"Sir," she said, turning to Jhoqo, "we should let the humans and the halfling go, at least. They shouldn't be bound so close to those things. They might try to reassert their control over them again."
Taennen stiffened. "Sir, we can't allow that. No one should…" he said, unable to finish his thought.
Jhoqo did not speak as he moved away, waving for the two to follow him. Adeenya followed, already knowing the man would say no. She did not know Jhoqo well, but he was not difficult to read at that moment. He wore his displeasure like a heavy cloak.
"Urir, these people did nothing wrong of their own will," she said. "Surely we must-"
Jhoqo stopped her with a raised hand. To her relief his scowl turned to a look of exhaustion, and he seemed to deflate with a long sigh. "Surely you see why I can't let them go yet? You worry about them falling back under the control of the formians? What if they are still under the control of those…"-his face curled in distaste-"things? How do we know how far that manipulation extends? We could set them loose only for them to come back and attack us to free their masters."
Adeenya sighed. Jhoqo was right.
"And even if they're not being controlled, even if they are the freest of spirits, look where we are," Jhoqo said, extending his arm in a wide arc. "This is the wilds, my children. Aerilpar. There's none worse."
Adeenya followed the man's gesture to the distant tree line. While small compared to the Lluirwood to the west, the Aerilpar Forest was home to dozens of clans of foul beasts that fought each other for power nearly as often as they fought the humans who tried to cleanse the woods of them.
Huge, ancient trees with twisted, gnarled limbs rose tall from the sparse grass all around them. Green and brown foliage dotted the edge of the woods, a sign of the heat. A branch of the Liontongue River far to the east fed the trees and allowed the forest to exist at all.
Taennen nodded. "Anyone we freed would be killed instantly."
"Or recruited," Jhoqo said.
"You're right," Adeenya said reluctantly. "We'll figure out how to deal with the humans once we arrive at Neversfall."
Jhoqo smiled. "Good. I'll leave it in your hands. Both of you," he said. "Now, I think it's time we got moving."
The Maquar commander offered a salute that Adeenya returned before he turned and walked away. The horns were blown to signal the soldiers' rest was done, and the trek to Neversfall would begin again.
Taennen walked beside her, stealing glances back at the big formian. His face revealed neither anger nor fear. He was curious. Adeenya recalled his earlier outburst and wondered what really had happened to Taennen on the battlefield.
"Thank you for backing my play, Durir," she said. "I appreciate the information."
"It seemed like the right thing to do, sir," he said. "Not that we learned anything."
"You're trying. It's more than some would do."
Taennen nodded. "My father always said-" he started but stopped when shouts erupted from behind them.
Adeenya spun to see a goblin's arm hit the ground. The creature shrieked in pain as its life's fluid pumped from the stump at its shoulder to splash into the dirt.
"Stand down!" Taennen shouted to a Maquar soldier with a bloody falchion in his hand. The man stood at attention, and the entire squad of guards and prisoners came to a halt. One of the small formians showed a trickle of blood on its abdomen, and another of the Maquar guards had his sword drawn and bloodied.
"What in all the One happened?" Taennen yelled, looking to the guard nearest the oozing beast.
"Sir! This one," he said, pointing to the bleeding formian, "suddenly moved and pushed the goblin out of marching file."
"And the goblin died for that?" Adeenya asked. When Taennen looked at her askance, she nodded and stepped back. These were his troops; this would go smoother if she did not interfere. Trying to command someone else's troops was like wearing a stranger's boots. The fit just wasn't there and never would be.
The Maquar with the sword answered, "I thought it was trying to flee, sir. I didn't see that thing push it."
Taennen sighed. "Get the prisoners ready to move again and be sure to secure the bindings. Remember, stay with a comrade when dealing with them. Watch your partner closely, make sure they're acting like… themselves," he said. He turned to the soldier wiping blood off his sword. "Take someone with you and bury that body, anhal," he added, pointing to the goblin's corpse. "Be quick about it and catch up to the line."
The man nodded and scooped the creature's remains into his arms.
"And someone get some attention for the wounded one," Adeenya said, motioning to the small formian.
"Go!" Taennen said when the soldiers did not move. One of them ran for a cleric.
Adeenya began to turn away, but Guk caught her eye. The formians face was impossible to read, so new and strange were its features, but there was something in the way it turned blindly towards her that seemed full of intent. To do what, she could not guess, but it was there. Guk turned away, facing forward as the army began to march again. The guards unwound new rope and set about securing the creatures even more carefully.
Adeenya motioned for Taennen to walk with her. "The large one…"
He nodded. "I saw it, too, Orir."
They continued walking beside the ranks. After a few moments she spoke again. "You were saying something about your father, Durir?"
Taennen gave her a puzzled look and then nodded. "Yes. My father always said a man's intentions don't make him good-acting on them does."
Adeenya nodded, finding wisdom in the adage. "Sounds like a wise man."
Taennen sighed. "A fool and a criminal, I'm afraid, but everyone is due their moments of wisdom, I suppose."
"A criminal? Sounds like my father," she said with a laugh which she cut short when she saw the look on her companions face. "Really… a criminal?"
The man nodded, and she regretted her comment. "My apologies," she said.
"Mine's just a merchant like everyone else's."
Taennen chuckled. "Your family is one of the major chakas of Durpar. Everyone knows what they do."
Adeenya nodded and shrugged. Everyone knew of her family, but few actually knew them. Those who did rarely showed the kind of admiration she could see on Taennen's face.
"How did you end up working as a mercenary with a family legacy like yours?" Taennen said. "If I may ask, Orir."
She smiled. "I'm trading services instead of goods. What's the difference? At least this way I had to rely on myself and no one else to get where I am," she said. "I prefer it that way."
Taennen looked at her and tilted his head to one side. "Truly?"
"When your father is a famous-infamous, really- merchant, you don't see much of him. When you do, there's a lot…"
"To live up to?" Taennen asked.
She nodded and gave a half-smile. "And to live down."
"Still… I'd love that life," he said.
"Maybe," she said. They were approaching the front of the lines. Jhoqo would need to be informed of the goblin's death.
"I meant no offense, Orir. I've just always dreamed of having an honest man as my father. Someone who held the Adama close to his heart and lived his life with it every day," Taennen said.
She nodded. "I understand."
Taennen smiled and said, "My father always said that phrase meant only one of two things: either the person didn't understand, or they didn't want to talk about it anymore."
"He was quotable, wasn't he?" Adeenya said with a smile. "Yes, sir."
"You speak of him as a wise man, yet condemn him as a criminal," she said.
Taennen shrugged. "Wisdom does not equal prudence. That's another of his."
"I'm sorry, Durir. That was much too personal of me," she said.