And Delia said, very sharply: “Take care, my heart. You will take a squadron of 1ESW.”
“I’d thought to—”
“Good!”
So, there I was, being ushered into Queen Kirsty’s tent which was of a size and luxuriously furnished. Rodders sat at her side. She looked not quite just the same. There was even more maturity in the set of her jaw. There was, I remember, a strong scent of jasmine on the air within the colored tent.
“Drajak,” she said in her sharp way, yet I felt she was being as gracious as she could. “We missed you. Where have you been?”
And Rodders, big and vigorous and a fighting man after my own heart, chimed in: “Lahal and welcome, Drajak. We have need of men like you for the battles ahead.”
So — they didn’t know. No one had told them.
Carefully, I said: “I came here to scout the Sh
