Walking through the field of tents and mercenaries, I wondered if this would be the last time I ever did this.

We just got done with a meeting. One that had been very important.

Our band, not just my group, but the whole Silken Band… all five thousand members, had been hired for one of our biggest jobs yet.

We were to capture a castle. One of the greatest sieges in recent years. A mighty feat, one we would likely end up failing to accomplish… based off the gloomy atmosphere of the meeting just now.

I sighed a little, glad to be done for the day. I honestly didn’t mind planning and debating with the other captains, but by the dead gods did they sometimes annoy me.

They were all just human, after all. They couldn’t think beyond their little heads.

To think I used to see them all as scary, super knowledgeable beings. The thought of being scared of a human today made me scoff and laugh, as if at some sick joke.

I couldn’t though. Since I knew the truth.

Glancing around at the tents I walked past, and all the gleaming weapons and armor everywhere, I knew why I couldn’t actually look down on them all.

Humans were terrifying. Even if stupid. Even if weak.

This group here, this Silken Band, could wipe our entire Society out if they wanted to. If they knew of our existence.

Or well…

Maybe.

I suppose it depended if Vim was involved or not.

I hummed at that thought, wondering how easily the fortress we were about to throw thousands of soldiers at to conquer would fall if we had Vim. a single man would change the whole thing.

Right now it was likely a fifty-fifty shot of winning. But if I had Vim…? If he was here, and willing to fight alongside me…?

The idea of failing wouldn’t even be a thought. It’d no longer be some grandiose plan, with months of work and planning behind it, but instead a simple afternoon. One we could finish up swiftly enough to be back home in time for supper.

Smirking at the idea, I entered my section of the tent ocean. My colors, my flags, began to appear as I headed for my tent.

“Sir!” some men stood at attention as I walked by, but I ignored them. I was in no mood to talk to anyone at the moment.

Plus if I did I’d get in trouble.

Hurrying into my tent, I sighed in relief to find mother still here.

She sat at my desk, looking over whatever report I’d recently received.

“Did anyone bother you?” I asked as I went to take off my cloak. It was too thick and heavy inside this tent. Mother hadn’t had the fire pit going, but it was still warm in the sun.

“No? Your men obey orders well. That Klima kept them all away,” Mother said as she kept her eyes on the report.

Good. Klima was old, but not useless.

“The battle is on. We march in the morning, and will be there within the week,” I said.

“I see,” Mother said as she put the report down and went to read another.

Feeling a little judged, I decided to let it be. I knew mother wasn’t being callous… she was just this type of person.

Once she made a decision, she stuck to it. Come hell or high water. And she’d decided already to help me do this, and that was it. There was nothing else to talk about. Not at least about the decision, or the battle itself.

“Do uh… do you need anything? Want armor or something?” I asked carefully as I went start the fire at the pit. Not for warmth, but to make something to drink.

Mother didn’t like alcohol, so I needed to make tea.

“No? I told you, I’ll not participate. I’ll stay out of it until you’re ready to come home,” she said.

Right… she had said that. She planned to stay back, away from the battle itself, until I came to her. To leave the Silken Band.

My plan was to do it a week or so after the battle started. Or at least, right before it ended. In victory or defeat, it didn’t matter. I wanted to slip away, and leave, while the battle was at its peak. When most soldiers died.

To put my rumors to rest. For good.

For the Society.

“You know, Branches…”

I turned a little, pausing right before starting a fire, to look at my mother. She looked up from the desk, to me, and I didn’t really like the look on her face.

It looked a little like when Leaf had died. That look of sorrow, or rather, the look that tried to hide the sorrow.

Mother had never cried in front of me. Ever. Not once. But I knew better than to think that meant she didn’t have such emotions or feelings.

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“Yes, mother?” I asked carefully.

“You sure you want to do this…? You enjoy being a mercenary, don’t you?” she asked.

Oh.

“Well…” I hesitated, and turned to stand up and face her. This was a conversation that should be had face to face, not while I was distracted. Let alone over a measly fire.

“I know you think you need to do this, because of what the Chronicler said… but don’t let them choose for you, Branch. They’re stupid. Do what you want to.”

I nodded. Yes. I knew that. Mother had already said similar, when she had arrived yesterday.

“Right… but… well…” I shifted a little, feeling like a young kid again.

Mother held my gaze, waiting for me to find my nerve. I wanted to groan, since I really should be better than this by now. By the dead gods, I was several hundreds of years old… and I was a hardened warrior! I’d been a mercenary for most of my adult life!

“Crown… how is she?” I asked.

Mother blinked, and sat up straighter. “Broken. She had loved that man.”

I nodded. Yes. I heard. My lovely younger sister, the only one out of all of them to treat me kindly and not shun me, had recently lost the love of her life. The man she had planned to marry. A human man, but still the one who she had given her heart to.

“I… don’t want to end up like her,” I told mother, honestly.

