179 Conspiracy Theory (2/2)

\”Garm's not going to like this\” Aura added, her face one of contemplation. \”His other officers won't like having to listen to the opinion of a lowly five-hundred man commander either.\”

\”That's why he's being temporarily promoted,\” Darah cut in, \”into a one-thousand man commander for this campaign.\”

My ears perked up suddenly and I faced forward a little too eagerly. \”Temporary promotion, you say?\”

Darah raised an eyebrow at me. \”Aurana is right… you may have achieved a bit of fame since you became a unit leader but you're still just a minnow swimming in an ocean of sharks… this promotion will make it seem like the council, and the Patriarch by extension has shown utmost fate in your ability as a strategist.\”

\”Meaning you'll have to prove your worth if you're going to keep the rank… Otherwise, everyone's going to think this promotion is undeserved,\” Thors added. \”Something like slaying a general like the last war, that should do the trick.\”

\”No, that won't do,\” Darah said with a shake of her head.

\”What? Why not?\” I argued.

\”You've already done that…\” Darah raised two fingers. \”I want two generals' heads plus recognition that a tactic you devised for the war helped in securing a victory in a battle… that's the only way I'll allow this promotion to stand.\”

\”That on top of spying on Garm, you mean,\” I reminded her.

\”Seems fair,\” Thors nodded. \”Otherwise, there'd be no point giving you a strategist post in the army.\”

\”There will be other strategists, Dean… it won't all be on you,\” Aura encouraged.

\”Curse your own success, boy,\” Darah laughed heartily. \”I'm expecting great things from you.\”

\”Well,\” I turned my head toward my little brother, who, despite the noise Darah and Thors were making with their ridiculous laughter, was still sound asleep in his bed. \”The faster I rank up the better, I guess.\”

They left a little while afterward with Ashley going with them. She left the basket of apples for me to eat later with Luca when he woke up.

This meant I was technically alone with Aura as Luca was still out like a light. And the atmosphere had never been more awkward.

Eventually, I found my voice and said, \”Listen… about what you saw before you walked in…\”

Aura shook her head and then gave me a smile that was so warm I felt like the sun was shining down on me.

\”Congratulations on your promotion,\” she said happily. \”We're one step closer to our goal.\”

By changing the subject, Aura was telling me we didn't need to talk about something so mundane. And just like that, the awkward atmosphere was gone.

\”One more step in a thousand,\” I chuckled.

\”A journey of a thousand steps begins with one,\” she agreed.

---

It was two nights after the attack when the alliance was finally formalized in the Patriarch's Hall. In front of a crowd of courtiers and military officers, the two patriarchs' signed the parchment between them.

The Inquisitor was there to mediate, and afterward, to proclaim the key points in the agreement.

\”The first section details a non-aggression treaty between the Starfall clan and the Trickster Pavilion which is in effect from the beginning of the alliance to a total of two years,\” Inquisitor Rita read from the parchment in her hand. \”The second section details military cooperation between the two clans for a period of two years which includes provisions for the lending of military personal for their respective conflicts in their respective regions.\”

The crowd applauded her statements as it meant we had one less clan to worry about for the next two years.

\”This alliance also states that neither side will conduct military operations within the regions close to the other's territories,\” Inquisitor Rita continued. \”And other than a military pact, trade considerations are also included.\”

As the Inquisitor continued to read out the section of the alliance that dealt with trade and diplomacy, I began to notice the fiery glares pointed in my direction.

They had been glaring at me for a while now from the other side of Al Sheridan who was standing to my right.

I glanced back at them and said, \”What now?\”

Neither of them spoke, but both Verania and Dain continued to sneak icy stares at me.

\”They're both just a tiny bit miffed that you got promoted before the rest of us,\” Al chuckled. \”And there's also a possibility that we might be taking orders from you seeing as you've been transferred to a strategist post.\”

\”Bloody nepotism, I tell you,\” Verania remarked.

Of course, she'd think that. She knew who Aura really was after all. But if she only knew why we were being moved, perhaps then she and Dain might pity me.

\”Congratulations by the way,\” Al said smiling.

He offered me his hand, but when I took it, I felt him tighten his grip on mine. This prompted me to look up at his face, and that's when I noticed the fiery glint in his eyes too.

\”I'm not going to lose, Dean,\” he said while still smiling.

Hearing him declare his intentions, the other two glanced back at me and gave me a similar fiery stare as if to say they were also declaring they wouldn't lose to me.

Man, it was good to have rivals. It really got the blood pumping.

I gazed back at each of them in turn, a grin slowly growing on my lips, and said, \”Bring it on.\”