~Laurent
Dawn didn’t take long to arrive. I stood near the armory steps, checking the straps of my gauntlets, letting the cold air wake me up. The council had given me free rein to pick my own team. That part amused me more than it should’ve.
They’d expected me to pick the elite. Instead, I went for the ones no one noticed — the quiet guards with chipped armor and average skill. The ones stationed in halls no one invaded.
A handful of them stood in front of me now, shifting awkwardly under my stare.
“You… want us?” one asked finally. “Sir?”
“Yes.”
He blinked. “But we’re—”
“Weak. Untrained. Low on confidence,” I finished for him. “Exactly why I want you.”
They traded confused looks but didn’t argue. Smart men.
I crouched and dragged a stick across the dirt, drawing the valley layou
