I looked, confused about why he'd ask me that. "We were all there, Elijah."
"You are truly a grump, aren't you?" he taunted.
Which was when Uriah fell in on my other side. "Tobias is a man of few words," he told Elijah. "I think it's why he got promoted."
"I got promoted because I kill Dragons," I told them.
"Okay, that's a good way to do it," Elijah said.
But the other men weren't done with their questions either. To my right, someone called out, "How will we know if we find the end of the demon's defenses, Gideon? Or are we supposed to walk for a week and simply turn back?"
"The Dragons are this way," another said.
"No," Elijah said, raising his voice, "they aren't."
"Quiet!" Gideon snapped.
Which made me chuckle.
On my left, Uriah flashed a smile. "Please tell me you despise that man as much as the rest of us?"
"I don't trust him," I agreed. "I think he's more interested in a promotion than the safety of the men he leads or the security of the compound's food stores."
"Well said," Elijah taunted. "Funny, because I always heard you're too big to be smart."
I sighed heavily. "Yes, I'm big. Yes, I really am that strong. No, that doesn't make me stupid."
"So why does everyone say that?" Uriah asked.
And this was my chance to deal with that one "little" problem I had. Years of pretending to be slow and stupid did me no good if I wanted a promotion. It was the thing I'd been known for, and I'd used that trick as long as I could, but now I had to dig myself out of the hole I'd created with it.
"People tend to assume the worst of others," I told them. "I also don't care about what is said in gossip. I prefer to choose my words instead of act the fool because I lack patience. And I promise, silent is not the same as stupid either."
"There's that," Uriah agreed. "You are grumpy, though."
"He's not that grumpy," Timon said, jogging up from behind me to join us. "Tobias is actually one of the better leaders. I mean,wemade it back alive last time."
"Harald was on my squad for a while too," I told them. "Well, it wasn't mine at the time. We were just in a squad together."
"Which means," Elijah said, "we should all stick close to this guy."
"If nothing else," Uriah joked, "they'll aim for him first. I mean, he's hard to miss."
"And harder to kill," I promised. "But sure. If you want to help me tear the Wyvern apart, then fine." And I turned to look at Elijah. "I'll kill your sister too."
He simply shrugged. "I'm not sure she's as easy to kill as you seem to think."
"Just remember," I told him, "I'm the man who'll be ordering you to chase her down."
"She has a dog," Timon said. "I heard it keeps her safe."
"A lot of them have dogs," I reminded these boys. "Have any of you been bit by one?"
"Have you?" Uriah asked.
I nodded. "The Phoenix's dog, actually. My very first partner was killed by the Wyvern right next to me. The Phoenix sent her dog at me, and the pair ran." At me, but still. "The dog knockedme off my feet, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Then, between one breath and the next, it was just gone."
"Jeshiah!" Timon called, reaching up to summon the last member of our squad over.
