When Colonel Harvey’s office door shut behind her, Magdala’s stomach clenched. The garrison commander’s expression was that of a woman who’d heard pleasurable news, but Magdala had seen a similar look on her own mother’s face and knew it heralded a 3 hour lecture. The fact that Mei, Saundra, and Sir Marcus were here to witness didn’t make her feel any better.
Steepling her fingers in front of her, Colonel Harvey sat back in her seat. “Lady Gallus, brief me on the state of your investigation.”
As Magdala described the events of the past few hours, starting with her discovery in the infirmary and finishing with the battle in the shop, the colonel’s calm countenance gave way to smoldering anger.
When Magdala finished talking, Colonel Harvey closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. “Who do you think you are?”
Magdala’s jaw dropped. “Pardon?”
“You heard me. Who do you think you are?” Colonel Harvey smiled. “First, allow me to commend your ability to cast difficult magic in a critical situation. Because of that, Mei’s markmanship, and Corporal Taylor’s heroics, the three of you escaped a situation that, frankly, I would have had trouble with.” She clapped. “I’m impressed. Good job.” Her hands went still. “But I must return to my question. Lady Gallus, who do you think you are? You entered a hostile location alone, taking neither the enthusiastic bodyguard I’d assigned you nor the exceptional hunter that you’ve been traveling with. Instead, you tricked them both and left them behind.”
Magdala’s cheeks burned. “I believed I could handle it.”
The colonel rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Between you and that idiot Huan-“
“What happened?” Mei’s posture was stiff, and her lip was trembling.
Colonel Harvey glanced at Mei. “Your brother tracked down the enemy alone and got himself gutted for his trouble.” She sighed. “Foolish boy.”
“Where is he?”
The colonel’s face softened. “He’s being taken care of. Sir Marcus will take you to him.”
After Mei let Sir Marcus lead her out of the office, the colonel’s ire refocused on a quailing Magdala. “Why did you think that you could handle it alone? Put aside the fact that, by your own admission, it was Corporal Taylor’s familiarity of the city and Mei’s ingenuity that got you to the scene in the first place, and remind me why you thought you could take down a creature that nearly killed your lord uncle all by yourself.”
“I was just trying to keep Corporal Taylor and Mei safe.”
“What?” Saundra’s eyes widened when she realized she’d spoken out of turn, but Colonel Harvey nodded, and so she pressed on. “Milady, it’s my job to protect you. If me and Mei hadn’t caught up to you, those things would have ripped you apart, and we’d have to search the whole city just to maybe find pieces of you.”
Magdala’s lips pursed. “I would have found some way out.”
Saundra’s face reddened. “Oh, so we’re holding you back?”
“No, but-“
“Enough.”
At Colonel Harvey’s command, both girls sank into sullen silence.
Colonel Harvey’s fingers came together. “You’re smart and more than capable of making good, sound decisions, and so one last time now: who do you think you are?”
Magdala tried to grab for her cloak, but it was ash and cinders now. “I’m my mother’s daughter. She could have handled that whole situation alone.”
“I wonder about that.” The colonel tapped a short sheaf of papers lying on her desk. “This is Lady Pol’s account of what happened at Yumma. Despite her well known dislike of your lord uncle, she credits you and him for getting her out of that place alive. That’s a powerful mage, possibly the next Wind Sage, admitting that she needed help. Do you think she could have handled that situation alone? Could your lord uncle have?”
Had Mei, Huan, and Dwayne’s efforts been left out of Lady Pol’s account? Magdala pushed the question aside and came up with a response to Colonel Harvey’s last question. “My lord uncle can’t walk down the street without help, ma’am.”
Colonel Harvey spread her hands wide. “And yet he’s one of the most powerful mages in Soura. Consider that perhaps your mother, as powerful as she is, is still only human. Perhaps, she needs help sometimes too.”
Magdala very much doubted this, but before she could say so, the door burst open, and Galkin and a Wesen boy charged into the room. The latter was covered in what Magdala seriously hoped was just dirt, though he filled the room with the stink of horse manure and rotted hay. The Wesen boy approached, but Saundra jumped between them, hand on her sword.
The boy smiled at Magdala. “You’re alive! They said that monsters attacked you.”
Saundra’s hand tightened on her sword hilt. “Who are you? How’d you get in here?”
The steward sighed. “My lord, I did suggest a bath and a change of clothes first. Even soldiers prefer to be clean.”
The boy looked down and groaned. “It’s just… I wanted to be sure you were okay.”
“Dwayne?” Magdala looked him over. “What happened to you? Were you attacked?” She sniffed. “By a load of horse dung?”
“No, I was showing off. Are you hurt? What happened?”
Saundra pushed Dwayne back with one hand. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to-“
Colonel Harvey yawned. “This morning I received a ridiculous letter from Lord Gallus stating that that boy you’re pushing, Corporal, is Lord Kalan’s apprentice and the heir to Walcrest, and so I assume he’s here because of the alarm bells, not to assault our noses.”
Dwayne faced Colonel Harvey. “Baron, I’m going to need details of what happened.”
The colonel inspected her fingernails. “Lady Gallus here can fill you in as well as that fool Huan. He should be with your master.”
Dwayne’s jaw clenched. “Galkin, can you get Huan’s statement?”
“Immediately, my lord.”
When the door had closed behind the steward, Colonel Harvey asked Dwayne, “Are you sure that you can trust him? I don’t like the look of him.”
Dwayne gave her a flat look. “That is between Lord Kalan, myself, and him.”
Colonel Harvey raised an eyebrow. “Someone is growing a bit big for his breeches. If the lynchpin of the Southern Line died, it would be a blow to this kingdom. It’s bad enough he leaves his post for months chasing rumors and stealing slaves.”
Magdala scoffed. “My lord uncle paid for Dwayne fair and square.”
The colonel laughed. “Right. Is there anything else, Master Dwayne?”
Dwayne stood still, his rage balling his hands into fists.
Colonel Harvey shook her head. “Just like the rest of your race. No self control.”
Dwayne’s fists tightened then loosened. “I would like to remind you that Lord Gallus is coming to this garrison for an inspection.”
“I do not require a reminder.”
Dwayne smiled. “Good. Then we can discuss arrangements for his reception tomorrow morning.”
Colonel Harvey frowned. “And why should I bother?”
Magdala put her hands on her hips. “Because you want to impress my father. We all do.”
The colonel’s jaw worked. “Fine. Come early. I have a lot of work and very little time.”
“I appreciate it.” Dwayne turned on his heel and left the room.
Colonel Harvey waved Saundra and Magdala away. “You’re dismissed.”
After Magdala and Saundra fled into the darkened corridor, the corporal dried her hands on her trousers. “That was scary.”
Magdala looked around, but Dwayne was nowhere to be found. She leaned against the wall. “What am I going to do now?”
“Go to bed?” Saundra asked. “Or you could hang out at the barracks.”
“No, I meant… how am I going to continue the investigation?”
Saundra stared at Magdala. “You want to keep going?”
“There were dozens of those things,” said Magdala. “We can’t stop. Where was she even getting all of those corpses from? Aren’t corpses cremated to prevent this exact thing from happening?”
“Yeah, there are fire pits just outside of Walton, but-“
“Then unless they’re getting corpses from deep within Soura or tossing them over the wall from Vanuria, there’s no way there’d be that many corpses available to revive. Tomorrow, I’m going to those pits. Let’s see if that yields another lead.”
Saundra nodded. “I’m coming with you.”
“I don’t need your help.”
Saundra crossed her arms. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, milady. Where you go, I go.”
Admaeus Speaks 
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