Irregulars weren't big on typical military protocols, but Ruby wasn't completely clueless to the need for them. General Ironwood had ordered her to attend a briefing. Such a request was usually delivered to an enlisted soldier via the chain of command. A general bucking the chain was one thing, but Ruby wasn't about to. Instead of going directly to the General's office the next morning, she went to Lieutenant Goodwitch's office at 0500.
Being up that early wasn't hard for her; she hadn't slept the night before. Every time she tried, a face appeared in her memory. It was a face that she had last seen lying on his floor, eyes open and unseeing. She kept trying to remember that face in a different setting; resting back against a blanket in the moonlight, eyes closed but with a euphoric expression. However, the memory always changed to others; the slight smile and sound of his humming as he worked his fields, the satisfied grin when he finished mending a fence or the welcoming expression when she returned to the farm after another mission.
Lieutenant Goodwitch was alone in the company orderly room, except for the watch detail, when Ruby reported. As usual, the older woman was studying reports while taking notes when Ruby knocked on the door. The officer bade her to enter the office, but immediately returned her attention to the correspondence on her desk.
"What brings you to my office at this time of the morning?" The lieutenant asked, still jotting notes.
"General Ironwood has ordered me to report to him at 0600, Ma'am," Ruby told her.
"And you feel it proper to report to me, first," Goodwitch finished. "It seems that for all that you are an irregular, you respect the chain of command more than the general." She set down her quill and looked at the clock. "Stand at ease, Specialist Rose. Scratch that, be seated."
Ruby did as directed while the lieutenant placed her papers in folders, then the folders in her desk.
"Specialist Rose," Goodwitch began. "It is not my place to criticize my superior, but Captain Branwen's talents do not extend to doing paperwork. Many of the reports and requests that are his responsibility to prepare, he left to me. Because of this, I am aware of some things that I probably shouldn't be."
The older woman took a deep breath before continuing. "Specialist Rose, I am aware that you had an intimate relationship with a local farmer, Mr. Pine. I am also aware that you were the one that discovered his body. You have my condolences."
"Thank you," Ruby whispered to her.
"I understand that you don't have many close friends," Lieutenant Goodwitch continued. "And I am aware of your unique relationship with Captain Branwen. I urge you to speak to him, discuss what you have found. Should you need to speak to someone else, you can speak to me when we are not on duty."
"Yes ma'am," Ruby told her.
"Very well," Goodwitch nodded. "As you know, Captain Branwen is a most formidable fighter and he was bested, badly, by one of the raiders. The only reason that he survived was that the ambush he had set had overwhelmed the unit she was leading. She had the choice of finishing him off or escaping. She chose to escape, leaving some of her soldiers behind."
"Of course, we do not know the identity of this leader, nor can we prove that they were soldiers from Magier. The bodies that we recovered carried rude, yet effective, weapons, wore no uniforms or insignia." Goodwitch offered a small, short smile. "You play this same game; being an irregular means doing things that, politically, we cannot send regular soldiers to do. It means being armed with unusual weapons and being without a uniform and without support. That said, the patrol that Captain Branwen ambushed was not the usual information gathering that both sides have been engaging in for over a decade. It seems that this raid was intended to inflict damage and see how, or even if, we respond to it."
She fell silent, which Ruby knew meant that she expected a response. "Does that mean that we'll be mounting a similar raid into Magier?" She finally asked the older woman.
"Yes," Goodwitch sighed. "But I don't think that General Ironwood will be involving you in it. Specialist Rose, you are clearly the best we have at infiltration. You are a capable agricultural worker and a formidable fighter with your scythe. In addition, your small stature makes you seem less likely to be harmful."
"I sense a setup taking place, ma'am."
"And you are perceptive," Lieutenant Goodwitch smiled again, but briefly. "While other irregulars are going to make a counter-raid, I suspect that the General has something more involved planned for you."
"What sort of a mission?" Ruby asked.
"I cannot speak for the General, but I suspect that you are going to be going on an extended, undercover mission." She paused to give Ruby a measured look. "It may surprise you that officers can sometimes gossip just as badly as townsfolk or enlisted. In our case, it can be worse, as we take various assignments, work with each other, then are separated for years before seeing each other again. I can tell you this, an intelligence officer has recently arrived. I suspect that what he will tell the General, and what the General will report to him, has something to do with both the enemy commander's ability to withstand Captain Branwen's attack and the atrocities at the Pine Farm."
