If you cant play to your strengths, play to your enemys weaknesses.

-Marshal Grem One-Eye

I could feel the eyes of the crowd on us as we strode towards the tent Black had told me about.

Legionaries from the Ninth with the traditional red streak of paint across their throat watched us pass, letting whispers bloom in our wake. The men and women from the Sixth were friendlier, orcs most of all. Tall greenskins with the scrawled iron-grey rib on their armour that served as the unofficial symbol of the Ironsides saluted and waved, though most of that friendliness was directed towards Juniper. That she was General Istrids daughter had been a mostly well-kept secret back at the College, but out here? My teacher had mentioned once that Knightsbane tended to boast about her prodigious daughters when she got into her cups, and the evidence of that was all around us. Hakram formed the third member of our little clique, accompanying us more because of his Name than his position. Masego had been extended the same invitation, but hed decline without missing a beat. Something about preferring counting ants to inflicting a session of military planning on himself, since at least there was some sort of scholarly value to the former. I didnt particularly mind: hed be joining me for dinner with Black and Captain anyway, so if anything urgent came up I could brief him then.

The murmurs of Deadhand and Adjutant that usually greeted Hakrams appearance in front of legionaries were notably absent, which I took to mean Black had clamped down on the rumours here. Unfortunate that it in no way meant that word wouldnt reach Heiress, if it hadnt already. A problem for another day, that. The last Id heard of the prettier of my archnemeses was that the word? I found it hard to believe that I was the first villain to have multiple sworn enemies, there was bound to be a specific term shed landed a mercenary force in southern Callow and taken the city of Dormer. That had been two months ago, though, and I knew better than to think shed have remained idle that long. Undoubtedly she would soon make an attempt to fuck me over in some unexpected way. It was a shame there were no real assassin guilds left in the Empire, because with the way my generals pay had been stacking up I might actually be able to afford putting a price on her head. There was bound to be something possible to arrange from Mercantis, but I had no contacts in the City of Bought and Sold.

Entering the tent first, I pushed aside the cloth and found we were the last to arrive.

General Istrid was already hitting the wine, if the cup in her hand was any indication. She still looked like someone had carved an orc out of old leather, and that striking scar on her face pulled up her mouth in a permanent mocking grin. General Sacker, on the other hand, was seated on a high stool. I would have thought the sight of the small wrinkled goblin perched on the top of the wooden frame comical, if not for those yellow half-lidded eyes that missed nothing. Black was leaning over the table, looking over a map, and didnt bother to glance up as I came in. My orc bookends followed a heartbeat later and Istrids face lit up at the sight of her daughter.

Squire, she greeted me almost absent-mindedly, clapping my shoulder as she passed me by and fell upon her daughter like a particularly affectionate pack of wolves.

June, she gravelled. Look at you, all grown up in the kit. It feels like yesterday you were playing knights and legionaries with sticks.

Mother, my legate barked, looking mortified.

I bit my lip and glimpsed the ghost of a smile on my teachers face. Hakram gave the whole thing a wide berth, but from the glint in his eyes I knew every Rat Company officer was going to have heard the story before morning.

Yes, yes, youre a legate now, Istrid grunted, smoothing the hair on her daughters head gently. Very serious. Have you been eating enough? Your cheeks look hollow.

They did not, in fact, look hollow in any way. I decided to take pity on the Hellhound and cleared my throat.

General Istrid, I said. A pleasure to see you again.

I turned to look at Knightsbanes goblin counterpart.

General Sacker, I added.

Foundling, the general of the Ninth replied drily. Istrid, stop fussing over your spawn. Youre embarrassing yourself.

The scarred orc withdrew, throwing her colleague a dark look.

I was doing no such thing, she denied.

The goblin rolled her eyes. Legate Juniper, Adjutant, welcome.

General Sacker, Juniper replied, gathering her verbal footing.

A wicked glimmer appeared in the goblins eyes.

Whatever happened to Auntie Sacks? she asked.

I was four years old! It was a hard word to pronounce! Juniper keened in dismay.

Gods, I hadnt even known she could blush that green. Hakram leaned in close to me.

