strong-willed leader. We both know this little speech means they’ll follow the directions of the woman ruling their world. I’ve heard nothing but Queen Cassandra this and that, night and day since I met the Draconians. They not only idolize her but take her word as law. Sighing, I muscle my frustration back.
“Any ideas on how to locate the Sonadraid?”
Mathadar’s expression clears. “We retrace our steps, revisiting every enemy base. If they are low on resources, it makes sense that they would rebuild rather than expend the extra resources to scout new territory.”
A thought pops into my mind. “Maybe they’re hiding in plain sight at one of our former bases. It’s obvious that we’d be more likely to look for them where they’ve been rather than where we’ve been. Think about it for a minute. When they were attacking our bases, they had to scout the terrain and familiarize themselves with the lay of the land.”
Chantel moves to my side. “It’s the one place they think we’ll never look, because the harmonic resonance creatures hid under their military base and they didn’t suspect it for a very long time, even when sitting right on top of them. We’ve evacuated most of our former bases and they know we’re thinning our forces, so they’d see it as unlikely that we’d just spontaneously go back to those areas.”
Borak chimes in, his opinions unasked. “I agree that the Moltan are smart. They’ve adapted to use our own military tactics against us, so it stands to reason they would do the same with our tiny allies.”
Mathadar thinks the situation over for a minute. “We’ll break the elite ten into three teams. I will remain here, protect our one remaining base and coordinate activities on the ground. Borak, you are tasked with verifying our former bases are not being exploited by the enemy.” His hand comes out to rest on the big warrior’s shoulder. “Also, check any feeding stations we still have in operation to see if our supplies have been molested and if there are queens in need of rescue. I have no wish for vulnerable queens to be left unprotected or taken by the enemy.”
His attention shifts to Kryos, one of the other elite warriors. I’m familiar with this man because he’s close to Borak. I see them with their heads together on and off. Borak once described their relationship as we give good counsel to one another. I don’t know what that means, but I guess it’s their way of describing a close friendship. Mathadar continues speaking. “Kryos, you will visit all the Moltan’s former bases and take careful note of anything that seems amiss.”
Stepping back, his wings click out a notch. “Report back to me the moment you find something. Ensure you take them alive and unharmed. I will send reinforcements and a team of healers to tend the Sonadraid the moment I get your message.”
As usual, I don’t get an assignment. We established I’m not in their chain of command long ago. It frees me up to give my input as I see fit and choose which teams I accompany on missions. Occasionally, I’m permitted to lead a team on a non-military mission like the one to retrieve our diminutive allies. The Draconians are protective bastards, so they won’t put me in charge of anything that smells like a battle and will do everything they can to protect me once the fighting starts. It’s strange how they haven’t managed to master basic equality in some regards but allow women to make all their decisions. The dichotomy can be confusing at times.
Naturally, I elect to accompany Borak, because he’s been tasked with executing my suggestion. We walk silently until we reach the weapons room. I watch as he gears up, sticking weapons on every available spot on his massive body. He’s not good looking by any stretch of the imagination, but this battle buddy of mine is becoming less alien to me by the day.
He notices that I’m watching him, and his wings jerk. “I am not weak.” His voice is gruff and annoyed.
The huffy announcement takes me aback. “I never said you were.”
“If you are inspecting me for flaws, you are wasting your time.” Thumping his clawed fist against the front of his armored form suit, he grounds out, “I am battle ready at all times.”
Trying to figure out what in the hell he’s talking about, I reply soothingly. “I’ve got no complaints in regards to you or your clade.