"And will these reports explain why the general is ordering a specialist to attend a top-brass meeting?" Ruby asked her. "And why he's prepared to give direct orders to such a specialist, rather than utilize the chain of command?"
"Most likely. However, we will learn nothing by being late for this briefing. Come along."
Lieutenant Goodwitch had a reputation of being punctual, which was unusual in the irregulars. However, this seemed to serve her, and those in her unit, well. Sometimes, the person who was different brought a rare skill set to the organization, which became incredibly valuable. The Lieutenant's strict adherence to protocol meant that the irregulars' efforts were always well coordinated with the regular forces'. This wasn't always the case in the Piax Military. She had heard stories, from both regulars and irregulars, of other commands where mix-ups and miscommunication had resulted in regular forces hindering, or even attacking, irregulars. That had never happened under Captain Branwen...at least while Lieutenant Goodwitch was the executive officer.
Ruby and her lieutenant were quickly ushered into a large briefing room, the first participants to arrive. The specialist quickly got tired of climbing to her feet and returning to her seat, every time more brass showed up. While the irregulars weren't big on typical military courtesies, she wasn't about to ignore brass of this level. She had some idle minutes to wonder if they had arranged themselves to enter in ascending rank, prompting her and Goodwitch to spring to their feet with each arrival, before General Ironwood himself arrived, bade everyone be seated, and ordered the doors closed and secured.
"We face a new threat," the general informed the room. "As most of you know, my counterpart across the border and I have maintained peace for years. Leo Lionheart was someone I could deal with, a military administrator who wanted peace and prosperity for those he was protecting. While he spied on us, and I did the same to him, we cooperated in keeping the border open to trade and tracking down bandits who tried to use the border as a shield. Apparently, something has changed within the Magier ranks. At this point, I would like to turn the table over to Colonel Oobleck."
"Very well," the tall, somehow unkempt looking man sprang to his feet and, without appearing to hurry, was suddenly at the head of the table. Ruby recognized him, as he often debriefed patrols. "For those who don't know, I am the post intelligence officer. Our kingdom's spies were able to identify that a new operative has recently been assigned to Leo Lionheart's command. Her name is Cinder Fall, and she is one of the youngest operatives in Magier's entire military force. I am sure that I don't need to detail how determined and capable she is since her position, at a young age, speaks for itself. I am more concerned about what her presence here and at this time means."
"The kingdom of Magier is expanding," he continued, now unveiling a map on the wall. "If you'll indulge me, I'll give a brief summary. Roughly a century ago, Magier seized this area, shown in red, from a neighboring kingdom. After an initial period of hostility between the two kingdoms, relations stabilized and there was peace and trade for twelve years. At that time, Magier became aggressive once again, invaded and seized the territory you see in blue. Again, there was a period of hostility between the kingdoms but eventually, relations stabilized again. To the best of our knowledge, these relations remain peaceful to this day."
"However, Magier's attention turned elsewhere," Oobleck told them. "Eighteen years after their second attack, they moved on a different kingdom, on a different border, annexing the land I have shaded in blue. Once again, there was a period of hostility, during which Magier's forces took no major, offensive actions. The relations again stabilized...for twenty years. At this time, Magier attacked them again, occupying yet more territory. Again, Magier became passive; a good neighbor if you will. Much as the first kingdom, Magier has taken no further action against this neighbor."
"However, twelve years after that attack, Magier attacked yet another kingdom; the Kingdom of Kall, which also has a border with Piax. The Kallians were prepared for this attack, and it became a bloody affair. In the end, the King and Queen of Magier, Ozma and Salem, intervened personally. The two of them are able to cast magic, and this turned the tide. In the end, Kall lost territory; but not as much as the previous two kingdoms. Magier has not attacked Kall in all of this time. However, the effort to resist this invasion devastated Kall's economy. They still haven't fully recovered."
"Finally, Magier turned its attention upon Piax," The colonel continued. "Fifteen years ago, they attacked and took a fiefdom from our kingdom. The next few years were hostile between the kingdoms, but Magier took no further offensive actions. Our predecessors realized that we were not strong enough to reclaim what we had lost through military means and concentrated upon diplomacy and coexistence. Until yesterday, we were at peace."