This is the mother lode of blackmail material, he whispered, grin splitting his face. I will never have to suffer a speech about gear cleanliness again.

Black cleared his throat, and everyone fell silent.

Entertaining as this is, we do have a briefing to attend to, he said.

Junipers blush deepened, if anything, and she gave him the bastard cousin of a curtsey. I goggled at the sight. A curtsey? From the Hellhound?

Lord Black, she murmured.

My teacher nodded a greeting at Hakram, smiled at me and bid us closer. I took a look at the map it covered the whole of Callow, though the word itself was nowhere in sight. A bronze figure of a knight had been placed over Vale, another one where the eastern side of the Hengest lake met the Waning Woods and a third on the crossing linking the county of Marchford to central Callow. The Silver Spears, unless I was wrong. A silver legionary figurine had been placed over Dormer and a pair of the same over the rough location of the village we currently stood on, north-east of Vale.

Weve been in contact with the mercenary bands under the employ of the Heiress, Black announced and I forced down a scowl. They intend to move on Baroness Dormers host before the week is done.

Reaching for a second victory when I had yet to win my first one. Fucking Heiress. Juniper eyed the map pensively.

Do we know how many soldiers shes fielding? my legate asked.

Roughly four thousand, General Sacker spoke in that quiet way of hers. No cavalry. About half is light infantry, Proceran exiles from their southern principalities.

And the rest? Hakram gravelled.

A full Stygian phalanx, Black replied.

Shes using slaves? I spat out. Thats illegal under Tower law.

Sackers face was inscrutable, but I could see vicious anger lurking in the face of all orcs present. Soninke and Taghreb had suffered under the Miezan occupation, but theyd never had entire clans clapped in chains the way orcs had. When Dread Empress Maleficent had founded the Dread Empire, the outlawing of slavery had been one of the things shed used to bring the Clans into the fold and even over a thousand years later orcs hated slavery with an almost frightening intensity.

Technically the territory held by the rebels is not Imperial ground, on a legal basis, Black noted. Regardless, she has freed them.

The disdain he put in the word rang loud and clear. Nominally granting the Stygian war-slaves their freedom meant absolutely nothing, when theyd been indoctrinated from birth to obey their orders of their owners without fail. I resisted the urge to spit on the ground.

At least it has to be putting a dent in her coffers, I said. Even if she only pays half of them, keeping two thousand mercenaries on payroll has to be draining no matter how rich you are.

It would, Sacker croaked out, if they were paid entirely in wages.

Shes allowing them to pillage, Juniper cursed. Burning fucking Hells. That whole corner of Callow will despise the Empire for generations.

She cant be doing any of this under an Imperial banner, Hakram pointed out. Shes acting as a private citizen in this.

Yeah, like thatll change anything, I grunted. All the locals will remember is that a Soninke was giving the orders. Black, why hasnt the Empress reined her in?

The green-eyed mans face went blank. The political situation back in Ater complicates the matter. Malicia has given authorization to discipline them if they act out when under shared command, but as long as shes on her own her hands are free.

Istrid spat to the side, much to my amusement.

Politics should stay out of wars, she growled.

So that was where Juniper got it from.

Regardless of her undesirable behaviour, General Sacker spoke, shes tactically useful, at the moment. Dormers army cant link up with Countess Marchford as long as shes threatening their flank. That keeps them to a manageable number.

Twenty thousand, right? I frowned. At least most of them are levies.

Marchford has only two forces that could match a legion on even grounds, Black said. The core of two thousand dwarven heavy infantry in her main force and the Silver Spears.

Never read anything about dwarven troops, I grunted. Juniper?

The last known skirmish involving the Kingdom Under was when the principality of Iserre diverted a river into one of their mining operations, Juniper spoke in a baritone. Contemporary reports are unreliable, but they seem to have been more than a match for the princes standing army.

Oh, Id heard about that. The dwarves had retaliated by sinking the Old Iserre underground and wiping out the surviving population. It was the reason most Calernian nations had laws forbidding provocation of the Kingdom Under.

That was what, seven hundred years ago? Hakram gravelled. Nobodys scrapped with them since? That information has to be outdated.

