“You used us as bait!” Veldahar spat, barely containing his anger.

Corvin didn’t flinch at the accusation. “I did,” he said. “That large force has been running from me for weeks. I needed a way to bring them out.”

Corvin Malice. That name was familiar. It took Arturo a moment to recall it. He was the general of the entire Azzellia military and was considered an astute leader. Arturo had heard tales of his great victories. He never expected to meet the man himself.

Strategically, using the Crystal Syndicate the way Corvin did was smart. The rebel force wouldn’t have shown themselves if they hadn’t seen the mercenary band. It was no secret that Azzellia had hired the Crystal Syndicate to help destroy the rebels.

“The lives of my men are not to be thrown away!” Veldahar raged.

“There was no choice, not if we didn’t want them to split off again. The rebels knew you were coming and I planned for their ambush,” Corvin said nonchalantly. “Besides, you are being paid by Azzellia to follow my orders.”

Veldahar stared at the general angrily. He finally nodded and backed away from Corvin. “This isn’t personal. You happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Corvin added.

Arturo remembered stories from Maloi about how ruthless Corvin could be toward his enemies. That felt like a lifetime ago. He didn’t like being used as bait, yet he was glad to have the general on his side. It was said Corvin could turn the tides of battle even when outnumbered ten to one. Arturo wanted to find out whether that was true.

“We’re far from being done. There’s a large rebel encampment toward the north. We’ll need to fight together to take them out,” Corvin said.

“I won’t be part of any suicidal attack,” Veldahar objected.

“You’ll do as you’re told,” Corvin said sharply. “This will be dangerous for us all. Now follow me; I have something to show you.”

Corvin got down from his horse and spoke to one of his men, who also dismounted. Veldahar hopped off and had Arturo follow him. Arturo was surprised. Why would he be chosen to come along?

They walked to a nearby tree stump, where Corvin’s man spread out a map. Corvin pointed toward a circled spot. It was a bridge, with no other way across, unless you took a boat.

“This is where the rebels are. To defeat them, we’ll need to launch a multi-pronged attack. One team will attack the bridge, while three others will cross the river via boat. My forces have been making small boats to transport the horses, men, and supplies needed,” Corvin said.

“Why are we sending three different teams across the river?” Veldahar asked.

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Corvin moved his finger to the very back of the camp. “The third team will be a small force. They will sneak in through the back of the enemy’s camp after the fighting starts. Their mission will be to rescue two important prisoners: a mage and a general.”

“Why not rescue them after we win?” Veldahar said.

“The rebels have said they will execute the prisoners if the battle goes poorly for them. I would like to save them before that.”

How did the rebels capture a mage? Arturo had seen the power used a couple of times in his life and he didn’t understand how any mage could be captured, especially by a bunch of ill-equipped rebels. But Tarmon had told him there were things called artifacts; some of these artifacts didn’t require the power to use. His Verian armor would be considered an artifact, though he hadn’t told anyone about its ability to protect him from the power. Perhaps the rebels used one of those to capture a mage?

“The general is the King Talons’ cousin. Getting him out alive is our utmost priority,” Corvin continued. “If he is rescued successfully, the Crystal Syndicate will receive three times their usual pay.”

“Three times?” Veldahar asked.

Arturo watched Corvin nod. He didn’t care about the money but it would motivate the other mercenaries to fight hard. Triple pay for a mission was unheard of. That meant this wasn’t going to be an easy mission, even with the Azzellia forces. How many rebels were in this encampment?

“The team sneaking in will need to be small. No more than fifteen. I have chosen seven of my men. Veldahar, you will choose eight from your people. I know one of your members has killed a legend. I want him to be part of this,” Corvin said.

Veldahar smirked and pointed a thumb at Arturo. “He’s the one who killed Ribalt. I was going to send him anyway.”

“Good.” Corvin eyed Arturo as he spoke. “He looks like someone who could defeat a legend.”

“Who’s in charge?” Arturo broke his silence, ignoring Veldahar’s annoyed look. He wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be taking orders from a fool.

“My officer, Pisken. He’s a good man. Follow his orders and you should succeed,” Corvin said.

“Anything else?” Veldahar asked.

“No. Once you have selected your men, have them meet mine ten miles down the river. They will go across the river by boat and circle to the back. The team will stay concealed in a forest until the fighting starts. The signal to move will be a large fire. I expect them to be ready in twelve hours,” Corvin said.

“Understood,” Veldahar said. He gave a slight nod to Corvin before turning heel. Arturo followed after.

“Arturo, I have seven people in mind. None of them will be from your unit.”

Why? Arturo wanted to ask but didn’t. He didn’t want his men involved in this for a reason he didn’t know.

“That’s fine. If I can’t do it with seven others, then it wouldn’t matter who else came.” Arturo didn’t mean the words to sound arrogant, though Veldahar took it that way. It was true. If he was taken out, the odds of the team succeeding were low. No one in the Crystal Syndicate came close to his skills.

“I suspect this will be a challenging mission for us all. Call it a gut feeling,” Veldahar commented.

Arturo didn’t disagree. Corvin’s extra pay was all he needed to know that this mission was going to be far from easy. This will be good. I’ve trained hard since recovering from my injuries. Perhaps I’ll be able to test how I fight one-handed.

“Have you seen Tarmon?” Arturo asked. “I sent him to find you before the ambush.”

“Yeah, he’s fine. He fought well by the way. I was impressed,” Veldahar said.

“Good. Hopefully, he survives the upcoming battle.”

Veldahar stopped walking and turned to Arturo. “I need you to be careful. I would hate to lose you.”

“I don’t plan on dying,” Arturo said.

“Nobody does. Very few expect to die, even when going into battle. Don’t let your guard down.”

“I never do,” Arturo said.