Neversfall - Ed Gentry [2]
"No, sir. She was transferred. Promoted, actually. She now leads her own regiment," Adeenya said. She wondered at the life of conflict the man must have led to assume her second had died. In that moment, the glorious shine of the Maquar seemed a little scuffed to her.
"Ahh… I see the pride you feel for her," Jhoqo said. "It is a wonderful feeling, isn't it? And it speaks highly of your skills in teaching her how to lead, daughter."
She nodded. "Yes, sir. May I ask a question, sir?"
"Of course. Everything begins with a question," he replied.
"When will I learn why my troops and I have been called here, sir?"
Jhoqo stopped and turned to face her. "Straight to the point. A fine quality, I suppose, Orir."
"Yes, sir," Adeenya said. She could hardly imagine what urgent need demanded that she lead her forty soldiers to the middle of the wilds at the northern end of the Curna Mountains.
"A reconnaissance mission," her superiors had said. "Nothing to worry about."
Which did not explain why they had met the Maquar- or, more importantly, why they were expected to be subordinate to the almost equal force.
"Have you spent any time in Veldorn, Orir?" Jhoqo asked, resuming his stroll once again.
"I've passed through a few times, sir. Never very deep into those lands, though," Adeenya said.
"Why is that, do you think?" Jhoqo asked.
Adeenya chose her words carefully and said, "Between business interests and the Durpari government, many campaigns have been launched with the intention of clearing Veldorn of the monster tribes. They've all failed. It is not our custom to throw good money after bad. The few civilized folks who do choose to live there are on their own. "
Jhoqo nodded. "I appreciate your honesty, Orir."
"Sir-we're to go to Veldorn, then?" she asked.
Jhoqo seemed to gauge her carefully. "We travel to the one place that might eventually solve many of the problems we in the South have in Veldorn," Jhoqo said. "To Neversfall."
Adeenya did not speak for several moments. "For what purpose, sir?"
"You've heard of Neversfall?" Jhoqo said, watching her.
"Aye, sir. My father mentioned it a few times," she said. She remembered how casually her father had talked of his interest in the citadel when the proposal had first come to him. She knew then that he was interested. Her father only responded so coolly when he was excited about a proposition.
The urir raised his eyebrows. "He is Yaviz Jamaluddat," she added reluctantly.
"Ah! Of course," Jhoqo said. "Such a wealthy merchant would certainly know of it. No doubt he invested in it."
His tone made it clear that his last words were not a question so Adeenya did not address it as such and forged ahead. "What is the mission at Neversfall, sir?"
Jhoqo stopped walking and faced Adeenya and both of his subordinates. "To secure it." "Sir?" Taennen asked.
"The conditions at the citadel of Neversfall are currently unknown," Jhoqo said. "The last report from the commander assigned to Neversfall is three days overdue."
"Three days? By the One," Taennen said.
"Yes, the councils are quite concerned," Jhoqo said. "Estagund and Durpar have invested too much time, coin, and mutual respect into this endeavor for anything to go wrong."
Adeenya puzzled at the man's notion of respect as an investment. Though, she supposed, respect often yielded the finest returns. "Yes, sir. Do we have any theories as to what might have happened to the troops stationed there?"
"Yes, sir, how many were there?" Taennen added.
"The citadel was held by nearly forty combined Maquar and Durpari troops," Jhoqo said.
Adeenya reeled at the number. What could possibly overcome forty well-trained soldiers with a strong fortress as their line of defense?
"Sir, are there more reinforcements on the way?" she asked.
Jhoqo shook his head. "Not yet. We're to scout the situation and call in more if needed."
Adeenya quelled her immediate reaction and offered a measured response. "Sir, we could be dealing with a huge enemy force here if they overwhelmed