The Other Sorrengail

Battle Talks

Chapter 24

Battle Talks

They all sat in a meeting room as Mira stood at the head of the table. Lily sat between Garrick and Violet. Garrick had his hand resting on Lily's leg, which she didn't mind. Mira and Garrick got to know each other and Mira liked Garrick. Mira wasn't surprised when she found out their mother didn't like him.

"So all we do is wait for something to happen?" Ridoc asked, leaning back in his chiar, putting his boots up on the table.

"Yes." Mira said. She flicked her wrist, sending Ridoc flying backward. "And keep your feet off the table." Lily and Violet snort as one of the riders laughs. He changes the markers on teh large map that consumes the stone wall. Dain, Ridoc, Liam, Emery, Quinn, Violet, and Lily all sat in the room after a two hour flight around the area. The others had sat in the room earlier. Now it was their turn. Xaden and Garrick were just tagging along with this class today. Dain was glaring at Xaden.

'He glares at Xaden but not you. I think he's jealous.' Lily told Garrick through their bond.

'I think so too.' Garrick came back. His thumb was rubbing her thigh. Lily put her hand on top of his. Mira was keeping an eye on Dain as he kept making side remarks. Ridoc scrambles back into his chair.

"Conside this your Battle Brief. This morning was about a quarter of the patrol we'd regularly fly, so normally we'd just be getting back about now and reporting our findings to the Commander. But for the sake of killing time, since we're in this room as the reaction flight for this afternoon, let's pretend we'd come across a newly fortified enemy outpost crossing our border." Mira said. She turned to the map and sticks a pin with a small crimson flag near one of the peaks about two miles from the Cygnisen borderline. "Here."

"We're supposed to pretend it just popped up overnight?" Emery asked.

"For the sake of argument, third-year." Mira said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I like this game." One of the riders said at the end of the table.

"What would our objective be?" Mira glances around the table, ignoring Xaden. "Aetos?" Dain startles at being called. He shoots Xaden another glare and turns to face the map.

"What type of fortifications are there? Are we talking a haphazard wooden structure? Or something more substantial?" Dain asked.

"Like they had time to build a fortress overnight. It has to be wooden, right?" Ridoc asked.

"You are all so fucking literal." Mira said. She rubs her thumb over her forehead. "Fine, let's say they occupied a keep that's already established. Stone and all."

"But the civilians didn't call for help. Protocol calls for a distress signal this far into the mountains. They should have lit their distress beacon, alerting patrolling riders, at which time the dragons on patrol would have told all available dragons in the area. The very riders in this room would have mounted first as the reaction force and the others would have been woken from their rests, allowing the riders to prevent the loss of the keep in the first place." Quinn said. Mira scoffs and braces her hands on the end of the table, staring everyone down.

"Everything you're taught at Basgiath is theory. You analyze past attacks and learn those very theoretical combat maneuvers. But things out here don't always go according to plan. So why won't we talk about all the ways things can go sideways, so you'll know what to do when they do, as opposed to arguing that the keep shouldn't have fallen." Mira said. Quinn shuffles uncomfortably. "How many of you have been called out as third-years?" Emery, Xaden, and Garrick raise their hands. Dain looked pissed.