The drow in the Everdark have clashed with them on occasion, but any information coming out of that rathole is unreliable at best, Black said. Regardless, we should expect their armour, weapons and training to be at least a notch above our own.

Not to mention theyd be even more physically robust than orcs and at least partially resistant to magic. Tough customers.

Keeping them paid, on the other hand, must be costing the Principate a fortune, the Knight smiled viciously. Not to mention their creative notions regarding private property.

Everybody shared a grin at that. Dwarves were of the belief that only dwarves could actually own things which meant, in essence, that taking said things from other people wasnt thievery or in any way morally reprehensible. Thered been a famous incident in Callow where a Duke of Liesses family jewels had been taken by a visiting dignitary and the Kingdom Under had refused to just give them back. The poor bastard had to buy them, emptying half his duchys coffers in the process. If they were camped in the middle of Marchfords army, I hoped for her sake shed locked away the silverware and nailed down anything she wanted to keep. Otherwise it was likely to disappear underground forever.

The dwarves are our problem, General Istrid grunted. You girls and you, Deadhand are going to have to mop up the Silver Spears.

Blacks fingers drummed against the tables surface.

The defensive part of this campaign is over, he announced. Were going on the offensive on all fronts. While Heiress catches their attention well move on Vale, though I fully expect the Countess to retreat when we do. That makes it a priority for you to either wipe out or box in the Silver Spears. If the rebels continue their scorched earth tactics as they retreat south, our supply train must be secure. We court disaster otherwise.

Yes sir, I murmured, starting when I realized Juniper had done the same.

Our last sighting has them in the vicinity of the old ford the city of Marchford was named for. They destroyed the bridge a few days after declaring their rebellion, so youll have to secure it to cross, General Sacker spoke mildly.

Have we confirmed their numbers? I asked.

Their run-in with Captain cost them some officers, but their effective strength remains the same as the last report I gave you, Black replied. Scribe suspects they have more than one hero in the ranks, and our failure to scry them so far suggests they have a priest of some talent along. Considering the close ties of the Helikean royal family with the House of Light, that is almost a certitude.

Ill keep that in mind, I muttered, mind already racing.

I want the Fifteenth to occupy Marchford itself, afterwards, Black continued. Having a legion pay a visit to her demesne will turn up the pressure on the Countess. Shes been careful to avoid meeting us on the field so far.

You intend for us to remain and garrison the city? Juniper asked.

Black shook his head. After re-establishing Imperial control I want you to march back to us as fast as you can. Afolabi will send troops after youre gone. Ideally Id like the Fifteenth to be present when we engage the Countess.

Sounds like plan, I grunted.

It wouldnt be that easy, of course. Id learn to expect complications by now. But it was the outline of a course of action, and for now that would have to do.

Dinner was pleasant, but most of us had duties that prevented us from lingering. Still, when Black invited me up to his rooms for a conversation, I did not decline. We had several conversations long overdue, and it would be a while before we were in the same place again. There was a fireplace and two armchairs, the one I claimed usually occupied by Captain if the size of it was any indication. He poured me a cup of wine after doing the same for himself, cool touch of the metal contrasting the heat coming off of the fireplace.

On the subject of your paramour, Black said, settling into his seat.

I snorted. I think the word youre looking for is girlfriend, I told him.

The dark-haired man wrinkled his nose. No, Im quite sure it wasnt. Regardless of semantics, Im sure you suspect I had people dig into the lives of all the people you work closest with.

I thought that was pretty much a given, yeah, I admitted.

Thered been a time where the concept of my teacher invading the privacy of my friends would have irked me, but Id left that kind of naivet behind. My enemies had deep pockets and they were out for blood: having someone like Black watching out for liabilities was almost reassuring. While wed never had a conversation on the subject before, none of my officers had suddenly disappeared into the night. I took that to mean they were reliable, or at least without open motive to betray me.

Your cadre of senior officers has an unusually high loyalty index, he noted. Junipers family ties make her a given. Senior Sapper Pickler is the daughter of the matron for the High Ridge tribe but they are estranged. Hasan Qara, who you know as Ratface, is openly feuding with his father a member in good standing of the Truebloods. Aisha Bishara is fifth in line for a lordship sworn to Kahtan but shes had no real contact with dangerous elements. We have little hard knowledge on Commander Hune, but ogres typically stay out of politics. Still, someone to watch. Commander Nauk has made several enthusiastic public statements in your support, though about half were made when inebriated. Hes also wanted for murder in Thalassina.