"And you think that this raid indicates a shift to war?" General Ironwood asked him.
"Yes sir," Oobleck answered without hesitation. "With the exception of the Kingdom of Kall, every time in the last century that Magier has waged a successful campaign, they have waited between one and two decades before launching a follow up attack."
"Why the delay?" Ironwood raised a single eyebrow.
"This is strictly speculation," Oobleck answered him. "Based upon reports from the spies we have working inside Magier. I believe that the delay gives Magier the time needed to incorporate the conquered territory. If you are about to launch an invasion, it's best to have the population in your launching point friendly to you."
"Fifteen years isn't enough to do so," another officer, whom Ruby didn't recognize, protested. "The people will still remember the previous invasion after such a short time!"
"With the way that the Magier administrators take care of it, it is enough time," Oobleck answered. "The Magierians don't simply reeducate and indoctrinate the population, they replace it. The native population is dispersed as thralls throughout the rest of Magier while the conquered lands are given as rewards to those who have served the kingdom well. Relocation takes time, so the agents start with the nobility, then work their way down to the merchants, landowners, tradesmen and laborers. By the time they are finished, a process that can take between ten and twenty years, the conquered territory is now being profitably occupied by loyal Magierians while the previous occupants are scattered across the rest of the kingdom."
"Could this be used against them?" The same officer asked. Ruby noted that he was a short, thick-bodied man whose impressive mustache concealed his expression. "A hostile population in the heart of their kingdom could be a liability."
"The Magierians are highly skilled at preventing this," Oobleck told him. "And not just through heavy-handed means. A citizen who is taken with the territory is a thrall; required to do whatever task is assigned. However, the thralls still have some rights; they are provided with basic subsistence in return for their labor, families are not broken up...at least until the children are sixteen years old. But more importantly, they have a legal route out of thralldom; after spending two decades providing obedient labor, they are no longer thralls, they are citizens."
"You said something about families can be broken up once the children turns sixteen," General Ironwood stated. "What happens when a child turns sixteen?"
"Sixteen is the age of majority in Magier," Colonel Oobleck explained. "At this time, a thrall child is taken from his or her parents, relocated far enough away to prevent convenient visits, then given duties of his or her own. For such a child, the two decades of service to be released from thralldom starts at this time. I could go into greater detail about how those in Magier treat their thralls, but I believe that the significant points are these; the thralls are kept from associating in large groups and are given a clear, albeit difficult path out of their predicament. Colonel Port, there will be no thrall uprising to assist us."
"So it comes down to a force of arms," the mustached man, apparently Colonel Port, declared.
"Perhaps," General Ironwood told him. "But we need to plan carefully. Magier is a larger kingdom that Piax, so our only hope of matching any invasion is to call up our levies; and this cannot be done lightly. If we call them up too early, we risk famine and economic disaster as the working men won't be producing. If we call them up too late, they won't have time to properly train before we throw them into battle."
Ruby couldn't help but nod. Levy troops weren't the equal of regular soldiers, but several weeks of drill with spear and shield would increase their odds of survival a great deal.
"Timing is essential," General Ironwood continued, pulling Ruby out of her thoughts. "We have to balance the risk of damaging our economy and creating discontent within our own civilian population against the risk of turning the conscripts into lambs to the slaughter."
"Why not take the offensive?" Colonel Port asked. "Why are we sitting back and waiting for Salem and Ozma to invade? I have already prepared the contingency plans; we can shift our regular forces, call up our levies and invade within three weeks of the order being given. Yes, we are not fully prepared for such an attack, but our opponent is even less prepared to resist it! If nothing else, we will have them reacting to us!"
"We could drive into their territory," Ironwood agreed. "But there's no way that we could punch in deep enough to inflict decisive damage onto the kingdom. Should we attack, we simply identify ourselves as a prime danger to Magier. Our best option is to make it clear to Magier that while we won't take aggressive action against them, we will make any attempt to invade our kingdom more expensive that it's worth. I fully agree with the kingdom's council of advisers on this."
"The kingdom's spies are good, but not omniscient," Ironwood informed everyone. "We can learn general details of what our opponents are up to, but vital details can take the spies more time to learn than we can afford to take. After the recent hostilities, Magier's security is going to be tight, as will ours. They are going to expect us to launch reconnaissance raids...which we will do."
