and Zayden was just bitching to bitch. Zayden’s glare was brilliant, though.
Just like old times.
They had been on the road for a month, moving slowly to keep from any stupid injuries over the treacherous terrain they had to cross. They had been allowed to set the pace, given no proper timetable for the mission because of the inexperience of the other warriors. These strike missions were precarious and dangerous. With large campaigns, one slip up didn’t have to lead to death, but with smaller missions, a single, small mistake could kill everyone in the unit.
“We’re almost there,” another warrior said, riding up beside him. His name was Tekyv, and Mat wasn’t too fond of him after the month they’d spent together. A climber—Mat saw them a lot during the first war. They didn’t just want to do their job. They wanted to do their job and make it seem like they did more than their job and had to cover for others. Mat and Zayden had plenty of experience with the type. They were go-getters, tried to know everything, and never had any fun. They inserted themselves into everything, which was the most telltale sign of their intentions. They wanted to be seen, wanted to be a part of everything, so they were noticed.
“I know.” He eyed the male, wondering if there would be a response.
Tekyv met his stare but backed down quickly. “Maybe we should stop, so you can check the maps again.”
“I don’t need to check the maps again.” Mat pointed in the distance. “We will forge a path between those two mountains, off the beaten trail, and enter a small valley. That valley will put us a half day's flight from the Elvasi’s camp, which will be farther to the southeast, by a large river that cuts through a larger valley.”
“Understood, sir. If we’re so close, should we speed up? We could make it there by nightfall—”
“No.” Mat continued to ride at the same steady pace he’d kept for a month. “We stay on track. If we have to spend a day or two resting in the valley to make sure we hit at the right time at our best, that’s what we do.”
“The importance of the mission—”
“Is not so pressing we need to run in, weary from the trip,” he snapped. “The horses also need a break. We can’t give them a long one, but we’re going to give them what we can. The importance of the mission is to succeed with minimal casualties. We don’t have the warriors to spare if we start getting sloppy.”
“Is that how missions like this were run during the first war?” he asked.
“I don’t know. You would have to ask Nevyn or Kian when we make it back. I’m only going off of the thousand years I’ve spent with the Company.” He knew Tekyv’s intent and didn’t want to play into it.
“Don’t get uppity with us,” Zayden growled.
“I’m just trying to understand the precedence of the decision making. I fought in the first war, and I’ve worked with Seanev and Leria for the last thousand years. When we attacked the Elvasi, we did so quickly. We ambushed them in quick strikes, never letting them have the opportunity to find us.”
I don’t really fucking care what they did.
“We’re trying to play this smart,” Zayden countered. “If they were closer, we might be able to do that, but we’ve all been on the road for a month and don’t want to risk injuries that could lead to us losing warriors. By reports, we’ll be too far from the Elvasi camp for them to find us.”
“They’ll have scouts,” Tekyv fired back, getting heated. “If their scouts stumble on us—”
“Stop. You aren’t in charge of this mission. Zayden and I are,” Mat said, pulling his horse around to cut off the other warrior. Beyond him, Mat could see the rest of their team, silent as they slowed to a stop. One looked to be nearly asleep. He’d had night watch, so Mat didn’t call him out. He stayed focused on Tekyv. “Nevyn, Zayden, and I spoke about all of this before we left. His recommendation was to take a night of rest if we can. Zayden and I agreed with him, knowing how long this trip would be. Now, we have a war against the Elvasi to fight. This mission can go very simply. It’s not complicated. We go in under the cover of darkness slowly. We find their supply stores. We burn them