I blinked. Murder? Shit. What happened?

It wasnt like he could be arrested anymore enrolment in the Legions wiped your criminal record clean, even allowed you to change your name like Ratface had but it distressed me I hadnt even suspected.

An altercation with a Taghreb merchant, Black replied. The man struck him and your own went into the Red Rage.

I grimaced. He must have been young. He doesnt lost control like that anymore.

The green-eyed villain hummed in disagreement. Emotional states are more likely to trigger an episode than physical pain. Its one of the reasons berserkers can force themselves into the state. That flaw makes him unreliable as an officer. Youll have to be careful how you deploy him on the field.

I grunted, not quite willing to agree out loud even if he was probably right. Nauk had been in my corner since the beginning, in one way or another, so thinking of him that way rankled. As for the murder Id been on the receiving end of some of the more racist leanings of Wastelanders, so I while I was unwilling to excuse the act I could understand where he was coming from. That hed had no real control over himself after going into the Rage was an objective fact, and that the merchant had apparently resorted to physical violence first blurred the lines a bit. And yet. Murderer, huh. Most of the time I got along with orcs better than humans: the way they looked at Creation wasnt simpler, not exactly, but it was clearer. Less cluttered. It was all too easy to forget it was also brutal. All in all, it might not be a bad thing to have my teacher hand me a reminder of that.

Hakram? I probed.

An oddity, that one, Black replied. Howling Wolves clan, one of the students sent to the College on Imperial scholarship. Average grades except in Old Miezan, where he failed repeatedly and yet some of the best marks on record when it comes to practical exercises. Noted by his teachers to have exceptional organisational abilities.

All stuff I already knew, I pointed out.

Or had suspected, anyway. His record since the creation of the Fifteenth spoke for itself. Black waved a hand in irritation.

No real political affiliations to speak of, not even in his clan. He did spend a lot of time in the College socializing with officers from other companies, which should come in useful for you down the road.

Id been aware since the beginning that one of the War Colleges functions was to forge connections in the people meant to become the next generation of the Empires military leaders, but Id never found it in me to play that game. Oh, Id drawn most of Rat Company into the fold and managed to establish an understanding with Junipers crowd but the bulk of the cadets had still been strangers to me by the time Id stopped attending. Part of me regretted the lost opportunity, but Id had bigger fish to fry. None of them would be in a position to be useful to my purposes for a few years anyhow, though Hakram having made contacts was a pleasant surprise. They might not have authority, but even as junior officers theyll have access to information.

Keeping the best for last? I prompted.

Kilian of Mashamba. Her grandmother rode with the Wild Hunt until encountering her grandfather. Specifics are sparse on how she died, but the fae rarely last when too far from Arcadia. Joined the College on the Imperial ticket after qualifying at the local school. In the top twenty students for the mage track, though her lacking endurance disqualified her from more advanced spellcasting classes.

I frowned. The wing thing, you mean. Thats not entirely fair. She cant shove as much magic into her spells but shes got much better control than any other mage Ive seen.

Black raised an eyebrow. That was not a criticism of her abilities. It simply means she has a ceiling she cannot overcome when it comes to heavier spellcasting: shell never be able to change the course of a battle like Wekesa or Masego can.

Not entirely accurate if she could call down a lightning bolt on an enemy general that would certainly affect the course of a fight but I grasped his meaning. Kilian wasnt the kind of mage whod ever be able to wipe out an enemy battalion with a single spell.

So theres no red flags in her background? I insisted.

Her family is poor, Black noted. Shes arranged for half her pay to be sent to them on a permanent basis. Theres possible leverage there, though there has been no sudden uptick in their financial situation: if shes been bribed, shes been careful about it. Her parents have been subject to less discrimination by local authorities recently, but that might simply be a result of having sent a child to the War College. Its being looked into regardless.

Thats a no, then, I replied.

Nothing as of now, the dark-haired man conceded.

