Heat swept up my spine, my teeth grinding together with the force of my restraint. My fingers curled against the hard wood of the table, the urge to flip it and shatter it to pieces warring with the need to fix the problem. This was why I should have been here instead of luxuriating in Gyor Palace. This was what happened when I left others to do what I did best.

I had to protect everyone from these fucking Angels, and I’d permitted myself be lazy instead. It was a heavy burden to bear, yet I couldn’t allow anyone to see how far the weight shoved me down now.

“Though Hadvezér Trol says in his current position he shouldn’t lose too many more. He has spread the squads through the peaks, armed with what remains of their bows and arrows, picking the Angels off where they can. He’s sent his airborne units some distance away in an attempt to box them in and starve them out,” the Rapp finished.

Fingers curling inward, I stepped back from the table and rolled my shoulders, trying to relieve the tension accumulating there like fallen snow. “Then we must make haste and send units to assist in surrounding the Angels,” I said.

If Trol was stretched so thin already, why the fuck would he attempt to surround them?

“Aye, Halálhívó, I will offer two of my squads to ride out at first light. They were the first to arrive back with conscripts, and have had the most training out of all the new ones,” one of Rapp’s Parancsok offered.

Rapp’s head bobbed as he mulled over the proposal. “That should bolster Hadvezér Trol long enough for the rest of us to catch up.”

“Have you already selected the ones going for enhanced training?” I asked the Parancsok, straining to level my voice. Rapp raised an eyebrow, the studs in them flashing, and I pointedly ignored him.

“I have, Halálhívó. Thirty from one squad, fifty-four from the other. The Százados know to split them off in the morning regardless,” he replied, adjusting the maroon scabbard that held his sword.

“Then send your message now. But they must still attend the viewing ceremony,” I added. Needing to cool my temper, I removed my helmet and set it aside. The light breeze against my bare skin was enough to fan the flames of my frustration. The viewing ceremony would allow me to quickly assess the state of the army while providing much needed intimidation so the new arrivals would cleave to the rules as I set them.

The Parancsok dipped out of the tent to do as he was bid.

“And where do we stand with the numbers in camp?” I growled at the room.

We better be fucking close to leaving.

“All Százados have returned with their recruits and original squads, Halálhívó,” Rapp stated, a hint of smugness in his tone. He’d been holding out this information like the treat it was.

Bastard.

I sliced my attention to the friend who took great pleasure in tormenting me. “Truly?” The Százados had traveled far and wide, and with how terribly the war was going, I expected at least some who had been to the front to desert along the way. That all returned from their journeys was remarkable, especially at the new scale of our army.

“Aye, and our ranks stand at roughly three hundred thousand now, give or take a few, depending on how many remain with Hadvezér Trol.” Rapp’s burgundy eyes glittered with excitement, the metal ring in his lip flashing as he grinned wickedly.

That number was more than enough to drive the Angels back, well into their territory, and possibly even take Sivy. It was more than we had before Banand’s plague swept through the Demon Realm.

Wicked excitement flooded my veins. “Very good. And how many for enhanced training in total?”

Rapp shuffled a few pages until he found what he was looking for. “Between the conscripts and seasoned warriors, about ten thousand.”

The Fates have shone their favor on me once again.

“Excellent.” It was more than I had hoped for, and some of that negativity that had creeped into my thoughts vanished as my full confidence was restored. “You have collected all the papers from your Százados, yes?”

“Yes, sir,” the remaining Parancsok echoed.

“I’d like to review the new powers and ratings. Please send them to my quarters. And reconfirm with your Százados at the viewing ceremony. At this size, someone is easy to miss.” I paused, sweeping my gaze over the map of Keleti, from the Skala Mountains that divided the continent, to the thick forests covering the Angel’s side, and back to the coastal cliffs to the northeast of Uzhhorod. There, outside of a city called Fured, was where I’d done most of my military training, where I’d met Rapp, and where this whole journey had begun. It was only fitting that we sent those selected for enhanced training there to hone their powers.

It was also one of the only places in the north that hadn’t yet been overrun. It seemed as though the Angels drove straight toward Uzhhorod rather than sweeping across the entire expanse, mountains to ocean.

“We’ll send them to Fured, along with our best trainers. Olet, that includes you,” I said, landing my attention on the Parancsok.

He offered me a closed-fist salute. “It is my honor, Halálhívó. We will ensure they can wield their powers with precision and accuracy for extended periods of time.”

“I will return to the front myself, along with the majority of our troops, though if we push the Angel’s advance, I will make a detour to check them over myself,” I told him, mind whirling over the paths laid before me. So many options, so many variables, so many possibilities.

Yet I hadn’t become the greatest leader Ravasz had ever, and would ever, see because of my indecisiveness. It was the way in which I thought about the future, the strategies and calculated risks I employed, that put me firmly in the books of history. In this age of war and prophecy, my name would be at the top of the list of important players in the game.

With only ten thousand departing for Fured, and a good portion of those males already trained in combat, Olet and a handful of Százados would suffice for oversight. “Bolster your Százados with whomever they need to assist in their leadership in your absence,” I told him. He dipped his chin in acknowledgement. I glanced among the Parancsok. “I expect any officer sent for enhanced training to have a suitable replacement, and if you can’t find one within, you may reform and trade with one another. After you are finished, we will record the new rank structure.”

“We’ll meet back here after the viewing ceremony to discuss. That will be a good opportunity to assess your own ranks, as well as the ranks of your fellow Parancsok,” Rapp added, working his teeth over his lip.

“What time is that scheduled?” I asked, glancing at the small square clock that read the date and time. When battles waged for days on end, it was easy to lose track of the passage of it. Therefore, every major tent in the encampment had a clock exactly like this one, whose mechanisms moved the bronze stick in a circle over the day and turned the dial on the day number once it had completed a revolution.

“At seventeen. We still have a few hours if you’d like to read through the power ratings of the conscripts,” Rapp offered, drumming his fingers on the table as he too studied our officers.

None seemed fazed by our commands, and if anything, I sensed an eagerness to return to the front. Hope peeked through their high-powered eyes. Hope that we desperately needed and rightly deserved after the enormous effort of conscripting more soldiers for the Demon army.

A growled warning reminded them of what was an absolute non negotiable among our ranks. “We shall ride together later and instill a healthy sense of respect into the conscripts. We are these males’ leaders now, and they need to learn the rules of military life sooner rather than later, or they will end up dead. By the Angel’s hands or ours. If one person bends the rules, then the rest will follow, and our discipline is what gives us an advantage. Ensure your Százados are passing along that message to their soldiers.”