Azraea had Vinny detour to the public library to obtain some resources for them, and when he caught up to everyone at the barracks she rousted each of the men from their own groups and gathered them in what was, technically, the cityguard’s’ records room.
“I will be honest that though I’ve met all of you,” Azraea said, “I don’t know you all that well, so I thought we should start by going around and saying a little about ourselves…”
Schroeder laughed slightly. He was generally a very polite man, but it had come out before he could stop himself, “Sorry, it’s just… a lot of teachers used to start classes that way, so in the present situation it just seems…”
“Polite?” Marcus scowled at him, “In the Old Kingdom my people would have called such introductions basic etiquette. Marcus Haorzawa, at your service. Head of the Haorzawa family of Kingstown,” Marcus bowed.
“Thank you Mr. Haorzawa,” Azraea said resisting the impulse to curtsy like a teenage girl at a formal, “Azraea Thanel, master necromancer, formerly of Kingstown’s university.”
“I’m sorry,” Schroeder was obviously tired and stressed, but now he was embarrassed, and jumped in next, “Retger Schroeder, acting captain of the Kingstown Cityguard, ma’am. Three decades experience teaching military history and martial arts. About two months experience in the KCG.”
“Your star rose rapidly, Captain,” Marcus commented.
Schroeder shrugged, “What goes up…”
Jericho picked up next, “Sgt. Jericho Stone of the Caelian Highway Guard, ma’am. Formerly of the Gnoman Auxiliary Legion, and before that the Army of Caelia.”
“Verax Scorpio Vexarius,” Vinny said proudly. His real name surprised Azraea, and the title he gave surprised the others, “Legate of the 5th Dexter Legion.”
Jericho whistled, “I knew that nose of yours looked familiar! Good God, your mother was the Scorpion of Slosi, wasn’t she?”
“Grandmother,” Verax said, “How old are you?”
Jericho shrugged, “Who keeps track these days?”
“Who indeed?” Marcus smiled at Jericho as if he knew some especially entertaining secret.”
Schroeder, however, looked irritated, “Dexter Legion my ass. I may not have left the borders of this country but I know my history – the Gnoman Empire doesn’t send lone Dexter Legionnaires into other countries in the middle of a civil war. The heralds were right, weren’t they? The Gnoman Empire’s been mucking about in our kingdom… if this madness is your fault…”
Azraea started to come to his defense but Jericho shut him down first, “If you had a dragon living on your northern border you’d do the same thing Schroeder. Remember Quinox? What did they call the Caelians that went north of the border?”
Schroeder sighed, “Military advisors.”
“And I think it’s fair to say that the roots of our present problems predate the earliest possible involvement of our Gnoman 'military advisor,'” Marcus nodded towards Verax.
“It’s all about perspective,” Jericho agreed.
“And right now we should have one shared perspective,” Azraea nodded, “the five of us, looking down the gullet of an angry dragon.”
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