stuffed leather chair. When Galina sat in it, the thing nearly swallowed her up. She gripped the thick armrests and pulled herself forward so that she could balance on the edge of the cushion. Sebastian brought a small table and his desk chair over, then sat down.
“I suppose it will do for an impromptu lunch setting,” he said.
“I came for the conversation, not the decor, my volshebnik. Now, I believe you were telling me that your mission was worse than you’d anticipated?”
“Ah yes. You see, the commander tasked us with flushing out what we thought were a group of bandits who had been harassing merchant ships on the Sestra. It was my first time dealing with such fiends, and though I of course did not expect them to fight with honor, I was disgusted by just how low they were willing to go.” He paused for a moment, and his face grew pensive. “I’m ashamed to say that their devious traps took the life of one of my men.”
“Oh dear,” said Galina.
“Indeed. Naturally, I did not hesitate to show my displeasure. We had them cornered in a cave, and rather than risk any more of my men to their diabolical machinations, I simply filled the whole thing with fire.”
“The… cave?” Galina felt a cold chill in her stomach, but she strove to only allow an expression of confusion to show in her face. Perhaps she was misunderstanding. “With… the bandits still inside?”
“Of course,” he said. “I doubt they would have come out of their own volition.”
“But they did come out?” she pressed.
“Oh no. They all burned to death.”
“I… see.”
Galina strove not to show the horror that she felt, but she was no Irina Turgenev and her feelings must have been plain, because Sebastian suddenly looked anxious. He leaned across the table to take her hand. He began to stroke it softly as he spoke.
“I—I realize that must sound rather harsh. And I confess I did have some feelings of regret after, concerned that I had once again let my temper carry my actions too far. But we did have one captive from the group, the local miller, and we brought him back to the garrison. That’s when I was relieved to learn that my actions had been quite justified. You see, he confessed under intense questioning that they were not bandits at all.”
“No?” She could not imagine what those men could have been that would justify their cruel fate. Mass murderers? Child rapists?
“They were rebel dissidents intent on overthrowing the empire!” Sebastian said grimly. “Can you imagine? That cave was a hornet’s nest of extremist militant traitors who had no doubt been filling the minds of simple peasants with all manner of treasonous ideas. When this came to light, the commander told me it had been a godsend that I’d treated them so firmly. Had I shown them the slightest mercy, it could have emboldened other such fanatical groups to even worse acts of terrorism. I had no idea at the time, but apparently this was not the first rebel cell we have been forced to dismantle, and the commander firmly believes it will not be the last.” He shook his head, looking wounded. “Here we are, ready to lay our lives down for the safety of Izmoroz, and instead of thanks, these people show us nothing but contempt. The commander believes they are resentful of our strength and their own weakness, and that is why they lash out so horribly.”
Galina stared at Sebastian. It was true that she could be prideful at times, but she was humble enough to admit when she was wrong, and as she looked into the firm, unyielding gaze of her betrothed, she understood that she had made a terrible mistake. Perhaps she had overestimated her influence over Sebastian, or underestimated the commander’s. Or perhaps underneath it all, he had been a lost cause from the beginning. Regardless, it was clear that accepting Sebastian’s proposal of marriage had been the most foolish thing she had ever done in her short life.
He looked at her with renewed concern. “My love? Are you all right?”
And now she was presented with a choice. She could be honest with Sebastian, shatter this illusory calm, and denounce him for his barbarous actions and callous views. Such an act would likely satisfy the anger and disappointment that roared within her narrow chest. But what would that accomplish in the long run? It would break her heart, and his, and their parents’