It had taken them the same amount of time to get back to Kyr-Toryl as it had taken them to get to the camp, but it certainly hadn't felt that way. The trip back had been a blur of confused feelings and worries about what the Bulwark would say about what had happened, about the fact that Fennrin had killed for the first time.... Between it all, Fennrin couldn't even truly manage to be annoyed with Ainreth for doubting him back there, for telling him to stay back, not trusting him to pull his weight.

Fennrin wanted to be annoyed, but he somehow couldn't manage it. He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't manage it, especially now, sitting in a small meeting room with the Bulwark and Daryan sitting opposite him and Ainreth.

"Do you understand what you've done?" the Bulwark snapped at Ainreth, prompting Fennrin to look away. They'd just finished their report with Ainreth saying most of the story, and the Bulwark wasn't very happy with what had happened. And neither was Daryan. Which was understandable, though Fennrin didn't see what they could have done to prevent it, nor what they could do to make up for it.

"Orinovo now knows that we have a shadowforger on our side," the Bulwark said, making Fennrin sigh, looking down at the small, ebony table between them. That was his own fault. He could have stayed a shadow. But Ainreth would have been killed or captured, there had been no way around it.

He still felt a little disturbed by the fact that he didn't really feel anything concerning the three soldiers he'd killed, though. He had expected to be disturbed, shaken, perhaps regretful, even though he knew this was an unfortunate reality of war. But concerning ending their lives, he had just felt nothing. He was still disturbed by how easy taking their lives had been, though. He'd thought it would be more difficult.

He couldn't help but be a little concerned about that, but on the other hand, it would make him a more effective bodyguard for Ainreth. So it was for the best, he supposed.

"All they saw was their soldiers getting their necks snapped out of nowhere," Ainreth argued, but it was clear his heart wasn't in it, his shoulder sinking forward, his eyes trained on his hands on the table, a grimace on his face.

"Who else but a shadowforger can do that?" the Bulwark pointed out unnecessarily. They'd all been thinking it. Fennrin didn't know that much about the az-ari, but he didn't think he'd ever heard of any of them doing something like this. "They will figure it out sooner or later. So much for the element of surprise."

"Yes, that is unfortunate," said Daryan, rubbing at his bearded chin before raising his index finger. "However, Fennrin here has more than demonstrated his usefulness, wouldn't you say?"

The woman let out an aggravated sigh, shooting Daryan a withering look. "It wasn't his usefulness I was questioning." Then she turned to look at Fennrin, making him tense up, waiting for her to say something about how he couldn't be trusted again. But to his shock, the Bulwark was looking at him perfectly neutrally, something almost like a pleased air to her. "But I am pleasantly surprised. You saved the general."

Fennrin had been expecting to be uncomfortable for a completely different reason, and now he wasn't sure what to do with himself as he shifted in his seat. Compliments were certainly not something he'd seen coming from her given their first meeting. "Um, that is what I am here to do, is it not?"

"All right, no need for the sarcasm," the Bulwark rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile ghosting her lips. Oh, thank the sun Fennrin hadn't actually upset her. He'd not been sarcastic at all. He'd just stated a fact.

Daryan was smiling at him again. And so was Ainreth, his grin big and proud. That did make it easier for Fennrin to breathe.

"When I heard the Herald was sending you on this mission I had been planning on only giving Ainreth, I admit, I was dubious. But you have made quite a bit of progress in such a short time," the Bulwark continued, nodding. "I will from now on oversee your training personally."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Fennrin blinked at her. Once again, not what he'd been expecting to hear from her at all. He wasn't even sure what this entailed. Would he be allowed to do what he'd been doing until now but with the addition of reporting to the Bulwark about his progress?

Whatever she meant, he, of course, would do it. He didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize his new life, but he truly wasn't sure what he was supposed to be imagining.

"Yes, of course, Lady Bulwark."

The woman gave a nod, looking pleased once more. Then she turned her gaze to Ainreth. "As for you, general, you will be punished for your failure to stay undetected."

