The Commander spoke briefly and soberly about Jackson and Lorenzo, reminding the squad of their contributions, such as they were.

  Then he pivoted to demonizing-the-“vile”-beastfolk rhetoric. This time, Lieutenant Sperry listened and really heard the implications behind his words for what might have been the first time. Had he always been this vitriolic?

  She could have sworn that in previous speeches to rally the squad, he had referred to “policing actions” and “keeping the peace.”

  Was that for Sperry’s benefit? Or had she simply not noticed the genuine hatred Volusia felt?

  Then again, perhaps he simply sounded more aggressive than before, because he legitimately had more of a grievance than usual: the beastfolk’s “cowardly sneak attack.”

  If we’re truly here to wipe them out, they would be foolish not to do something, Sperry thought grimly. She would never defend premeditated murder of the Kingdom’s own, and the beastfolk still had no right to squat on the King’s land—to effectively steal from the Kingdom.

  Still, it was hard to identify with the Commander’s point of view just then. She could not subsume her judgment into that of a man she did not trust.

  Volusia’s speech finished with an explanation of their next steps.

  Half of the squad would attempt to follow the only lead they had on the beastfolk’s whereabouts, Tybalt and Baldwin’s observations from their own attack. There would likely be no traces to follow in the desert sand, so it was best to pursue the lead they already had.

  The rest of the squad would remain to guard and fortify the abandoned beastfolk village, which was to become their operating base. It needed to be formidable enough to prevent further surprises like the discovery of Jackson and Lorenzo’s deaths that morning.

  Finally, as Volusia finished speaking, the squad began shifting into formation for the morning’s expedition. They were going to go chase after the beastfolk now. Chase them, probably butcher them, even rape them…

  Sperry tried to don a mask of indifference. Despite her best efforts to control her own feelings, she had not recovered her appetite after her last discussion with the Commander. She had felt disgusted watching the squad eat. Didn’t they know what they were complicit in? How could they be in an eating mood?

  Her fingers picked at her nails until she caught herself doing it and forced her hands to stop.

  She shook herself slightly. No, everything was all right. There had probably been some misunderstanding, and Tybalt was either lying or exaggerating, as Volusia had suggested. Her own mind, with its fairly rigid preference for rules and hierarchies, had been blowing things out of proportion since she heard the first hint of impropriety.

  It was possible that everything Tybalt had said was basically untrue. Technically. She would put the recent conversation with Volusia behind her for the moment. Somehow.

  Finally, she joined the group.

  “Good to see you, Lieutenant,” Tybalt said in a pleasant tone—not exactly happy, which would have felt inappropriate right after two squad members had died, but clearly pleased to see her, or at least aiming to give that impression.

  Sperry and Volusia were positioned up front with Tybalt and Baldwin—the only people, besides the dead man, who had actually encountered the enemy already, albeit briefly.

  Assuming that they did encounter an enemy, and this whole thing wasn’t a complicated deception from Tybalt… in which case he and Baldwin probably killed Corporal Jackson and Private Lorenzo.

  But that seemed unlikely. She could not conceive of any logical motive for the two men to risk being executed by committing double murder. And it felt exhausting to be suspicious of Tybalt, Baldwin, and Volusia at the same time. The three men who would surround her over the next several hours.

  Maybe I could try trusting Tybalt. Just a little. He’s lying about something, but I don’t know what or why. Everyone has secrets, though. And it looks like maybe he was telling the truth about the squad…

  “Lead the way, bastard,” Commander Volusia said in a quiet but firm tone. “We’re all waiting. You have the only lead on the location of the killers. You and Baldwin.”

  “Yes, sir,” Tybalt said, his expression flattening instantly.

  They moved out, following the Specialist’s lead. He took them from the relative open of the abandoned beastfolk village into a valley that was at points narrow enough that only a few people could walk side by side.

  In the slowly developing morning light, they quickly came upon the place where Tybalt claimed he had been attacked.

  In the cliff face of the valley wall opposite them, there were ledges spaced out every ten feet or so vertically scaling the cliff. It was one of those ledges that Tybalt and Baldwin pointed to, about thirty feet in the air.

  “There’s a hidden path there, I’m pretty sure,” Tybalt said. He pointed.

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  All Sperry—and, she guessed, the others—saw was a thin ledge with some moss growing on the mountainside around it.

  “How do you know?” Volusia asked.

  “Pretty sure I saw it when the lighting was different,” Tybalt said. “If it were later in the day, it would be easier to see.”

  “Well, we’re not waiting, bastard,” the Commander said curtly. “Go up and find the path. Shout down to us what you see.”

  “Is that really wise, Commander?” Sperry asked, giving Volusia a meaningful look. “Tybalt was already targeted by these beastfolk once. He has the scars to prove it. And they just killed Jackson.”

  “Your concern is touching, Lieutenant,” Tybalt said, raising an eyebrow. “But I can take care of myself.”

