She heard a rustle in the woods across the creek from her. She quickly withdrew her skinning knife from her boot. It had been very unfortunate that she had lost her long daggers in combat. They had been pricey to begin with before the tightening of security and restrictions. They would be nearly impossible to replace. Even with the exuberantly high amount of money the Chief Commander had left behind for her services that night.
Connor slinked free of the shadows with his hands in a surrendering gesture. He laughed outloud when he saw her standing in a guarding position with a skinning knife clutched in her hand. Cahira straightened herself into a comfortable standing position and replaced the knife in its boot sheath. �Ai, if I was an enemy what was your plan?� he asked, looking down her shapely legs to where the skinning knife resided.
�I would hope that you would fall and hit your head when you laughed hysterically at me. Then I would jumped on you and dig out your eyes,� she said with an embarrassed smile at her situation.
Connor pretended to digest this information as he held his head to the left. �Ah, so long as you know,� he said and then quickly made his way across the small water body. �Besides how to defend one self with a butter knife, what do you know, love?�
She looked down as a vision of a laughing Caden came to her mind. She banished the childish thought and steeled herself to be an adult. �They spoke a lot. Of many things.�
�I don�t need to know his favorite color just the more helpful matters, aye?� he responded.
Cahira took a deep breath. �The King has sent him to weed out the rebellion but the Chief Commander in Arms doesn�t think much of a the rebellion. Children and old folks, mostly, he claims. His interest lies in the rumors of the Undead. He had his choice of lands and picked this one because he believes the tide of the creatures will lead them here before the reach the capital most likely,� she said.
�Interest in the Undead, eh? Divided attention� hmmm� What of supplies?� he asked.
Cahira tracked down the information in her mind to a side conversation Ifor was having with another soldier. �They have a steady supply that comes from the Capital on the Imperial Route which is being reinforced and more heavily guarded with the approaching dangers of rebellions mainly in the Southern section. They have supplies for three months time delivered every two months and a stockpile that can survive a one month siege,� she said.
�Did they speak of weaponry?� he asked.
Cahira shrugged. �The ensigns and lower officers were complaining about the low quality of equipment the Imperial has been sending,� she said.
'Not any of the officers?� asked Connor surprised.
Cahira shook her head. �They never mentioned the weaponry.,� she said.
Connor sat down a stone to digest the tangles of information. Why were the reinforcing the roads and upping security yet were sending low quality equipment. A trained eye could tell the soldiers carried old weapons and wore old armor. Some could even be replaced. He could not get near the fort but it seemed that even the primary defenses of the stone walls surrounding the fort seemed to be falling slowly into disrepair. The supplies in peace time would even be considered low for as far out as they were. Perhaps the girl had heard wrong. It made no sense that the King would order more troops in defense but so ill equip them.
�What of the Chief Commander in Arms? Did he seemed troubled by these statements?� he asked.
�The low supplies he explained away as a way to save money and not to waste resources. He said that the higher defense along the Imperial route was more then enough to keep the supplies coming and the raiders away,� she said.
Economic issue? True the King was extending his resources by conquering all the Many Gods land. Yet, he had backing from other nations. However, it had been a long time since he had seen the yellow uniforms of Cyra or the Scarlet of Impei. Perhaps, the One god Kingdom had fallen into debt and out of graces. Connor smiled.
�It doesn�t make sense,� said Cahira apologetically.
Connor laughed as he stood up and grabbed the girl�s shoulder. He touched his temple with his index finger three times. �Perhaps. One only needs to think on it, aye love?� he said. He removed his hand and smiled exposing a golden tooth. �Now run along home before your honor becomes tarnished,� he said.
Cahira smiled and began to walk away into the forest. She turned unaware of what provoked her. �The Chief Commander in Arms� I don�t believe him to be a villain,� she said.
This statement took Connor by surprise. He smiled at her. �Aye,� he said and jerked his head towards her home. She turned and quickly departed. He debated on the statement a moment.
Surely, the Commander Chief in Arms was in a manner of speaking attractive, certainly not in the local sense where a pudgy face was a sign of food and therefore money, but then Cahira wasn�t what you would call locally attractive. Then again, Cahira didn�t seem a childish woman. She seemed more down to earth then to fall in love with a charming enemy over a few kind words. He smiled. What was going on in the One God�s Kingdom? Would the Imperial fall? And then what? Who would then fall into ruling position? Connor smiled as he envisioned seizing power of the known world. Then with a chuckle he departed from the peaceful creek.