Page 47

"Yes, and next time, if you know the creature better than I do, tell me before I have to ask."

She studied me for several seconds before folding her arms. "You want me to interrupt you?"

"If the alternative is letting me make a worse decision, absolutely."

"Even in front of everyone?"

"Especially in front of everyone."

Her brow tightened. "You say that now."

There it was again, the expectation that authority changed its rules the moment those rules became inconvenient. I crossed my arms as well, mostly because I had a feeling we were about to revisit the argument we'd started before training.

"And we're back to this morning."

"You told me to say when I have an issue."

"I did."

"I have one."

Despite myself, I smiled. "Good."

That only made her more suspicious. "My issue is that commanders generally don't enjoy being corrected in front of the people they're commanding."

"Some don't."

"Do you?"

"No one enjoys being wrong."

"That wasn't the question."

I almost laughed. "No, Jade, I don't particularly enjoy being wrong. I enjoy somebody getting hurt because they were afraid to tell me I was wrong considerably less."

She considered that rather than dismissing it outright, so I nodded toward the section of floor where Halver had first appeared.

"If you'd known from the beginning that Halver could alter the animal's behavior while shifted, would you have changed your plan?"

"Yes."

"If I'd ordered you toward the right flank anyway?"

"I would have told you it was wrong."

"Good."

"And if you'd ignored me?"

"Then you follow the order unless you believe doing so creates an immediate danger I can't see."

Her mouth tightened. "There's that convenient distinction again."

"Get used to it."

"No."

The answer came quickly enough that I laughed before I could stop myself.