Interruption Two
Brutus was exactly average height for a man, and he resented anyone who implied otherwise.
Luckily, he and his apprentice were of similar heights—though Brutus knew for an absolute fact that he was one inch taller.
He’d measured. Multiple times. Unluckily, the new minions towered over him.
That was what he got for hiring orcs and lizardmen.
To remind everyone in the room who was in control, he gave the new guards cushions to sit on rather than chairs. This set them properly below his level, where they belonged.
The blackboard at the front of the office displayed several overlapping maps of the lair’s interior floors, exterior walls, and the abandoned city. “I need guards posted at all exterior entrances, patrolling the grounds, and patrolling the nearby forest.”
A scaled hand rose into the air. The captain of the lizardmen had yellow eyes and a muzzle full of sharp teeth. Brutus chose them as much for their intimidating appearance as for their willingness to work at reduced rates. A slight hiss accompanied every ‘s’ he spoke. “Are there more of us?”
Brutus’ brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
The lizard pointed to the board. “There are at least six exterior entrances, each should have two guards posted, for three total shifts. Patrolling the grounds requires another two guards per shift, though I recommend three or four. Finally, patrolling the Grimnight Forest requires a small squad for every shift, due to the number of present dangers, and the number of buildings offering potential hiding places.”
The captain of the orcs grunted, “The lizard’s right—”
“Lacertian.”
The orc nodded sharply and corrected himself. “The lacertian’s right. We’d need at least fifty hands to accomplish your desired level of defense. I count twenty-four.”
Brutus did not appreciate being ganged up on by his own minions. “Well—I—” he sputtered, looking back and forth between his two new captains. He couldn’t admit to not having the funds available for additional guards or they would worry about his ability to pay them.
“Prioritize patrolling the grounds, then guard the most obvious entrances,” a voice said behind him.
Brutus cursed and whirled around to face his apprentice. “When did you get here?”
“A few minutes ago.” The black hood of his cloak was raised again, hiding his face.
“This is no time to be mysterious,” Brutus scolded. “Lower the hood and show yourself to the new guards so that they don’t stab you on sight.” He narrowed his eyes at the room full of orcs and lacertians. “Not that any of you reacted to his presence.”
The orc captain shrugged. “We aren’t on duty yet.”
“Will there be a lot of people teleporting in and out of the lair?” asked the lacertian captain.
“No, my apprentice is a special case.” After a short pause, Brutus straightened and added, “I can also teleport anywhere I want in the lair, and I will use this ability to keep an eye on all of you.” He pointed to his eyes, to the guards, then back to his eyes.
Message relayed, he turned back to Wilde and ordered, “Lower your hood.”
Wilde never disobeyed a direct order. He flipped the hood back with a casualness that suggested he didn’t mind either way.
“You are not to wear the hood inside the lair until all champions are captured and dealt with. We don’t want any of them impersonating you.”
“Yes, Master,” Wilde replied obediently.
Brutus opened his mouth to address the captain’s concerns when a question interrupted him.
“All of them?”
“What?”
Wilde stared at Brutus placidly, his face a pale, blank canvas. “You said ‘all champions.’ Are you including—”
“Yes, all of them!” Brutus widened his eyes and tilted his head while making a not-so-subtle cutting-motion with his hand. Everything he could think of to tell his apprentice to shut up.
Wilde bowed his head and stopped interrupting.
“As I was saying—” What had Brutus been saying? He straightened and looked down his nose at the minions. “It is your job to guard this lair, and you must do it with the resources at your disposal. If you are incapable of such a task, leave.”
The captains exchanged a glance, then the orc stood.
Oh gods, were they actually leaving? Sweat dripped down Brutus’ brow but he told himself to hold firm. He could hire other minions. Earning their respect if he embarrassed himself now would be almost impossible.
“We will see your commands done, Your Grimness,” the orc announced. He gestured to his people, and they filed out of the room.
“It will be an interesting challenge,” the lacertian agreed as they followed the orcs.
Once the room cleared out, Brutus turned to Wilde and demanded, “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be monitoring the quest.”
“I came to give my report.”
“In person? Just use the mirror!”
“You didn’t respond to my summons.”
Brutus opened his mouth to continue arguing, then slowly closed it.
He had a fuzzy memory of the mirror alerting him to a message yesterday while he’d been napping.
Groggy and irritated, he’d silenced the mirror and must have forgotten to remove the spell later.
Pretending ignorance, he straightened and declared, “I’ve been busy preparing for our royal guests. Give me your report now.”
“They’ve set out for the Grimnight Forest. They should arrive at the boundary soon.”
“Soon? What do you mean soon?” Brutus forced himself to take a deep, calming breath. This was good. This was what he wanted. The sooner the royal champions arrived, the sooner he could thwart their plans, dismantle the defense spell, and conquer the Desolated Lands. “When will they reach the lair?”
“In a few days or a few weeks, depending on how difficult it is for them to navigate the forest’s challenges.”
“Excellent,” Brutus murmured, rubbing his hands together.
He considered performing his evil laugh, but he didn’t want to waste it on a one-man audience.
“Return to your post. Ensure everything goes smoothly.” The more trouble the royal champions ran into on their quest, the more downtrodden they would be when they fell into Brutus’ clutches.
Wilde should have immediately disappeared to obey his master’s command, but he hesitated. “Earlier, you didn’t want the guards to hear about Treasure’s role in your plans. Why?”
Apprentices should not question their master’s decisions, but Brutus decided to use this as a teaching moment.
“The more people who know about Treasure’s mission, the more likely he is to be exposed as a double agent.
I need the guards to treat him like the other royal champions, so his companions don’t suspect him. ”
“What if they hurt him?”
Was that concern? From a future evil mage? Brutus needed to nip that in the bud before it grew into something nasty and inconvenient. “Treasure understands the dangers of his mission. He’s willing to do whatever is necessary to see me succeed. Are you?”
Wilde stared at his master for a long time with dark, unyielding eyes. For a moment, Brutus thought he would say ‘no’, that his apprentice would walk away from five years of training without even blinking. He almost slumped in relief when Wilde finally answered.
“Yes, Master.”