Fennrin expected Ainreth to argue, but he just nodded, letting out a breath through his nose. He looked disappointed in himself, which was a first.

"Ainreth couldn't have known about the alarm," Fennrin hesitantly defended him, not sure if he could afford to argue with them, no matter how much he wanted to. Yes, their reconnaissance hadn't ended ideally, but surely Orinovo would have found out sooner or later that Lys-Akkaria had a shadowforger despite this. And it truly hadn't been Ainreth's fault.

"Regardless, he put you both at risk through something that could have been avoided with more diligence," the Bulwark said, shaking her head. "I cannot let something like that go unpunished. The general has a history of not being careful enough."

"Then perhaps we can be a little lenient, though?" Daryan suggested, clasping his hands together in front of him on the table. "After all, it was mostly bad luck."

The Bulwark hummed, unamused. Next to Fennrin, Ainreth was glaring at Daryan. Fennrin truly wanted to ask what his problem with the man was, but he wasn't sure if Ainreth wanted to tell him. He had brought it up already, and the lightweaver hadn't truly answered his question before changing the subject.

"I recall the general likes to help out in the lower quarters. Perhaps he can be assigned some work there?" Daryan continued.

Fennrin looked back at Ainreth, touched that apparently, Ainreth helped the poorer citizens in his free time. He hadn't seen it aside from him playing with those kids and giving them some virens afterward, but they hadn't spent entire days together. There had been hours where Fennrin hadn't known where Ainreth had gone, and he hadn't asked as it wasn't his business. Ainreth could go where he pleased. But now Fennrin had to wonder if he'd been down there, helping people out.

The Bulwark sighed. "Sure. I will assign you something, general. At least a week."

"Okay," Ainreth said, not looking very happy. But then, he was once again glaring at Daryan, so perhaps it had more to do with the Herald being the one who had suggested this, rather than the punishment he was being given.

"Now about those orders you discovered," Daryan said, tapping the pieces of parchment Fennrin and Ainreth had brought here with them with a finger. They had translations ready on the side of the table, but Daryan pulled the originals closer to himself, gazing down at them.

Apparently, he could speak Orinovan, which Fennrin supposed shouldn't have been a shock. The Herald's last name was Varilik—hardly a Lys-Akkarian name. It was almost unbelievable that Lys-Akkaria had chosen a person with Orinovan heritage to represent them, but Daryan was in general well-liked, so perhaps it didn't matter as much as Fennrin would have thought.

"I know you haven't had a chance to read them, so I will summarize. One of them is a missive about someone called Yarima, who the Orinovan army is apparently supposed to apprehend. And the others, well...." Daryan put the first parchment out of the way. "They mention an attack that is being planned, the latest letter telling the soldiers in the camp you have searched to move south, to the border wall."

Fennrin blinked. That didn't sound good. That sounded like Orinovo was planning—

"We can expect another attempt at breaking through our defenses," the Bulwark said, taking over from Daryan. "As powerful as you are, Ainreth, Orinovo has been preparing for years, conscripting soldiers too numerous for maybe even you. Perhaps they are emboldened by your defeat at the hands of the soundsmith, also."

"That's why we have Fenn," Ainreth immediately said, gesturing to Fennrin with both his hands. "Look what he can do already, and it's been a week. A week into training using my powers, I could barely burn ants without a magnifying glass."

"You were also fourteen," replied the Bulwark to which Ainreth shrugged.

"I don't see how that's relevant. My point is, we still have time," continued Ainreth, leaning against the table closer to the Bulwark. "Fenn will train some more, hone his skills, and when Orinovo attacks, it will be like we have two of me."

Fennrin had some doubts, but he appreciated the vote of confidence. He didn't doubt that he was powerful and useful anymore, he just wasn't sure if he could ever be as powerful as a lightweaver. But he had been proven wrong many times already. Perhaps he was wrong this time, too.

The Bulwark shared a look with Daryan before turning back to them both, sighing. "I hope that you are right. For all our sakes."