"I suspect that you don't expect these raids to accomplish much," Colonel Oobleck commented.
"We will plan and execute them to the best of our ability," General Ironwood answered, giving both Oobleck and Port hard looks. "Even though the odds of them getting anywhere vital is going to be low. However, these raids, although they will cost us lives, won't be in vain. Specialist Rose here hardly looks the part of a soldier, and that's our advantage."
All eyes turned towards Ruby, giving her a sudden urge to shrink to the size of a mouse and crawl into the wall. She managed to sit up straight.
"We shall infiltrate irregular units into Magier," General Ironwood told the group. "As they will expect. However, we will also have Specialist Rose infiltrate, after passing through Kall territory. We will hold their attention upon us while she approaches from the flank. Specialist Rose, your mission will be to determine the state of Magier's preparations to invade us."
"Yes, General," Ruby answered.
"But you will have another mission, as well," General Ironwood told her. "Colonel Oobleck..."
"As we all know, Captain Branwen engaged a most formidable fighter from the enemies ranks," the tall, slender officer announced. "During this combat, the enemy showed two disturbing traits: First, an incredibly high aura and secondly, a skill that was almost magical...conjuring glass weapons that disintegrated after combat."
Ruby's eyes flew wide; she hadn't heard about the glass weapons.
"She also showed a very high aptitude in the use of fire dust," Oobleck continued. "Although this is a most impressive...and dismaying...competence, it isn't unheard of. These other two traits are."
"I take it that our kingdom's spies have something to say about this?" Ironwood prompted.
Yes, but indirectly." Oobleck informed him. "A great deal of intelligence work involves investigating rumors and determining which are nothing more than fiction. There have been odd pieces of news that certain of Salem and Ozma's most valued agents are each assigned some method of aura enhancement. General, earlier you said that Magier is a larger kingdom then Piax; this means that they can devote more resources to fields of study that never occurred to us. I, and most of our intelligence community, discounted the possibility of aura enhancement as nothing but myth. I confess that after hearing about Captain Branwen's rough handling, I now consider this a real possibility."
"And the glass weapons?" Ironwood asked.
"Possibly unrelated, but possibly an offshoot of this ability," Oobleck told him. "With sufficient training and determination, a person can manipulate dust in order to create powerful effects...by expending aura. I only have reports of this one incident to work with, but it almost seemed like this fighter was expressing a whole new aspect of aura...almost a semblance of magic. I strongly suspect, but I cannot confirm, that Captain Branwen's opponent was this mystery agent, Cinder Fall, and that this agent has developed...frightening capabilities."
"As well as having her aura augmented?" The General asked.
"Indeed," Oobleck confirmed.
"Another mystery," General Ironwood noted, then turned his face back to Ruby. "This is as secondary mission, Specialist Rose. While your primary mission will be to infiltrate Magier and determine their level of preparation for an invasion, you will also seek to learn other information. First, if this new agent, Cinder Fall, was the one who engaged Captain Branwen. Secondly, determine if she has developed some new expression of aura. Third, find out if her aura has been enhanced and the specifics of this. Finally, if her aura has been enhanced, find out how it was done." He paused to give her a sympathetic smile. "I know that's a lot, but understand that your primary mission is the most important. Find out their level of preparation so that we can determine how long we have before they strike. All other missions can and must be sacrificed if they inhibit your ability to perform the primary. Is this clear?"
"Clear, sir!" Ruby snapped to her feet when answering.
"Very well," Ironwood nodded. "You will receive further briefings, in private, before you leave. We face dark days ahead, but we must determine exactly how dark they could become."
At times Cinder hated the responsibility of command. She reveled in the power, in the recognition, but she hated the irritating details and the constant need to exert command authority. She was exhausted, she was willing to admit that, but she wasn't willing to let those followers of hers who were still with her see it. It wasn't that long ago that she was in their position; an ambitious and capable youngster, eager to prove herself worthy of greater things. She dared not give them the illusion that she was weak and ready to be replaced.
She walked at the front of the column, which had been reduced by the raid into Piax. The enemy commander had been resourceful and clever, determining her location and route, allowing her almost free reign for several days before catching her in a devastating ambush. If it hadn't been for her augmented aura and other skills, the entire patrol may have been overwhelmed. Instead, she had lost half. That wasn't acceptable to her.
