humble myself before the Harbinger of Death," the lupine vampire said, turning to look at the woman at the head of the table. "I agreed to serve you until High Lord Hamdi heals and calls me home, but this..."

"Thane," Nyrielle said, silencing the furious Golden Eyed vampire with a single word.

"If you want him to serve as one of your commanders, you need to bring him to heel. I’m entrusting my army to you, to forge as you see fit, but if Savis proves himself to be the greater man," she said, casting the older vampire a pointed look.

"Then I will pass the position of Lord General to the man who can best wield my army to defeat our enemies. "

Savis bristled when he heard Lady Nyrielle mention ’bringing him to heel’ and his claws resting on the table dug into the soft cedar wood, leaving shallow gouges behind as she prodded one of the few emotions the white-furred vampire had left.

But a moment later, she offered a balm to his wounded pride along with a chance to seize control of power and authority in the Vale of Mists that was as great as what he had possessed under High Lord Hamdi in the Tangled Wood.

"Do I make myself clear?" Nyrielle asked, returning her midnight gaze to Thane. That gaze seemed to carry even greater weight and meaning than the simple words would suggest, and Ashlynn did her best to keep her face impassive as Nyrielle and Thane led the unsophisticated Savis into the trap they’d prepared for him.

Of all of the leaders who had come under Nyrielle’s banner during her visit to the Eldritch nations beyond the mountains, Savis was the most difficult to control.

He acknowledged his defeat at the battle of the Tangled Tower, and he gave his service and the service of his Black Wolf Brigade to Nyrielle in exchange for a promise that she wouldn’t kill his sire, High Lord Hamdi, for the offenses he committed against Nyrielle when she visited.

On the surface, capturing a portion of a defeated enemy’s strength to use as your own was a brilliant move and one that had given her new army a core of well-trained, elite soldiers.

Beneath that, however, there were several cracks in their relationship, and Savis remained a reluctant weapon that could twist in Nyrielle’s hand to betray its wielder.

They’d made it this far by relying on his sense of brotherhood with Tausau, who was far more enthusiastic in supporting Nyrielle.

But everyone knew that this wasn’t enough to bring Savis fully into the fold, and so Ashlynn had suggested giving him an opportunity to seize command of the army for himself at the very beginning.

By allowing him to make the attempt to usurp command at the very beginning, they would preempt any attempts that might occur later on.

More importantly, he would learn firsthand, in the Eldritch way, that besides Nyrielle and Ashlynn, there were still people in the Vale with the strength to command his obedience.

"Your orders are perfectly clear, Mistress Nyrielle," Thane said with a smile as he stood up from his chair and faced Savis’s bristling figure. "If I can’t subdue one lone wolf, how can I ever hope to lead your army?"

"Savis," the newly named Lord General said in a voice brimming with so much confidence it could be mistaken for arrogance. "I will accept your challenge, but do you dare to accept my terms?"