Page 90 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

“General Toyne, I apologise for the methods I used to retrieve the information the king hid from me. As always, you have my discretion and my respect. I hope you can forgive me.”

He held the General’s gaze a moment longer, ensuring he was stable.

“Best of luck on the field.”

Rain turned and followed Corporal Hamish out of the building. The crowd parted for him again; this time not out of fear, but awe.

Chapter 32

“Captain Short!”

Rain blinked, genuinely taken aback. She was the last person he expected to see on his squad. He climbed into the wagon, choosing the seat opposite her.

“What a pleasant surprise. You must have pulled some strings to be here.”

“Good evening, Your Highness,” Captain Short replied, saluting along with the other three soldiers. “Yes, sir. After many heated disagreements regarding your personal security, I couldn’t appoint anyone other than myself.” She sat proudly; uniform pressed to perfection. “Only the best of the best at your service, sir.”

Rain smirked. Very surprising indeed.

Hamish took the seat beside him, placing his pack between his boots as the tray of the wagon was secured. The vehicle growled to life, rattling as it carried them toward their drop-off point.

“Allow me to introduce the squad,” Short continued. “You’ve met Corporal Hamish; our controlled explosives specialist. Excellent at dismantling locks with minimal disturbance.”

Hamish lifted his chin in acknowledgement, already tinkering with a gadget from his pack.

“Then we have Corporal Maren, we call her Glass. Long-range over-watch and reconnaissance. She’s our eyes.”

Maren, seated beside Short with a sniper rifle resting against her knee, winked at Rain. He raised an eyebrow in return.

“Sergeant Vass; hand-to-hand combat—”

“Nobody ever sees this coming!” Vass cut in, throwing mock punches and flexing his biceps.

Maren swung a fist low between his legs. He deflected it with impressive speed. Short glared at them both. Neither looked remotely apologetic.

“Vass is trained in multiple martial arts,” she continued drily, “honoured for his stealth, despite his current impression. And to your left; Sergeant Renn. I believe you served together back when he was still a private. He’s our navigation specialist and expert tracker. He’ll ensure we get in and out unnoticed.”

Renn shifted forward and held out his hand. Rain grasped it warmly.

“Good to see you got the recognition you deserved,” Rain said.

“Thanks, brother.” Renn’s smile was genuine. Vass glared enviously.

Rain suppressed a grin and scanned their energies. He was impressed. They far exceeded every expectation. He hadn’t believed the general when he’d said his father had prioritised his protection. Instead, he had expected trained babysitters.

“Now that you’re acquainted. Renn, lets talk strategy,” Short ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.” Renn pulled a map from his pack, unfolding it across their knees. Instinctively, everyone straightened the edges, holding it taut.

He leaned over the parchment, tapping a thin charcoal line. “We enter the Red Kingdom here. Patrols cross every half hour, meeting at these checkpoints.” Tap. Tap. “If we get the timing wrong, we’re cornered before we even step onto Red turf.”

His voice remained calm as he looked to Rain. “You use your mojo to detect. We get in clean. Then we have a six-hour trek through the easternrange, it will be hot, dry and brutal but clear of detection until we reach the outskirts of Burgundy. That puts us at roughly 3:30 a.m. local time. Sun rises at 4:20. We have fifty minutes of coverage. Once the sun’s up, we must stay sharp.”

He tapped three small rectangles. “Our target is here. Three identical towers. The central one holds our objective. Informant says each tower is manned by five guards—‘guardians,’ apparently. We don’t know if that’s an elite title or a fancy word for amateurs. We must act with caution.”

“This sounds too easy,” Rain muttered.

“What else do we know?” Vass asked. “What are we collecting?”