[Well, what did you expect?] Astrid seemed more amused than annoyed or chastened by the berating message Len had sent her. [I told you that I was gonna have some fun with this. You’re a big girl, I’m sure you can handle it.]

  [Well, congratulations, you’ve definitely been a pain in my ass this morning. At least they were pretty well-behaved. Any problem children worth mentioning, or is that gonna be a surprise too? I’d really rather not have an axe-murderer wandering my camp without my knowing it.]

  [Oh, relax, I didn’t send you anyone you couldn’t handle. Not saying that they couldn’t end up being a bit violent if you don’t keep them in line, but this batch is nothing but typical rejects. Less than highly-motivated sorts, and you probably shouldn’t expect jaw-dropping effort out of them, but they shouldn’t be anything too troublesome.]

  [Thanks for that, at least. So, anything to tell me about Claymar’s activities? Don’t suppose you wanna just give me his battle plan so I can thwart him.]

  [Oh yeah, I’m sure you’d be real good at ‘thwarting’ him with what you’ve got at your disposal. No, Len. I’m not going to be revealing anything more about him than I already have. If you want to deal with him so badly, you’re gonna have to do it yourself. I’m willing to condone your actions, but I’m not going to outright aid them. Just ‘cause I like you doesn’t mean I can be seen as showing that blatant of favoritism. Be honest: would you really want that?]

  There was the slightest hesitation in the writing of that last part that caught Len off guard. That was a serious question, one that Astrid was more than a little nervous about the answer. It made sense. Their relationship was still in the earliest phases. It was difficult enough for a leader to build a relationship of anything less than a professional nature with a subordinate and it was probably infinitely tougher for the Demon Lord. Still, Len didn’t need to lie when she answered.

  [Nah. I mean, I’m all for taking the easy route, but I would rather have it be my own victory. I can be patient. Besides, I’ve got new recruits to hammer into shape. And more to prepare for. Seriously, you expect this place to be able to handle two dozen more?]

  [I do. You’re the one who thinks they can do great things. Prove it to me.]

  [Yeah yeah, Miss Broken Record.]

  [Miss what?]

  Len blinked. She’d gotten so comfortable talking with Astrid that sometimes she forgot that the Demon Lord didn’t know her biggest secret and had no way of understanding any number of the idioms that she was inclined to use. It was easy enough to keep herself in line when dealing with most folks, but she might be getting too relaxed here.

  [Oh, just something I heard once. Means someone who repeats themselves constantly. Lord knows you’ve told me to prove myself to you enough times lately.]

  [Does it bother you?]

  [Nah. Just going with the flow of the banter. I’ll manage. The extra hands are already going a long way. We’re getting more work done than ever. Still some food issues, though. Not sure we’ll be able to keep up with things by the time we have the full complement that you’re sending. Don’t suppose you’d be able to send a shipment of supplies with the next batch of goons you send.]

  [I’m afraid not. The policy with the Hovel is firmly established. If I started sending you more than the troops, someone here would take notice, and that would be bad.]

  [Fair enough, I’ll figure something out. Anyway, I think I’ve put off doing real work around the camp for about as long as I can. Good chatting with ya, O Mighty Demon Lord.]

  [Likewise, O Bratty Punk.]

  Len smiled and put the letter away. It would’ve been nice to get some concrete details about what was going on, but she supposed that Astrid would tell her if there was anything too serious to ignore. For now, what mattered was keeping the momentum that she was building.

  After checking in on Valkar again, fussing a bit more than necessary, and telling his unconscious form to get better soon, she went to check in on Larry’s crew.

  “How’s it going out here?” she asked the goblin.

  “Oh, about as well as can be expected. Dirt’s frozen solid and takes almost as much work to cut through as the rocks in the mine. We’ll get it done, but you won’t be making any friends today.”

  “Needs to be done, mate. So, who do you want to spare for guard duty? Since Valkar’s still recovering, I think it’s time to get back to having someone watching the gate.”

  “You mean the gate that pretty much no one shows up at?”

  “That’s the one. It’s just poor form leaving it unguarded, don’t you think?”

  “I suppose. Well, Malkus is having more trouble than most of the crew. Has an old wound that makes holding the axe over his head tricky. He’s probably the best bet for gate guard for the moment, though it’d be less than ideal if he actually ended up fighting, not sure how good he’d be with a sword. Still, should be fine for just keeping an eye on things.”

  “Sounds good. Call him over.”

  “Hey Malkus!” Larry yelled, causing Len to wince. “Boss wants you.”

  An older orc who looked more than a little worse for wear lumbered over to the two of them. He had a thick black beard, an average build, and a somewhat meek demeanor that didn’t quite fit with the look of him.

