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arrested on charges of sedition against the crown. It wasn’t a stretch to think Rolnir had been ordered to ensure the loyalties of his command team.
    “You… speak dangerous words,” he finally said.
    “Do you deny them? How many Men have we lost to carelessness? How many to drunken altercations with the wrong people? How many have been killed or wounded because they wanted to mingle with the locals? I’m tired, Piper. This occupation should have ended the moment Badron cut Stelskor’s head off. We have no right to remain here.”
    Piper decided to take the opposite stance, still unsure what was happening. “Or you could look at it as we have every right to be here. We conquered Rogscroft. They are defeated, broken and scattered to all four corners of their kingdom. This is what conquerors do, Rolnir. They occupy and pacify newly won territories in the name of throne and kingdom.”
    “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were a spy,” the general mused.
    Piper forced a grin. “I’m too ticklish. Never be able to hold sensitive information that way. What’s really digging into you? You’re making me worried now.”
    Rolnir exhaled a long, slow breath. “I’m hearing reports, rumors mostly, that Harnin One Eye has overthrown the loyalist government and assumed control of Delranan. Badron knows this and is consumed with taking back his kingdom, even if it costs all our lives trying to break through the passes. All indicators point to us on the verge of civil war.”
    “You know how rumors are. You can’t trust them. Too many times a slip of information turns into an avalanche of doom and gloom.”
    “I wish it were that simple, Piper. I really do, but this information comes from scouts returning back to the camp. I took a trip up to Dredl to speak with some of the resupply boat captains.”
    This is news to me. Explains where you disappeared to awhile back though . “And? What did they say?” Piper asked.
    “Chaos has taken Chadra. The people live in constant fear. Bodies are found in the streets daily. Harnin has grown more corrupt than Badron.” He fell silent, staring off into nowhere.
    “That is...distressful. Should we take the army back and restore order?” Piper asked, not knowing what else to say. He’d never dreamed of such a scenario. Briefly his thoughts turned to his friends and family, what few he still had, and the horrors they must be going through. He wanted to go home, help where he could, but one Man wasn’t enough to change the world.
    Rolnir reluctantly shook his head. “No, we’d never be able to get back in time with enough strength and Badron won’t let us leave. Whatever dark purpose drives these two must be some sort of disease. I can’t figure it out. We’re in this deep, Piper.”
    They both knew of Badron’s gradual change. He hadn’t been the same since the loss of his only son back in autumn. Darkness crept into his world. His decisions seemed guided, demented and perverse. Rolnir couldn’t make sense of how the king changed. Certain inner circle members whispered of a strange figure lurking behind the throne, speaking into the king’s ear. It conspired against Delranan, driven by some unseen agenda. Worse, neither Man had been able to find a way to be alone with Badron since the sack of Rogscroft.
    “How many dead? Chadra isn’t a large city.”
    Rolnir finished his water. “A few dozen every day. There is one bright bit of news, however. Lord Argis has turned against the king and leads the insurrection.”
    Piper’s eyes flew wide. “Insurrection? We need to return immediately! Rogscroft can wait. Delranan needs us.”
    “Calm yourself, my friend. We can’t. Let Argis run his rebellion and hope for the best. I have a feeling we’re going to be needed here before too long.”
    “So what do we do? Our options grow smaller as the days progress,” Piper said. “We don’t run. We can’t leave. This feels hopeless.”
    Rolnir snorted a laugh.