All His Wrath

“Perhaps they have been infiltrating our ranks for some time, yes?” Kimar remembered clearly the dread he’d felt when Lohxnahr posed that question to him, in spite of the resolute lilt in the voice of his High Priest. “We must be watchful. Open. Most aware. In this, we will be tested, Kimar. And in this, we can rejoice since closer we must become. Closer than we have ever been before. In this, the enemy’s cunning bears a gift, if we maintain our hope and our faith in one another. Until the ending of this duplicity, we must accept that anyone who has left our sight may return to us as another. Trust will be most precious and still more difficult. Even your finest lieutenants you must suspect. You would do well not to speak of this matter to anyone, Kimar. Not even to Ercen.”

Kimar had glowered at Lohxnahr. The little gargoyle had hovered before his hulking friend, his lavender eyes beaming. Kimar was deeply skeptical about withholding information from his mate, Ercen.

Lohxnahr had shown no outward discernment of Kimar’s feelings.

“You will do as you wish, Kimar. This is as it should be. You are a great commander. I could dictate to you but I would not do so. And yet, my guidance to you is stealth. Secrecy, Kimar! Our enemy has employed the most devious of methods to work against us. To not respond with the greatest concealment would be, I contend, rash. Quite possibly to our ultimate downfall.”