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Authors: Loribelle Hunt
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reeling. The destruction at the commander's compound, Winter's elevation to commander, discovering Ben was rogue, the subsequent attacks... It was no wonder mistakes had been made in that confusion.
"If they blamed you, you wouldn't still be commander," he pointed out.
"Hell, I'm still not sure why they made me commander."
Gia would know how to answer that better than Dupree could. "Ben recommended you as his replacement."
Ben had expected to retire with his wife soon, who'd died a few days before he went rogue. He'd spent years grooming Winter to take his place, and Dupree suspected, he'd intended Kara to follow Winter. He'd overseen Kara's training and education, had started her working with Gia when she was a teenager looking to make some pocket money. Dupree didn't share any of those thoughts with Winter now since he was still counting on talking Kara out of merging.
"Ben, Todd and Gray went way back so Gray wasn't likely to go against that recommendation. Why would he? Ben was sane when he made it," Dupree reminded her.
Gray, Ben and Todd Brant had joined the Order in the same year and spent decades in the same quad fighting together. Todd was the southern region's council representative now and Gray was the Grand Master, the seventh member of the council. The council elected the Grand Master from their membership, but Grand Masters could and had been stripped of their rank in the past, though it was a rare occurrence. Once removed from his position a Grand Master was reduced to begging sanctuary from his home region. That had never happened in Dupree's lifetime.
"You think Gray and Todd are endangered because of Ben's betrayal?" Winter speculated.
Dupree shook his head. "It would be stupid if they were. Ben going rogue isn't a reflection on them any more than it is on us."
They both knew that was true, but Winter's expression remained thoughtful. "Appeasement," she said softly and didn't have to continue for Dupree to catch her drift.
It was common knowledge among the highest ranking hybrids that the council was often filled with friction. If questioned they'd say it was a contest of wills between traditionalists and modernists. Dupree wasn't so easily fooled. It had nothing to do with belief or conviction. Taking a hard or soft line was nothing more than a power play. Normally he didn't give a rat's ass what those old men got up to since their posturing never came to anything. Or hadn't.
Bringing back the master at arms rank was one thing. Whatever he was called that was already Dupree's job. Training, recruitment and assignments were his purview and would remain so. The appointing of masters at arms had only fallen out of use in the last few decades. Naming first chaplains hadn't been done in much longer, however.
"Have you told Mike about this?" Every region around the world had at least one Catholic priest assigned to it. Mike Halloran was theirs.
"Not yet." She sighed. "He won't like it."
No, probably not. Mike had been with them since he'd first been ordained, some thirty years now. He couldn't bond with a demon since he was a priest and bound by that pesky chastity vow. He wouldn't be able to mate later in life when he started to lose control to the demon. Remaining human hadn't affected his devotion to the Order or its varying membership, however. He'd been instrumental in recruiting holy men of other faiths to their ranks. As a result they had the most religiously diverse membership in the world. Dupree was pretty sure Mike would see appointing a first chaplain as a step backward even if the majority of the local hybrids remained Catholic. Mike was a big believer in a path for everyone and as long as you followed one, he didn't much care if it differed from his, though he did enjoy a lively theology debate.
"I'll see him when we're done here," Winter said. "What else? There's no hint in this--" she held up the paper, "--that they know about Baas yet. Has Tim said when he'll have results?"
"A
"If they blamed you, you wouldn't still be commander," he pointed out.
"Hell, I'm still not sure why they made me commander."
Gia would know how to answer that better than Dupree could. "Ben recommended you as his replacement."
Ben had expected to retire with his wife soon, who'd died a few days before he went rogue. He'd spent years grooming Winter to take his place, and Dupree suspected, he'd intended Kara to follow Winter. He'd overseen Kara's training and education, had started her working with Gia when she was a teenager looking to make some pocket money. Dupree didn't share any of those thoughts with Winter now since he was still counting on talking Kara out of merging.
"Ben, Todd and Gray went way back so Gray wasn't likely to go against that recommendation. Why would he? Ben was sane when he made it," Dupree reminded her.
Gray, Ben and Todd Brant had joined the Order in the same year and spent decades in the same quad fighting together. Todd was the southern region's council representative now and Gray was the Grand Master, the seventh member of the council. The council elected the Grand Master from their membership, but Grand Masters could and had been stripped of their rank in the past, though it was a rare occurrence. Once removed from his position a Grand Master was reduced to begging sanctuary from his home region. That had never happened in Dupree's lifetime.
"You think Gray and Todd are endangered because of Ben's betrayal?" Winter speculated.
Dupree shook his head. "It would be stupid if they were. Ben going rogue isn't a reflection on them any more than it is on us."
They both knew that was true, but Winter's expression remained thoughtful. "Appeasement," she said softly and didn't have to continue for Dupree to catch her drift.
It was common knowledge among the highest ranking hybrids that the council was often filled with friction. If questioned they'd say it was a contest of wills between traditionalists and modernists. Dupree wasn't so easily fooled. It had nothing to do with belief or conviction. Taking a hard or soft line was nothing more than a power play. Normally he didn't give a rat's ass what those old men got up to since their posturing never came to anything. Or hadn't.
Bringing back the master at arms rank was one thing. Whatever he was called that was already Dupree's job. Training, recruitment and assignments were his purview and would remain so. The appointing of masters at arms had only fallen out of use in the last few decades. Naming first chaplains hadn't been done in much longer, however.
"Have you told Mike about this?" Every region around the world had at least one Catholic priest assigned to it. Mike Halloran was theirs.
"Not yet." She sighed. "He won't like it."
No, probably not. Mike had been with them since he'd first been ordained, some thirty years now. He couldn't bond with a demon since he was a priest and bound by that pesky chastity vow. He wouldn't be able to mate later in life when he started to lose control to the demon. Remaining human hadn't affected his devotion to the Order or its varying membership, however. He'd been instrumental in recruiting holy men of other faiths to their ranks. As a result they had the most religiously diverse membership in the world. Dupree was pretty sure Mike would see appointing a first chaplain as a step backward even if the majority of the local hybrids remained Catholic. Mike was a big believer in a path for everyone and as long as you followed one, he didn't much care if it differed from his, though he did enjoy a lively theology debate.
"I'll see him when we're done here," Winter said. "What else? There's no hint in this--" she held up the paper, "--that they know about Baas yet. Has Tim said when he'll have results?"
"A
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