Tempest's Edge: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Magelands Dominion Book 6) by Christopher Mitchell

Author:Christopher Mitchell [Mitchell, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brigdomin Books Ltd
Published: 2024-03-22T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

PENSIONED OFF

Teros City, Western Aucteran – 12th Tuminch 1589

Sable and the army corporal sipped from their glasses of iced tea as they stood in the shade of the long colonnade. Ahead of them, on the other side of a tree-lined avenue, was an identical colonnade, its gigantic marble pillars gleaming in the sunlight.

‘The office where you will be working is just behind us,’ said the corporal. ‘Have you dealt with the army before?’

‘I have, yes,’ said Sable.

‘Then you will know what the bureaucracy is like,’ the corporal said. ‘If you need a new pot of ink, you’ll have to fill in about a dozen forms first. I’m in charge of your section, but everyone else you’ll be working with is a civilian like yourself. If you have any problems, you come to me; got it?’

Sable nodded.

‘You’ll be handling complaints about supplies, mostly,’ the corporal went on; ‘officers whining about their kit being sent to the wrong location, and so on. Some of them can get quite irate, so you’ll have to remember to be polite and patient when you’re taking down all of their details. When you’ve got everything written down, you will pass on the complaint to the chief sergeant’s secretary in the quartermaster’s office and then return to your desk. After I’ve finished giving you the tour of Army Headquarters, I’ll take you to the archives, where all the paperwork is stored. You’ll need to file a copy of the complaint there, too. You still following me?’

‘Yes, corporal.’

‘Any questions?’

Sable gestured to the colonnade on the other side of the street. ‘Is this whole place the Army Headquarters for Western Aucteran?’

‘Nah,’ he said. ‘That big building to our left with the towers and domes – that’s the palace where Lord Tarsun lives with a few other dragons; and across the way is where the Teros City Council sits; you know, the senators and their staff. The local government, basically.’

‘This city is nothing like Sat Orma.’

‘And praise the dragon spirits for that, eh?’ he said. ‘Sat Orma is a dump. Nothing but pickpockets and vagrants.’ His eyes widened slightly. ‘Eh, no offence. I forgot that you were from Sat Orma for a moment there.’

Sable shrugged. ‘You’ve got a point, though. I wouldn’t have left Sat Orma if I liked it. I met an officer there, actually, and we hit it off. She’s Dragon Corps, but her father’s a senior officer in the army.’

‘Oh yeah? What’s his name?’

‘It was Tornie, I think.’

The corporal narrowed his eyes. ‘Lieutenant General Tornie? You knew his daughter?’

‘Briefly. We had a few drinks together, and she told me to look out for her if I was ever in Teros City.’

The corporal muttered something under his breath, then he leaned in closer. ‘This is my first piece of advice, Sable – don’t mention this again, eh?’

Sable frowned. ‘Why not?’

‘Lieutenant General Tornie’s daughter deserted her post and absconded,’ he whispered.

‘Really?’ said Sable. ‘When was this?’

‘Oh, about six months ago, or thereabouts. She had returned from service overseas in the colonies, and neglected to report for duty.

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