Cinder had yet to experience one of Salem's frowns being directed against her; the neutral looks had been bad enough. The raid wouldn't be enough to earn a frown, but it wouldn't earn a smile. Each soldier was an asset; a commander could spend them, but she had best earn something to show for the loss. What intelligence that she had managed to glean wouldn't be enough for the loss of over a dozen trained fighters. Still, there would be other benefits; those who had fallen had once had friends and those friends would be enraged at their loss. The attack had stirred the opposing kingdom to wakefulness; more raids would make it become routine so that when the real attack happened, Piax would be unprepared for the extent of the hostilities. Also, she had gotten a look at her fighters and knew which ones would need to be watched.
She crested a small hill and looked down upon a small cluster of buildings, not enough to be called a proper village but the nearest thing to civilization before getting much closer to her base. As she had ordered before leaving on the raid, Jaune had several wagons, as well as a chariot, waiting for her.
"Load the wounded," she ordered her soldiers, then stood to the side, getting a good look at each one as he or she passed by. For most, the pace picked up. It was well known that the young man who now walked out to meet the fighters was a skilled healer, assigned to support Cinder and the upper echelon of officers within the military ranks. The fact that Cinder had arranged for him to meet the common fighters would make them more loyal. Those fighters who were not wounded were helping wounded comrades, so there were several looks of gratitude directed her way. She did not allow emotion to show on her face, even when one who she had decided to keep a close eye on lurched by her.
Cinder knew that Pyrrha Nikos was a thrall fighter, one of the few whose combat aptitude had singled her out for dangerous assignments and accelerated citizenship. Of course the girl was going to be capable; but Cinder had concerns about her loyalty. Not that she could complain; during the ambush, the girl had proven so capable as to both please and concern her. Then, despite a wounded shoulder, the thrall had the other shoulder under a young man's arm, helping him to move with his injured leg. Had Cinder allowed emotion to show on her face, she may have retched. Instead, she waited on the hilltop as Jaune rushed from fighter to fighter, evaluating their injuries and deciding which needed immediate aid. Once the fighters had unwound just a touch, she descended to their midst.
"The patrol is secure," she announced. "Your orders are now to recover. Jaune, you will provide initial care for the wounded. Once he has stabilized those who need immediate care, the rest of you will escort the wounded back to base. The next formation is at dawn, three days from now."
She turned away, ignoring the muted thanks for the time off, and climbed onto the chariot. She glanced back to the group just before passing out of sight. Soldiers tended to be very protective towards those who healed them, so the fighters were being more than helpful to Jaune despite the fact that he was a thrall. Off to the side, Pyrrha was giving the blonde man a different sort of look. Alone, Cinder indulged in a slight smile, thinking that she could deal with a potential problem while benefiting from doing so.
The chariot did not take long to get her to her base, where the senior officers were awaiting her. Again, she could have taken a few minutes to collect her thoughts, even eat a light meal, but she was making an unspoken statement to them even now: Cinder Fall was Her Grace's agent first and human second. So she took her seat at the head of head of the conference table, still grimy and sweaty from the raid and the withdrawal. Her clothing was dirty and torn, in stark contrast to the immaculate uniforms around her. She took the reports and issued orders about security, interior patrols and observation posts. Finished with the meeting, she wrote up a report to her own superiors and gave it to a courier before seeking her own comfort.
The first order of business was a bath and clean clothing. While Ozma seemed to prefer a simple warrior's life, at least Salem understood the utility of giving her high agents personal staff. Not only did the agents function better by not having to deal with mundane life details, it gave ambitious underlings something to aspire to: serve well and faithfully and you will have this eventually. It wasn't that long ago that Cinder herself had been a soldier in the kingdom's ranks.
She frowned while she stripped the filthy and torn clothing from her body and settled herself into the scalding bath that awaited her in her quarters. The thought of rising so far brought her thoughts back to the red-haired girl under her command, Pyrrha. While the girl didn't appear to have any great ambition, Cinder didn't trust her. Nobody, especially a thrall, was that incredibly dedicated to her craft unless she wanted something and Cinder couldn't bring herself to believe that the girl wanted nothing more than the respect that serving as an elite fighter would provide. Had the girl showed some honest, believable envy towards Cinder or the military command structure, Cinder could have trusted her...ambition was a human force that could be harnessed and exploited. Pyrrha simply had to be good at concealing her envy.
