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"Before I begin, I want to make something clear when we talk about your irregular forces, Commander Tausau," Ashlynn said, addressing the elder vampire as a commander even though he had yet to accept the title.

Her father had often said that when you spoke as if a decision had already been made, by the time you asked them to formally make the decision, their minds had already been shaped to accept the outcome you desired.

While it felt slightly underhanded to use such a technique on one of their own allies, in this case, she felt more like she was helping Tausau to overcome his own lack of confidence rather than manipulating him against his own interests.

"During our time in High Fen City, Lady Heila secured the services of ninety gladiators and mercenaries who fought against her in the arena," Ashlynn reminded the gathered leaders of the Vale. "As useful as it would be to have that force under her command in the months to come, as a member of my coven, Heila’s duties lay elsewhere. If we have need of them, we may request that they return to her side, but for now, especially for the next few months while my coven trains and prepares for what is to come, these men would be more useful serving in an army like Commander Tausau’s. "

"You mean to say that you’d transfer ninety of these gladiators to my command?

" Tausau said, looking slightly startled as he considered the number of warriors who had pledged themselves to Heila as part of her wager with a merchant in High Fen City.

"That’s three times the number of Mongrels I brought across the mountains," he said as he struggled to think of how he would use such a sizable force.

"Not only them," Ashlynn added. "There are several former refugees with unique skills for defending their villages, but just as Heila can’t be spared to lead her gladiators, Ollie has even greater need of this time to train," she said, nodding at one of her two new witches.

"The hunters, trappers, and guardians of his village, some of whom helped in Commander Bassinger’s summer campaign, would also come under your command while Ollie learns his craft. "

Neither Ollie nor Heila looked surprised at Ashlynn’s decision to pull soldiers away from them in the months to come.

While both of them felt varying levels of attachment to the people whose trust and service they’d worked hard to gain, they also knew that compared to the likes of Savis, Tausau, and Lord General Thane, they were far too young and inexperienced to lead soldiers effectively in battle.

It would be better not only for Hiela and Ollie to focus on mastering their witchcraft in the months to come, but for the people who relied on them to have competent and capable commanders in the battles ahead.

Things might change in the years to come as they grew into their powers and their roles within the Vale, but for now, both of the young witches readily accepted this arrangement.

Across the table from the witches, hearing Ashlynn describe what sounded like an increasingly powerful force, Tausau’s gaze flickered briefly toward Savis, looking for a sign of support or approval from his elder brother.

Sitting here in the depths of the Vale of Mists, in Torbin’s old castle, the Clanless vampire missed his fallen brother’s wise council more than ever.

Of the three of them, Torbin had always been the master of reason.

ISince his death at the hands of the human crusaders, Tausau had fallen under the sway of the strongest of Hamdi’s progeny, depending on him for guidance for more than a hundred years.

The white-furred vampire’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, his golden eyes narrowing at the edge of Tausau’s vision.

Even as he struggled to process his own defeat, Savis radiated a quiet displeasure seeing the way his Clanless little brother seemed to be rising rapidly in Lady Nyrielle’s favor while he was subjected to a humiliation at the hands of her progeny.

In the end, however, he held his tongue. Both Thane and Nyrielle had made it clear that, while he would be respected as a commander, the decisions of the ruling trio weren’t to be defied. If they wished to offer Tausau a position equal to his... he could only accept it.

Tausau held his breath for a moment as he watched subtle twitches in his brother’s fur and slight shifts of his eyes convey more about his conflicted emotions than a dozen books could contain.

Clearly, he wasn’t in favor of his younger brother stepping forward but.

.. neither was he making a move to stand in opposition.

For Tausau, who had spent centuries being reminded of his place at the very bottom of Hamdi’s collection of progeny, the offer of equal standing with his pure-blooded brother felt almost like a trap, one that, if he accepted the position, would only prove to the powerful people gathered in this room just how far beneath them and how much less capable the Clanless vampire truly was.

"I understand your hesitation," Ashlynn said with a confident smile, either missing or deliberately ignoring the silent exchange between the brothers.

"But many of the vampires in your Mongrel Horde are still individually stronger than most of the gladiators we would be sending your way. I doubt you’ll have any trouble maintaining the dominance of your Horde, or your own authority as the Commander of your army. "

"The only group who might cause you some trouble are the Tuscans who previously fought as mercenaries," Ashlynn continued, working to bolster the vampire elder’s confidence. "But since they are more professional soldiers, we’d prefer to assign them to Commander Savis’s elite forces. Unless you object?"

Tausau straightened slightly, as if Ashlynn’s words had given him a path forward that he felt confident he could take. The corners of his mouth twitched upward in the first hint of confidence he’d allowed himself to display since entering the room.

"Your Dominion," Tausau said diplomatically. "I think it’s wise to assign the most capable, professional mercenaries to big brother, er, Commander Savis," he said, using his brother’s newest title deliberately to show his acceptance of his brother’s new position within the Vale.

"Brother Savis," he continued, his voice growing firmer and more confident as he spoke.

"I think you’ll make better use of the Tuscan mercenaries than I will, but you remember how uncoordinated even the champions of the arena were when they were forced to fight against us as a group," he said, reminding his brother of their battle in the arena. "Even though we were chained and they outnumbered us three to one, they still couldn’t present a serious threat. Let me take up the trouble of the irregular soldiers who would only get in your men’s way. "

"You don’t need my permission," Savis said tersely. "But," he added after taking a deep breath. "You’re right that these amateurs would only get in my men’s way. You’ve been sorting out people with the strangest mixes of talents and weaknesses for centuries," he continued, offering rare praise to his younger sibling’s talents. "If anyone can turn these ’irregulars’ into an army, then I’m certain you can," he said with grudging respect.

"In that case, Your Dominion," Tausau said, returning his attention to Ashlynn and the map. "I’ll take every man you send me and I’ll make sure you get the best out of them that they can offer," he said, sitting up straighter and prouder than he had even when he first entered the room.

"Good, because I’m afraid that we’re going to spread your men a bit thin," Ashlynn said with a somber expression on her face. The plan she had devised with Nyrielle and Thane would accomplish several of their goals as long as they moved quickly but even with all of the extra forces they could muster, the area they needed to cover was incredibly vast. That meant that Tausau’s men would have to work in smaller groups that could easily be defeated if they encountered significant resistance.

"The mission we have in mind for your irregulars will require you to split your forces into several small groups in order to achieve all of our goals," Ashlynn continued. "Let me explain what we’re hoping to achieve by unleashing your expanded horde on the unsuspecting March..."

As opening moves went, what Ashlynn had in mind would land on Owain and his father, Bors, like a tight slap delivered before the full court.

It would sting, and it would embarrass them in front of their peers, but it wouldn’t truly hurt either man.

But Ashlynn knew Owain well, and she knew enough about his father to have a good idea how he would respond.

Neither man could accept this kind of insult easily and when they responded to her provocation, she would be waiting to deliver an even heavier blow.