Return of the Damned

Epilogue

Regdar, Tasca, and Whitman stood at attention outside the duke's office. The heavy doors creaked open, and a short, bald, heavyset man with glasses came out.

"The duke will see you now," he said, and he held the door open for the soldiers.

Inside, Duke Christo Ramas, now fully healed after several days, rest and the ministrations of at least five clerics, sat behind his desk. He glared at the men as they walked in.

Regdar stopped several paces from the edge of the desk and saluted. The dwarf and the elf did the same.

The duke saluted back. "You'll be happy to know that Hortoga Gendolin, the Grandmaster of the wizards' school at the Floating Crystal, has seen to it personally that the vizier's bottle will never be found again."

The duke stood and stepped around from behind his desk. "I suppose I owe each of you a debt of gratitude." He paced before them. "You did save my life." He stopped and studied each of them. "The fact remains, however, that you, Regdar," he pointed his thick finger at the big fighter, "directly defied my orders and abandoned your position in the New Koratian army to chase after a dead person." He wheeled on Tasca and Whitman. "And you two followed suit without so much as a peep."

Tasca opened his mouth to speak, but the duke's glare silenced him.

"I've heard your excuses," he said, "chief among them being your loyalty to Captain Regdar. I find them to be no more than juvenile finger pointing." He looked each of them squarely in the eye, one at a time. "You are responsible for yourselves and your actions at all times, regardless of what a superior officer tells you."

Regdar wrinkled his forehead. "But sir-"

"Silence," shouted the duke. "I know damned well that I'm contradicting myself." He walked back behind his desk and sat down. "Now you can see my dilemma. If it hadn't been for a few quick-thinking individuals, we never would have gotten out of that mess."

Duke Christo Ramas scratched his face and once more looked over the three men in turn. After a long moment of silence, he spoke again.

"Here's what I'm going to do. Tasca and Whitman, you will both be reinstated in the New Koratian military and given promotions to the rank of captain." The duke smiled. "Let's see how you like it when one of your men decides to blame his actions on you."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," said the dwarf and the elfin unison.

"As for you Regdar, I will release you from custody and reinstate you at your old rank, under one condition."

Regdar nodded. "What condition is that, sir?"

"That you never tell anyone what you got away with." The duke smiled. "I can't have the troops thinking I'm soft."