Mother frowned at that. “Like Crown…? Are you saying you love one of these mercenaries?” she asked as she glanced to the door, as if wondering if the person I spoke of would appear.

I smiled and shook my head. “No! No, mother. I just… I fear if I stay like this, like I am, then I will end up like her. Broken. Not so much over love, I guess, but… the result would be the same. I fear if I stay a mercenary, I’ll end up wasting my life. Or at least, feeling like I did.”

My mother’s frown deepened.

She didn’t say anything, so I decided to better explain. If anything, for myself.

“Basically… I want to try a different lifestyle. Maybe find a mate myself…? Or maybe just… do something different? I don’t know. Maybe I should try and reach out to my siblings again, to rebuild my relationship with them,” I said.

Mother sighed at me. “I’d never tell you not to do what you want, son… but you sound like you have no idea what you want,” she said.

“I know. It’s true.”

“Is this because that bird turned you down? That Kathrime?”

“Cathrine. And… no? Yes? Maybe?” I said, gosh she knew? How embarrassing.

Mother scoffed. “That woman wasn’t worth you, son. She’s a harlot. Don’t feel bad.”

Harlot…? She hadn’t seemed like that. Though that might just be mother being spiteful. She was like that, when it concerned us her children.

“All the same… I want this. Plus it’s time. They’re all starting to really notice that I don’t age. Klime and the rest have obviously noticed, but don’t care, but lately some of the other captains have too. Usually we have so many people die, and come and go, that no one lives long enough to notice… but we’ve become so big that the upper leaders aren’t being replaced as often anymore,” I said.

“Yeah, because of you.”

Flinching at that, I nodded. Right.

I wasn’t really sure if I alone was really making that big a difference… but I had no choice but to admit I was definitely making some kind of an impact.

I wasn’t human, after all. Plus I was my mother’s son. And I had been trained by Vim too.

Mother shifted a little, putting her head on her balled fist as she studied me. “So… you want a wife?” she asked.

Blushing a little, I shrugged. “Maybe…?”

She smiled at that, and I was a little glad to see it wasn’t one of her teasing ones. She wasn’t disappointed, she looked actually happy for me.

“Your father will love to hear that. He’s been whining something fierce about our severe lack of grandchildren,” she said.

I wanted to mention she herself had been complaining about it lately, but didn’t. I knew better.

“I had been hoping Crown would have been the first,” I said gently.

“Hm… it would have bugged me for her to have given birth to a human’s child, but honestly I’d have preferred that over this…” she admitted.

Right… “Has she gone home yet?” I asked.

“No. But I plan to bring her home once I can. Windle thinks we should leave her alone, he says those with such broken hearts usually find someone else really quickly if you just let them be,” she said.

Father said that…? “He would know, I guess,” I admitted.

Mother scoffed at that as I returned to lighting the fire. I got it lit, and went to prepare the tea. As I did Klime peaked his head into the tent.

“Sir…? May I interrupt?”

“Come in Klime.”

He did so, carefully… and I noticed the way he was doing his best to not look at mother. He kept his eyes on me, and I smiled at my old friend. He looked withered. Over the last season he had lost a lot of his weight, likely from some kind of sickness.

Another reason to leave. I didn’t want to see him die.

“Captain Flour has requested a meeting with you. In an hour,” he said.

I nodded. “I’ll be there. Thank you.”

Klime nodded… and then glanced carefully to the other side of the tent, at mother.

She didn’t say anything to his look, but he still flinched as if she did and he coughed and looked back at me.

“I’d say don’t be scared, but you should be. Mother is dangerous,” I said.

“Hey…? I’d not hurt your men,” Mother defended herself.

Klime shifted, and looked as if he wasn’t sure if he should smile or worry.

“Thank you for making sure she’s not bothered. Please keep doing so, as you can,” I asked of him.

He nodded. “Of course, sir. Um… shall I prepare your dinner? Anything um…” he glanced at mother, nad I knew it was beucase he wasn’t sure what to say or ask.

“Please. Something hearty. In fact why not prepare a feast? For everyone?” I suggested.

“Oh…? You sure, sir?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Go ahead. Let everyone know, and get them all prepared,” I said.

“Right away!” he sounded excited, and hurriedly left.

“A farewell feast?” Mother asked gently.

I nodded. “Was going to do it the night before the battle, but sometimes such things go awry. We might get there and get sent straight into battle, no time to drink and eat,” I said. It happened more often than not, since we traveled a tad slower than other groups. Being bigger.

Mother hummed at that. “Make sure you make the food for us, son,” she reminded me.

I nodded. I knew she’d say that, after having said such a thing to Klime.

Mother didn’t eat anything made by humans. Ever. Never would, never has.

“I know. I’ll handle it after my meeting.”

“Flour, was it? A woman?” she asked.

“Yeah?”

“She worthy of being your wife?” she asked.

“She’s human,” I said as I stopped preparing the tea, to look at her.

Mother met my eyes, and smiled. “That’s my boy.”

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