Again, Cinder could respect that, even as it made her nervous. The girl was capable enough that in a few years, she could be in accelerated officer training...perhaps even agent training. There were only so many positions of power and influence, only so much praise that Salem could distribute and Cinder didn't like the thought of capable people competing with her for it. Yet, did the girl want command? The only time Cinder had seen her act as other than the perfect soldier were the surreptitious glances that the younger woman directed at Jaune.
Well, there was a desire that Cinder could exploit, even though she didn't understand such ethereal wants. Oh, she understood lust well enough; human evolution demanded that you mate on occasion. Cinder didn't deny herself so much as she harnessed her own drives. When she rutted, she made sure to gain something more than simple tension relief. Men desired her body and while she hadn't slept her way to her position, she made use of that desire to open certain doors so that her talent and determination could be seen. She couldn't understand how someone as powerful as Salem could choose to bind herself emotionally and permanently to another, even one as powerful and capable as Ozma. Shrugging in the cleansing water, Cinder decided that her own wants simply did not match others. Still, Pyrrha seemed to be displaying a similar desire towards her own medical attendant, which created other opportunities.
A discrete knock on her door interrupted her thoughts.
"Yes?" She inquired. Her staff members had been with her for several months now, and usually knew when...and when not...to disturb her. Still, it might be a pleasant diversion to dispense some harsh wisdom.
"Mr. Arc has roughly two hours before he is done providing primary care for the wounded," her personal assistant, Emerald, called through the door.
"Very well," Cinder nodded, even though the girl couldn't see the gesture. "My formal uniform will be appropriate."
"At once, ma'am," the sound of the girl's footsteps, followed by the sound of her wardrobe door opening, could be heard through the bathroom door. Cinder smiled slightly; while she occasionally wanted to have the creaky door on the wardrobe fixed, she preferred to be able to hear what was happening. Deciding that she had wallowed in enough luxury for now, she rose out of the tub and dried herself off with a thick towel that Emerald had set on a warming tray. Body dried, she wrapped her hair in a second towel, then wrapped a third around her body and made her way to her bedchamber.
Emerald was the very definition of efficiency; the proper uniform was hung out and the girl herself was stepping into the room with a meal. Cinder sat at a side-table and ate while Emerald brushed out her hair. Finished with both grooming and eating, Cinder allowed the girl to assist her in putting on he formal uniform. The agent allowed herself a little humor at her servant's attentiveness, suspecting that it went beyond simple obedience and a determination to fulfill her duties and earn citizenship. That was fine, it gave Cinder another potential lever to use on the girl, should she need it.
"Emerald," she instructed her assistant. "Be a dear and fetch the status records of one Pyrrha Nikos." She gave herself a final look in the mirror. "Bring them to me at the infirmary."
"Of course," the girl lowered her gaze.
"Mustn't keep the soldiers waiting," she quipped. "An injured soldier who is wounded in service to the kingdom deserves a visit, don't you think?"
"I...cannot comment on command," Emerald told her.
"True," Cinder observed. "But keep that in mind. Just a little consideration can encourage a simple mind to extreme service and sacrifice."
"Yes ma'am."
Cinder simply smiled and left her quarters, knowing that the girl would scramble to fulfill her latest orders. Soon, she was at the infirmary and speaking to the soldiers who had been wounded during the raid. Not soldiers, she reminded herself, warriors. These weren't rank-and-file fighters, but more independent, if a little less predictable. She wasn't one for empty platitudes, and men and women such as these would see right through them, even when wounded. Instead, she told them the truth; that each and every one of them was a valuable member of the Magierian Army and that every effort would be made to get them back to their duties as soon as possible. As she spoke, another was brought from the treatment room and transferred to a bed.
"What is the status?" She asked of one of the orderlies.
"Mister Arc is treating the last casualty, ma'am," the young man informed her. "One Pyrrha Nikos."