  “You know, somehow, I don’t think you can,” Volusia said in a tone of condescension. “I guess we need someone to protect you, considering you were injured just yesterday. You’re probably not at full strength now, even with health elixir having repaired most of the visible damage.”

  “I volunteer,” Sperry said, without missing a beat. “I’m probably one of the better climbers in the squad anyway.”

  Remember that I’m supposed to be watching him for signs of treachery, she thought, giving Volusia another look that he acknowledged with a subtle nod.

  “Since when do I need a babysitter?” Tybalt asked, raising an eyebrow. “Commander, you’ve sent me into plenty of situations where I could have gotten killed. Including twice just yesterday.”

  “You seem to have a knack for finding trouble,” Sperry said. “Just accept the help, all right?” Volusia frowned at her, and she realized she had started justifying herself, trying to persuade Tybalt. He was a subordinate. She should just be giving him orders and expecting him to obey. She tried to play it off, giving her tone a slightly mocking edge. “I thought you should have some protection after yesterday. Don’t worry, I won't let you get hurt.”

  Tybalt scowled and muttered something that sounded like, “Should’ve known you’d jump when the Commander said.”

  Sperry wanted to come up with some reply to that, but as she opened her mouth to speak, Tybalt stepped forward and began climbing the cliffside. He moved quickly, deft fingers finding handholds that were difficult for Sperry to even see—at least from her height on the ground.

  Right, he is a scout… She rushed to catch up.

  As she climbed the cliffside using just hands and feet, Sperry felt the whole squad’s eyes on her. She felt, embarrassingly, the tightness of her leather pants—functional in battle or for walking, both lightweight and tough, but also fairly snug.

  More importantly, perhaps, they could also see Tybalt ahead of her on the cliff face. A class-less enlisted man, seemingly outpacing the squad’s Lieutenant, who had a class. That couldn’t be allowed to stand. She sped up slightly, though she also tried to remain careful. If she lost her grip and fell, it would be far more embarrassing than losing an undeclared race.

  Sperry had almost caught up to Tybalt by the time he deigned to speak with her again.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked, biting off the words as if he barely had enough air in his lungs to speak. “You, deciding to be my bodyguard.”

  He climbs like he was born to it, Sperry thought, but he’s tired and out of breath already. Trying to hide it from me. So proud. But good to see having a class still has some advantages.

  Although she was not high level, she also wasn’t breathing hard just yet.

  “Like I said, you seemed to need some protection,” she said.

  “I wasn't under the impression we got off on the best foot last time we spoke,” Tybalt said. “I think I said some things that might have shaken your worldview.” He set his hand on the second ledge he had reached and began pulling himself up.

  “You were a jerk, yes,” Sperry replied, tilting her head up so that he could hear her properly. No one else would be able to. They were roughly twenty feet above the ground now, and she was not raising her voice much above her normal speaking volume. “Do you think I’d let that compromise my professionalism? My commitment to the King’s Code? That I’d wish you dead because you said some things I didn’t like?”

  “Now that you put it that way, it does sound unreasonable,” Tybalt said.

  Sperry reached a hand over onto the ledge Tybalt was standing on, just as he found his next handhold and began pulling away.

  “Let me catch up,” Sperry grunted as she heaved herself up onto the ledge. She was slightly breathless now after all. Not nearly as badly as Tybalt had been. She could certainly overtake him if the climb kept going. Especially if she started trying a bit harder. But he was definitely a better climber than her in terms of skill, and she was keenly aware of the squad watching below. She did not want to be perceived as losing a race to Tybalt—even one in which he had taken a head start.

  “Don’t you have a class?” Tybalt said mockingly, his voice barely audible as he panted.

  “Ass! Weren’t you raised with any manners?” Sperry felt slightly outraged and then caught herself smiling before she shook it off. That reaction wasn’t appropriate to the situation. For a moment, it had just reminded her of being a child. Playing and competing with other kids.

  Tybalt didn’t reply. Probably couldn’t. He was so determined to beat her…

  This isn’t a game.

  “Slow down until I catch up, Specialist!” she barked. “That’s an order. I’m up here for your protection, damn it, not your amusement!”

  She heard him curse under his breath. Then he kept going, but a hair more slowly. They climbed for another fifteen seconds or so in silence. Sperry just barely managed to reach the next ledge before him despite his head start. She pulled herself up, quickly achieved a stable position on her feet, then reached down to pull Tybalt the rest of the way.

  He scowled and took her hand. Then she lifted his entire body weight onto the ledge alongside her.

  “Neat trick,” he said, quickly concealing a look of surprise.

  “We’re thirty feet up now. I’d hate for you to slip.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Tybalt admitted. His scowl cracked into a little smile.

  Then he looked down, and Sperry realized she was still holding his hand.

  “Is that for safety?” he asked at the same moment that she pulled free. He chuckled. “Guess not.”

  Sperry shook her head and rolled her eyes. All of these men were the same after all. Thought they were the gods’ gift to women.

  Over on Patreon, we're now in book 2...