He poured himself a second cup of wine, offering me the same when he saw mine was mostly empty. I nodded I didnt have anything else planned for the night, nothing wrong with having another few. He took a sip of the sour red, humming in appreciation at the taste.

Your involvement puts her in a great deal of danger, he finally said. Any villain or more pragmatically-inclined hero will make a point of targeting her to get to you.

I know, I sighed. But at this point pretty much everyone Im close to is on someones kill list. Lets not pretend Heiress wouldnt see all my senior officers dead in a heartbeat if she could manage it.

Allowing your enemy to dictate how you live your life is unwise, Black agreed. Yet awareness of the danger is not enough. If you dont take concrete steps to mitigate the threat awareness means nothing.

Ive had people watching over Hakram, I told him. Im thinking of making that guard permanent. Extending that to Kilian shouldnt be a problem.

Forming your own personal guard so that they can handle security details should be a priority, the green-eyed man said. But that is a purely reactive way of thinking.

Were in the middle of a war, I replied flatly. I cant just take back the Fifteenth to Praes and start kicking down Trueblood doors.

Its a pattern broader in scope than just this particular situation, Black said. Look at your tactics dealing with the heroes in Summerholm. While I will not gainsay your results, from the outset you ceded the initiative to the enemy.

They were already set up for an ambush when I arrived, I pointed out.

Interrupting the plans of your opponents is almost always better than letting them interfere with yours, the Knight spoke. I understand that making quick, improvised decisions is one of your strengths and that the unpredictability it lends you has come in useful, but in the long term that will not be enough. You need to start anticipating problems instead of merely solving them.

I grunted. I get what youre saying, sir, but Im not like you. Im not a mastermind, or whatever you want to call it. I see things that need to be done and I do them.

Learn to be, Black replied bluntly. If you ever want to rise high enough to accomplish what you intend, youll need better than you currently are. A ruler must be more than someone who stamps down flames wherever they flare up.

He sipped at his cup.

If you keep concerning yourself with symptoms instead of causes, eventually an opponent will land an unexpected blow and youll lose someone dear to you to grasp the same point I am trying to get across.

The green-eyed man smiled thinly.

I learned that lesson the hard way, he told me. I would prefer that you did not have to.

Sentences like that were why it was so hard to dislike Black. When the priests in the House of Light had spoken of how seductive the Dark could be, Id always thought they meant ambition and greed. Lust, even, given how good-looking villains could be. Maybe the honest affection that sometimes showed behind my teachers words would have failed to take in a better person, but at the end of the day I was not that girl. Id gone my whole life without and father or mother figures and while Black certainly didnt fit the bill for either, Id underestimated how easy it would be to become attached to a mentor. Someone who looked out for me, who genuinely wanted me to live up to my potential. Oh, what he wanted for me was a terrible thing. There was no denying that truth. But it also had the glint of greatness to it, and there was something horribly tempting about that.

You ever been in love, Black? I asked suddenly.

I hope youre not implying your infatuation with the mage is anything of the sort, he replied with a raised eyebrow.

Youre not going to give a love is weakness speech, are you? I frowned.

I am not in the habit of preaching things I do not believe, he said.

I leaned back in my seat, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

I know Im not in love with Kilian, I admitted. I dont think Ive ever been with anyone. Not the kind of love the songs speak about, anyway. Thats the problem, I guess. It feels selfish to put her in danger for something this shallow.

Shes a grown woman, Black said. She can make her own decisions.

Youre the one who just told me a ruler needs to be more, I replied. I know shes not coming into this blind, but theres a part of me that feels like I should make the decision for her own good anyway.

He chuckled and I turned to glare at him but found his finger pointing at me. He poked my forehead gently.

Human, he reminded me. Villain, but still human. Its all right to want things for yourself, Catherine.

Even if it hurts other people? I asked.

Everyone hurts, he replied. That is the nature of human condition. Thousands die all over Creation with every breath we take, and nothing either you or I can do will change that. All we are is what we do with that truth.

I dont want to be the kind of person who hurts others for her own sake, I admitted quietly.

