INTERLUDE
“Is this really necessary?”
Arin stood before a slanted window with hands clasped behind his back, looking out on a starry sky. The buildings of Tarinol, one of Palissa's larger port cities, stood tall with lights shining in their windows. It was a crisp night, cool but not unpleasantly cold, which meant there were bound to be people out enjoying their social lives.
A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he shook his head. “You have all made commitments to the Inzari,” Arin said, turning around. “You swore to obey even if you did not understand why.”
This upper floor of this warehouse in the city's industrial sector was devoid of furnishings except for sleeping bags that had been scattered across the floor. The twelve men who stood before him all wore heavy armour an
