The general was standing at the window, silhouetted by the light streaming in from outside. As we entered, he turned to face us.
“Ah! Come in, gentlemen,” he boomed in a mellow tone. “I’ve been expecting you. Do make yourselves comfortable. Help yourselves to the wine if you wish.”
I found his sudden display of friendliness even more disquieting than his earlier show of hostility. Aahz, however, took it all in stride, immediately taking up the indicated jug of wine. For a moment I thought he was going to pour a bit of it into one of the goblets which shared the tray with the jug and pass it to me. Instead, he took a deep drink directly from the jug and kept it, licking his lips in appreciation. In the midst of the chaos my life had suddenly become, it was nice to know some things remained constant.
The general frowned at the display for a moment, then forced his features back into the jovial expression he had first greeted us with.
“Before we begin the briefing,” he smiled, “I must apologize for my rude behavior during the interview. Grimble and I have . . . differed in our opinions on the existing situation, and I’m afraid I took it out on you. For that I extend my regrets. Ordinarily, I would have nothing against magicians as a group, or you specifically.”
“Whoa! Back up a minute. General,” Aahz interrupted. “How does your feud with the chancellor involve us?”
The general’s eyes glittered with a fierceness that belied the gentility of his oration.
“It’s an extension of our old argument concerning allocation of funds,” he said. “When news reached us of the approaching force, my advice to the king was to immediately strengthen our own army that we might adequately perform our sworn duty of defending the realm.”