Chapter 585: Appointing the Lord General (Part One)
"Our war will begin as soon as the festival ends!"
Nyrielle’s words landed in the room like a torch thrown onto a puddle of oil, igniting strong reactions in everyone present. A few eyes turned to Hauke, wondering if the Vale of Mists’ recent alliance with the Frost Walkers was the reason that Nyrielle felt confident to press for war as winter approached.
For decades, the Vale and the Lothians had fallen into a stalemate where the heavy snows and bitter cold of winter constrained both sides, preventing Nyrielle and her progeny from exploiting their greater reach during the long nights of winter. While it was true that Nyrielle and her progeny had more ability to move, any attempt to bring her army along with her was likely to result in more deaths from exposure to the cold and difficulty transporting supplies than they would suffer at the hands of the enemy.
It was the same for the humans. While they could try to lay siege to the Vale or other Eldritch strongholds during the winter, they would be placing themselves at the edges of their ability to manage supply lines and deep within the striking range of Nyrielle and her progeny. Enough of them massed in one place might deter the powerful vampires but doing so would certainly leave them exposed somewhere else without the ability to quickly send reinforcements through the harsh weather.
But when people looked to Hauke as if the young Frost Walker lord was the key to the strategy behind Nyrielle’s announcement, he looked just as confused as everyone else. Other people at the table, however, were freer with their thoughts.
"Finally," Savis growled. A fearsome, predatory grin formed on his face as he bared his fangs, clutching his claws in anticipation of heated battles in the days to come. The battle against the Frost Walkers had been a shameful affair, and even though his Black Wolf Brigade had acquitted themselves well, it was far from the unrestrained slaughter that he and his men yearned for in these human lands.
"Already?" Ollie said softly, blinking in surprise and turning to face Ashlynn with a puzzled look. Hadn’t she said that they would need the winter to study witchcraft and prepare for the war to come? If the war was going to begin in the fall, how could he prepare himself for something that would surely be much, much worse than the nightmare he’d faced in the trial that Ashlynn had given him?
"My Lady," Commander Bassinger said in a deep, rumbling voice that cut through the chatter coming from other members of the war council. "My men are capable and blooded, and they will follow any order that you give. But they have just spent the summer fighting a campaign against Liam Dunn and Loman Lothian’s forces. The men are tired, and even though we fought well, there were losses to be mourned. It may be too soon to press them into battle again."
"They’ve fought one season, and they need to rest for two before they can fight again?" Savis sneered. "What kind of soft soldiers are you training in the Vale?"
"Soldiers whose lives are too precious to expend on uncertain actions," Bassinger shot back. "Each life in the Vale is worth twenty human soldiers, and I won’t trade one for less than that. To do so is an insult to their sacrifice and a price we can’t afford. You may have the luxury of expending your men’s lives carelessly, but we do not."