Of course she would insist upon being treated last. The sense of earnest self-sacrifice that emanated from the girl threatened to make Cinder ill. Fortunately, Emerald arrived soon after, with the records she wanted. Waving her servant to return to her quarters, Cinder walked into the treatment room. Pyrrha was on a bed with a sheet arranged on her upper body to allow Jaune access to her shoulder while maintaining her privacy. Cinder concealed a smile at that, even though she didn't have to. Jaune was concentrating on his work and Pyrrha was under the effect of some sort of anesthetic herbs. Neither would have noted her smirk.
"Continue," she told them. Again, it probably wasn't necessary. Standard protocol called for medics and patients to not snap to attention when a superior officer, even a selected agent, entered a room. Still, her confirming this fostered loyalty. Jaune was doing much the same with the sheet over Pyrrha's breasts; despite being a healer, Jaune was still conventional enough to cover his patients' bodies, giving them such privacy that he could. As a thrall fighter, Pyrrha was undoubtedly used to being seen naked. Still, such efforts that the boy made to be considerate were appreciated by most. Since his consideration reflected well upon her, Cinder made no effort to change his habits.
Cinder instead inspected the wound that he was treating. She was no healer, but her career as first a soldier and then an agent meant that she was far from being ignorant about such wounds and their consequences. It was deeper than she had first thought, which made the girl's stoicism even more disturbingly impressive. While Jaune worked, Cinder studied Pyrrha's records. The redhead had been born a thrall and, as Cinder suspected, had shown an early aptitude for athletics. This had led to her being evaluated as a possible fighter. Again, she showed great ability and thus had been fully trained and had her aura awakened. This assignment was her first and although the raid was her first combat action, her lower-level superiors had already commended her twice for her professional demeanor and work ethic.
As much as she was developing a distaste for the girl, Cinder remained a loyal and honest servant of Salem and Ozma. She noted the girl's valor in the permanent record, then took a form from her uniform pocket and wrote her up for a minor award. Such an award could potentially lower the girl's time as a thrall even more. Cinder would be sure to let Pyrrha know that she had done so, once the girl had recovered enough to grasp the implications.
"What is your diagnosis?" She asked Jaune, who was now stitching up the wound.
"It's going to take her a couple of weeks of physical therapy to regain full use of the arm, ma'am." He reported. "Depending upon her aura level."
Cinder nodded, even though Jaune remained focused on his task and didn't see the gesture. Aura sped healing, but it wasn't a miracle cure. By cleaning and stitching the wound, both the muscle under the skin and the skin itself, Jaune had sped the healing process even more. Still, it would take time for the muscle and other tissues to regenerate. Even with her own...advantages...Cinder would have been down for a week or so.
Jaune placed a bandage over the wound and shifted the sheet, covering the fighter completely. He then rang a bell, which prompted two orderlies to come in to carry the patient to the infirmary. Now free of his medical duties, the boy stood at attention before his master.
"How may I be of service?" He asked.
"The usual way, for the moment," she drawled. "The raid was most taxing."
The boy may have had negative feelings about the procedure, but the strict schools he had been through had taught him to not show them. Without hesitating, he pulled off his tunic, exposing his bare chest and the button of obsidian embedded into his flesh. Cinder reached forward with her left hand; the one with the ring that bore a matching button. Instead of immediately touching stone to stone, she allowed her hand to slide up his chest. The strict exercise regimen that he was on had toned his muscles; while not big and bulky, he was quite firm. That might make her plans a little easier. Smiling, she touched stone to stone.
As always, treating the injured had generated powerful emotions within the young man. He felt accomplishment for treating them, horror at their pain and sympathy for their plight. These emotions triggered his already high level of aura, which now flowed into her, through the stones. It was draining for him; her sharp and practiced eyes caught his eyelids drooping slightly, saw his jaw slacken just a bit. However, his posture wasn't affected. She experienced the opposite effect; the weariness of the raid and the forced march needed to get to safety vanished. She felt energized...alive and powerful. She broke the contact and indulged in a moment to savor the fresh vigor flowing through her veins. Then, it was back to business.
"You will personally attend to Nikos' recovery," she informed the young man. "Also, tell her to report to me, the day after tomorrow, at ten hundred."
"Yes ma'am."
The boy had learned to not question such orders. Sure, he may be wondering at the sudden interest his master had shown in the other thrall, but he knew better than to voice them. So much the better, his own, unrequited curiosity could prove...helpful.
A/N: Again, thanks to Joe Stoppinghem for beta reading.