"The Guard Legion keeps Free City safe. We can all stroll through the streets without worrying about thieves, vagrants, or gangsters harassing us..."
Abby, the maid, counted off the reasons on her fingers, completely missing the growing pain on Luoxi's face.
"See? Free City needs you more than anywhere else."
Annan waved Abby away as she stood there looking like she knew she had caused trouble. "You've made your point. That's all."
Abby gathered her skirt and ran out. Annan looked at Luoxi, who was showing no composure at all. "Given up now?"
Luoxi was still muttering. "It's unfair to pull troops only from Femi's men. Why not let the Guard Legion compete with Hellfire and send the real elites?"
"Luoxi..."
Annan's tone hardened. "War isn't a game. Maybe to you, all it takes is a crook of your finger and the Ratfolk in the distance line up to die. But have you thought about why every living creature fears them? Why they swept into the Northern Frontier and sent us fleeing? Why even the Allied Forces assembled by the Empire could barely hold them back?"
"You're a Legion Commander. Your job isn't just to lead your Cavalry to glory. It's to keep them alive. If you win an epic victory but no one survives and countless people lose their loved ones... is that what you want?"
Luoxi fell silent. His earlier excitement was gone.
Annan went on. "That's why I chose Femi instead of you. He crawled out of Hell. He knows staying alive matters more than military honors."
Femi and Luoxi were the same age, yet Femi had a steadiness Luoxi lacked. So did Krian. Annan suspected Krian had faced death more than once during the year he spent returning to the Northern Frontier alone.
"Luoxi, find yourself