Maybe I’d kill him after all.
I opened my mouth.
The outside doors opened and slammed shut.
“General!” Xavier rushed over, his face drawn with dread.
“Tell me.”
“We couldn’t find any sign of their location in the Eternal Forest, but there are more lightless trees.”
For some reason, I had expected something worse. Not that the infection eating the Eternal Forest wasn’t horrifying, but we already had that intel.
“How many more?”
“Maybe thirty.”
“Okay.”
Could be a lot worse.
Xavier continued standing there, his breathing uneven.
“Say it,” I ordered.
“We’ve lost some of our military.”
“You were attacked?”
The squadrons looked a little thin behind him, but I assumed they were still filtering back.
“Not that I’m aware of. But a few members from the Trenchers and Infernos didn’t appear at their checkpoint. And their leaders said the ones missing were the ones who complained the most about Hell.”
I crossed my arms, squeezing my hands into fists beneath my armpits.
“You believe they deserted for the other side.”
“Yes, Sir.”
I shouldn’t be surprised. The voice controlling Ni had said as much.
“I want numbers.”
“Yes, Sir.” Xavier side-eyed Aspen before leaving.
“If your own military is betraying you, she isn’t safe here either.”
Pressure pushed behind my eyes, and I straightened to my full height, turning to Aspen.
“The answer is no. Understood?”
He pressed his lips together as he weighed his next words.
“Understood, General.”
“Good. Anything else you’d like to discuss?” I didn’t bother keeping the bite from my words.
He lifted his chin.