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  “What can I do for you, ma’am?”

  “Got a new job for you,” she said with what she hoped was a winning grin. “Standing around and keeping an eye out for trouble.”

  Malkus looked relieved at that, and gladly set down his pick.

  “I can do that,” he said.

  “Great. Walk with me.”

  She took him on the short walk to the gate.

  “So, a few things to be aware of. There really aren’t any serious threats of beasts in the area. Haven’t seen so much as a deer in these parts, let alone anything bigger. The thing you actually want to keep an eye out for is the humans. If you see any of them, don’t pick a fight, just come get me. We’re working on trade agreements with them and I don’t want any misunderstandings costing us opportunities. Keep in mind is that your job is just to report anything you see, not do anything about it. Other than keeping them from barging in, but we haven’t had any trouble with that yet, so I’m hopeful things’ll stay that way.”

  “You’re trying to have peaceful relations with the humans? You do know we’re at war with them, right?”

  “We’re at war with some of them, sure, but this is a completely different clan. No relation to the Armies of Light, no particular interest in picking a fight and no real ties to specific chunks of land. They’re nomads who go where they want and mostly just want to be left alone.”

  “Isn’t our job still to crush them?”

  “No, our job is to bring this territory under Demon Army control. There are lots of ways to achieve that, and I’m trying a lesser-known one: diplomacy.”

  “You’re a very strange commander, Miss Wraithwhisper.”

  “You can just call me Len, Malkus. As long as you do what I say, I’ve got no real use for formalities.”

  “No, that wouldn’t be proper, Miss Wraithwhisper. You’re the commander.”

  “Suit yourself. Like I said, I don’t really care what you call me. Anyway, you think you can handle the job?”

  “I’m sure of it,” he said confidently.

  “Great to hear. Like I said, simple and boring, just the way I like it.”

  He nodded absent-mindedly and set himself to the task. He didn’t seem to be working with a lot upstairs, but she liked him. There was a kindness to him that she’d only seen in a few orcs since arriving in this world, mainly Kila, and she was glad that he’d be under her command.

  Len blinked. It’d actually been days since she’d had a proper chat with Kila. Why the hell had she let days go by without talking to her friend? Crazy how easy it was to get swept up in the daily events and completely miss out on that. Sure, she’d wave in passing, but so much had been going on that she hadn’t just chatted with her friend. That needed to change immediately. Len marched herself into the forging area where Kila was busying herself and caught her friend up in a tight embrace.

  “Kila!” she exclaimed.

  “Howdy, Len. What’s this for?” Kila asked, returning the hug enthusiastically.

  “Nothing special,” Len grinned, backing away. “Just felt like it.”

  “Well, you won’t hear me complaining. So, what brings you to my forge? Some new mad scheme to put me to work on? I think we’ve actually caught up with all the outstanding work orders up we had.”

  “No new schemes just yet. I’ve got a few ideas still cooking but nothing specific just yet. I just figured I’d check in since we’ve both been so busy lately.”

  “That’s my fault,” Kila said. “Been so busy trying to keep up with everything, and enjoying being the one making the calls about what’s forged when, that I’ve kinda just lost myself in the work. The place still isn’t quite as good as the one back home, but it’s getting there and I’m loving it.”

  “Glad to hear it. It’s a shame that the first round of recruits didn’t have anyone with blacksmithing experience, but maybe we’ll luck out next time. We need to get you a proper assistant soon. I’d offer up Kes, but I don’t think she’s a fan of fire.”

  “Eh, she’s a good kid, but definitely not forge material. We’ll get someone. I can manage all right for now. So, anything exciting happening in your life? Find any potential romantic conquests in the ranks of your new minions? Or have you set your sights higher and aim to make the Demon Lord your slave of love?”

  Len blushed slightly at that and punched her friend in the shoulder.

  “The hell is that supposed to mean? You know I don’t have time for that sort of thing, and the Demon Lord? Are you kidding?”

  “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not,” Kila grinned. “Your face tells me that SOMETHING is going on there.”

  “It’s just talk, Kila. Nothing to read into.”

  “Riiiight,” the Orc said, unconvinced.

  “Stop trying to make a thing of it.”

  Kila held Len’s gaze just long enough to make it clear that this wasn’t the last time they would be talking about that subject, then laughed and returned to the project she’d been working on before Len had arrived.

  “Whatever you say, Len. I’m sure you two will figure things out in your own time. Just try not to get yourself exiled to some place worse than the Hovel if you break her heart. To be fair, I’m pretty sure that if you break a Demon Lord’s heart, they just have you executed.”

  It was only the fact that her friend was standing next to blazing hot coals that kept Len from throwing something at her.