SAGE (under edit)

Chapter Thirty Six - The Sounds of War

When news spread of The Palm's invasion, chaos erupted in the border camp.

It all made such clear, undeniable sense and Theo cursed himself for not anticipating it. When Sage relayed Rhun's discovery to him, Theo knew – without any doubt – that the border skirmishes had been intended to split Lion Crest's forces. The border camp couldn't pack up and return to Lion Crest in order to fight against The Palms because it would only leave the south-west border unprotected and WhiteSnow Valley would see it as a retreat, thus aligning with Stone Flats. But by not returning to Lion Crest, the Crest Soldiers at the border camp were leaving Lion Crest with a reduced defence.

But between Lion Crest's destruction and WhiteSnow Valley's alliance, Theo knew what the greater loss would be.

'Commander, we can't get through to Lion Crest.'

Theo whirled around to face one of his assistants, the only one standing utterly still while the other men and women in the command tent were rushing to and fro. 'What do you mean, Jenna?' he said as calmly as he could.

Jenna handed him a radio comm. 'I can't get a signal. I think... I think our frequency is being jammed.'

Theo pressed the comm around the shell of his ear and turned for his desk, listening as the crackle of white noise drowned out the cacophony of the tent's occupants. He pressed a button on the edge of the radio that connected with a frequency solely used between the command tent and the intelligence division back in the City. But Theo was suddenly deafened by a sharp, piercing sound that emitted from the radio that made him rip the comm away from his ear.

'Let us warn Lilith.'

Theo turned back around, finding Sage approaching his desk with Raidan Suragi at her side. Their presence alone was enough to dwindle the hustle within the tent, and although Theo still considered Sage the same girl who used to trail Dean like a shadow and the same Crest Soldier Captain who never turned down a dangerous mission, he had to admit that in Shadow Soldier uniform her presence was intimidating. She seemed to command attention in a way she never quite did as a Crest Soldier.

'RedEarth are behind this, I can guarantee you, but we can warn Lilith before The Palms breach our northern border,' Sage told him.

'Without getting word to Lion Crest of your arrival, your showing up unannounced might just result in chaos,' Theo countered.

'Better that than the city being caught unawares,' she said. 'Come on Theo, you're the smartest one here – and you know the Shadow Soldiers are the fastest.'

'You're going to go even if I say no, aren't you?'

Sage grinned. 'I thought I'd be polite about it, though.'

Theo looked to Raidan and said, 'Is she always like this?'

'It keeps things interesting,' Raidan replied, his tone impassive.

'I could do with a little less interesting,' Theo said, looking back to Sage. 'Fine, go. Tell the Renark I'll be sending reinforcements as soon as I can.'

Sage gave a quick nod and then she and Raidan sprinted from the tent, leaving an outburst of murmuring from everyone inside. Theo went to his desk, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen to quickly scribble a list of names and once he had finished he handed it to Jenna.

'Find the squads on this list and bring them to me immediately,' he ordered.

'Of course!'

Theo pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned against his desk, his back to the rest of the command tent as he considered his next move.