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make him question his commitment—could he really lead an army in this country? Would he even get the chance to find out? If he didn’t have at least one assassination attempt on his life that night, he’d be quite surprised.
    Murmurs followed in his wake, and while they strove to be quiet, he heard words here and there. No one understood his uniform, or at least, no one had guessed correctly yet. But the uniform did give them pause. Apparently, the queen knew good and well how to manipulate this crowd.
    They finally reached the front of the room. Queen Tresea ascended the dais and sank into her chair with casual grace. Darius stopped in the exact spot he had been kneeling in two days earlier.
    “My people,” Tresea called in a voice that reached every corner of the room, “many of you already know who this is. General Darius Bresalier. He has been the commanding general that has fought against us for a year. He is the man famous for killing his own king. I have heard his story and I am well pleased. He killed an evil man to prevent more evil from happening.”
    Well, not exactly. Darius had killed him for breaking an oath which in turn caused half the capital to be slaughtered. But he didn’t dare interrupt. Tresea obviously had a reason for this version of events.
    “I have spoken with the general and we have reached an agreement. He will swear loyalty to me here and now—”
    The whole room started muttering, some of them gasping in sheer disbelief.
    “—and then he will receive the appointment of lead general.”
    That did it. What had been a murmur now became an outcry. Darius winced at the noise level and eyed the crowd around him a little cautiously. If anyone decided to take matters into their own hands, he didn’t know how to respond. He couldn’t kill anyone here—it would sabotage every goal he had. And it would just add to the frenzy. Then again, he didn’t know if the guards would come to his aid even if ordered to.
    Part of their outrage was because of who Darius was. But only part. In Niotan, the position of lead general rotated every three months, with each general on the council taking turns. Each general took charge of a battle front for three months before rotating out. To appoint a lead general was not only against tradition, but it severely curtailed these men’s power.
    Surely she could have introduced this idea a little more gradually?
    She held up a hand, and to Darius’s amazement, they subsided back into silence. “I know that you are confused by my decision,” she continued as if the whole room wasn’t ready to kill him on the spot. “But you know this man. He is a brilliant strategist. He has proven that on a field of battle time and again. If this man served us, served to protect us, would you not agree that Niotan would be safe?”
    A brave soul took a step forward and bowed before speaking. Darius didn’t recognize him, but the grizzled features and white hair spoke of age—and the uniform he wore was alike to Darius’s own. A seasoned general, and no doubt on the council of generals. “My Queen, surely you do not believe that one man and his tactics will save our country? One man cannot make that much difference.”
    She smiled at him as if speaking to a willful child. “General Shixi, you told me that over the past year, ever since another commander was appointed to lead the Brindisi army at our borders, that you found it easier to block them. The difference between the army now and then, is it not just one man?”
    He cleared his throat uncomfortably and shot Darius a glare hot enough to melt steel.
    Darius met his eyes without flinching. Indeed, since he had left, the army posted here had not received fresh troops or a change in officers. Only the commander had changed. Darius had seen their attempts at trying to break through Niotan’s forces. They were, in a word, pathetic.
    Either brave or foolhardy, the general chose to continue the argument. “But how can you