Theres nothing righteous about martyrdom, Black spoke, tone thick with distaste. How gloriously they die on their pyres, those blessed few who think themselves above all of this. And yet what do they really accomplish? Refusing to accept reality for what it is instead of what you think it should be is not being high-minded, it is cowardice. I take no guidance from someone whose crowning achievement is their own death. Sacrifice solves nothing on its own. It is no substitute for the labour needed to change things, just an easy way out.

Id never seen Black like this before. There wasnt a trace of the easy-going, sardonic mask he liked to affect, but the cold monster of logic Id glimpsed in Summerholm was nowhere in sight either. There was a quiet intensity to him, the weight of genuine belief. And some parts of what hed said resonated with me. Wasnt that the core of my disagreement with the Lone Swordsman? He believed that people should be willing to die for a kingdom, where I believed a kingdom should be willing to die for its people. But there was something missing here. The string that would keep all that barren cynicism together.

There is such a thing as the greater good, I replied. Its an ugly ideal, Ill grant you that. Means there is such a thing as accepting lesser evils for a purpose that goes beyond them, and Ive always found that a bitter pill to swallow. But there are things worth sacrifice yours and other peoples both. Heroes are wrong, I think. Im worth just as much as everybody else. My losses matter just as much as anybody elses. But villains arent right we dont matter more, just because of who we are.

Black smiled strangely, still staring into the fire.

I am the wrong person to debate matters of morality, I think, he replied. The truth of it is that I am the most selfish man youll ever meet, and Ive yet to lose so much as a nights sleep over it. But you asked me a question.

He let out a long breath.

Yes. Once.

How did it end? I asked softly.

It has yet to, he smiled. She is an exceptional woman, in many ways. I wish I could see her more often.

I hummed. And youve never been worried your enemies would try to get to you through her?

He bared his teeth in a jackals grin.

I pity anyone fool enough to try.

I polished off the rest of my cup, letting the taste linger in my mouth. Silence stayed between us for some time as we simply let the heat of the fire wash over us. I opened my mouth, then closed it. What I wanted to say wasnt wise, exactly. But my instincts were telling me I should, and theyd seen me through all the messes in my life so far.

I had a talk with Warlock, in Summerholm.

Not a pleasant one, I suspect, he murmured.

I snorted, though the amusement was short-lived.

The Empress summoned me to the Tower before I left Ater.

And?

He seemed rather unconcerned by the prospect, which shouldnt have surprised me. He and Malicia were supposed to be thick as thieves, and though Id started to notice fractures in that relationship there were still decades of trust to back it.

It occurs to me, I finally said, that I dont actually know what you want.

He smiled mirthlessly.

That, he said, is a complicated question.

Wry amusement quirked my lips. Id replied the same thing to Malicia, when shed asked me the same question. Maybe there was something to those supposed similarities everyone kept yammering about. He rose to his feet and I frowned.

Going somewhere?

He shook his head, heading for the trunk next to his bed and popping it open. He dug around the inside for a moment before fishing out a pair of books. Not, not books journals, I saw. Neither of them had a title on the spine, but they were well-worn. He handed them to me.

I dont think the answer is something you could understand, right now, he told me.

It would have sounded condescending if not for the fact that he seemed to genuinely believe what he said.

And those are? I asked, raising the journals.

Information I compiled when I was three years older than you are now, shortly after I became the Black Knight and gained access to the Imperial archives, he replied.

Everybody with permission from the bureaucrats can access those, I frowned.

The real archives, he specified. The ones in the underground levels of the Tower.

Of course there were secret archives. I rubbed the bridge of my nose in exasperation. I really should have seen that coming. I thumbed one open, seeing columns of numbers and names stretching down the page. Census population numbers, crossed with reigning Tyrants and some other measure I didnt recognize. The other one seemed to be a childrens book, transcribed in my teachers handwriting. There were notes in the margins, though I didnt bother to look at them right now. Id take my time doing it later, a cursory reading wouldnt give me much. Still, I had to ask.

Childrens tales? I questioned.

The most important part of any cultures literature, Black murmured. The lessons you are taught when you are young are those you carry with you the rest of your life.

He leaned against the back of his armchair, eyes drawn to the flame again.

You should get back to the Fifteenth, Catherine, he said. Dawn always comes sooner than we think.