“I can’t believe this fucker is making us do tests,” Enusat grumbled as they lagged behind the rest of the class on the way to the back fields. “What are we, children?”

However, it soon became apparent that their class wasn’t the only involved in practical evaluations. Another class was already on horseback, two others were getting ready for combat drills with Unsighted troops, and one group was at work on the mockup giant Abhorrent.

The afternoon flew by as Gandash, assisted by Rabya, presided over a host of activities and tests.

During the entire process, Gandash offered minimal input and commentary. He simply gave instructions, watched, and took notes.

When it was all over, and the dinner hour loomed, he said, “All of you did amazing. I’m very impressed. I have the prerogative of giving a name to our newly formed company. I think Black Jackal is appropriate. Thank you for letting me be part of a team that’s been bonding for months now. I hope I can do a good job leading you in this mission. Now, you’re dismissed.”

Xerxes wanted to talk to Gandash, but his friend turned to Mystic Rabya and the two quickly fell into a conversation as they strolled back to the school.

He didn’t ‌reconnect with Katayoun until the following morning. As they ate breakfast together, Katayoun said, “Did you see Gandy’s black eye?”

Xerxes almost choked on his porridge. “Right. That.”

“Do you know what happened?” she asked. “Everyone’s talking about it.”

He looked back and forth, then lowered his head. “Don’t say anything, but… it was me.”

“WHAT?” she said, and then clamped her hand over her mouth. Lowering her head just like him, she leaned forward and said, “What happened?”

“Remember how I told you I was going to talk with him? Well… it didn’t go very well. He got drunk and said some things. He kind of attacked me. So I punched him.”

Katayoun didn’t say anything. He looked up from his porridge to see her lip sightly curled.

She looks disgusted, he thought. “I didn’t start it,” he said. “He did. And he tried to hit me. What was I supposed to do?”

She looked down into her own porridge. She dipped her spoon in and ate.

What the hell was she acting so dramatic for? He’d killed people in front of her before, then he got into a scuffle with Gandash and she acted like it was the end of the world?

“Kat, come on,” he said.

“I’m just disappointed, that’s all."

“Disappointed? Kat, he attacked me.”

She put her spoon down. “Xerk. You go on and on about how Gandy isn’t a good fighter. How he’s a bookworm that studies all the time. How you and your Swordmasters are real men. That’s the picture you paint. So what exactly happened? Did Gandash cast a spell? Try to stab you with a knife? What?”

Spluttering a bit, Xerxes said, “He… he….”

She looked at him expectantly.

“He pushed me!”

“He pushed you.” She pursed her lips.

“And tried to hit me.”

“He tried to hit you? So he didn’t hit you at all. And you gave him a black eye?”

The way she framed her words left Xerxes with little to say. She wasn’t wrong. Now more than ever, he wished he had walked away from the argument.

“Kat, you should have heard what he said. He talked about you. He said that you and I are out to get him. That we’re plotting against him.”

“Plotting? Us, against him? Seriously?”

“Well, he didn’t use those exact words.”

Katayoun’s nostrils flared slightly. Shaking her head, she said, “Xerxes. Can you just grow up a bit? Please?”

She stood.

He half stood. “Give me a break here—”

But she grabbed her tray and walked off.

“Kat!” he said, but he didn’t want to cause a scene in the dining hall, so he just let her go.

Women, he huffed.

**

He didn’t find a good chance to talk with Katayoun about their argument, but the following day she slid up to him in the afternoon and intertwined her fingers with his. After that, things went back to normal.

There was never any opporunity to talk to Gandash, despite how much he wanted to. He needed to make things right. But his friend was truly acting the part of an officer. He was always busy, always talking to important people, never available. Gandash’s black eye developed into a deep purple color which lasted for about two days before it started to fade. Neither Katayoun nor the Swordsmasters breathed a word of what they knew, and rumors hadn’t spread from the restaurant. And it seemed Xerxes’ fears of the school pressing for an investigation were unfounded. Preparations for deployment were so frenzied that the issue seemed forgotten by Thirdday.

That was when Gandash named the First Lieutenants. To Xerxes’ surprise, he was assigned as First Lieutenant of the heavy infantry units. Jad was attached to the light infantry. Dasi, with her numerous piercings, was assigned to the heavy cavalry, and Kishar was First Lieutnant of the light cavalry. There were six units of heavy infantry, four units of light infantry, three units of heavy cavalry, and two units of light cavalry. Xerxes wasn’t really sure what it meant that things were broken down that way, but he felt a spark of pride at being ‘in charge’ of the largest group of units.

After the appointments, the mages were introduced to the sergeants they would be paired with on the mission.

Xerxes was in Unit One, which was led by a muscular man named Stratos, who had a host of frightening scars on his face and neck. Stratos must once have had a luxuriant head of black hair. But now he was balding on top, and much of the black had been replaced by white and gray.

“Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Xerxes,” the sergeant said, offering his hand.

Xerxes shook it. “The pleasure’s mine, Sergeant.”

“I ‘eard you study the Epitome,” Stratos said.

“That’s right.”

“In that case, the men’ll love you. Our unit specializes in the short sword, but like most soldiers in the Sin-Amuhhu Combined Armed Forces, we know of the Epitome.”