Perrin beamed. “Thank you, sir. And eight guards? That’s new.”
The High General scoffed. “Nicko Mal thinks the world should see I’m fully protected ‘at such a dangerous time as this, and in such a dangerous place as this’. Waste of manpower.” He started for the command tower, grinning. “Now I want to see your map—”
“Uhh,” Perrin said, not following his father but glancing at the coach, “I didn’t realize you were coming alone.”
General Shin stopped suddenly and his smile fell. He immediately spun around and marched back to the coach. Perrin kept his face very still, saving his outburst of laughter for later when he relayed to Mahrree what happened next.
Mrs. Joriana Shin stood at the open door, one eyebrow raised and a hand on her waist. As her husband sheepishly walked over to help her down—the footman stood ready but she ignored him—Joriana said quietly to her husband, “A little over-excited about towers and flags, are we?”
Perrin couldn’t tell what his father responded, but when he turned around he wore an overly-grave expression, one that he reserved only for the rare times he was embarrassed.
Perrin’s mother walked over to her son and embraced him.
“Your father’s been excited the entire ride, son,” she whispered into his ear. “Now be a good boy and let him play on one of your towers, all right? He’ll pout all the way home if he doesn’t.”
“Of course, Mother!”
Perrin escorted his mother to his home to visit her grandchildren before he, the High General, and the eight guards went on their tour of the new system.
By the time General Shin climbed down the third tower he inspected, he was beaming. “Every house in every village will be labeled, the residents’ names recorded, and towers just like this one erected everywhere, Major Shin. I defy the Guarders to find a way to strike us now!”
Several of his guard nodded in agreement, except for two lieutenants who were climbing down the tower. Everyone, it seemed, needed to inspect the view.
“I’m glad to hear it, General,” Major Shin smiled. “There are still some problems we need to consider, such as posting the banners in villages that don’t have a constant breeze—maybe vertically? But—”
“But nothing. You’ll work it out. I want copies of your plans and tower dimensions before we leave for Idumea in four days. Seventeen copies of each, Major. Get some men on it as soon as we get back to the fort. I also want detailed explanations of how you taught the men to know the village,” the High General said in a tone as cheerful as he’d ever attempted, and started walking back to the fort with his guards and son.
“As for the names of each resident, Mal’s already told me he has a few concerns about recording more than a family name,” the High General told him, “but I’ll work on him. And I also want the procedures for conducting the Races to Edge. That Zenos certainly is fast, isn’t he?” He hadn’t stopped grinning since he arrived.
Perrin chuckled, partially because of his father’s nearly exuberant behavior. “Yes, sir, he is!”
Corporal Zenos caught up to them just as they turned onto the main fort road. He was still winded and sweaty, despite the cool temperature, as he saluted the general.
“Sir, I hope the race was satisfactory in demonstrating how we, um, traverse the terrain in order to uh, to uh . . .” He struggled to find enough official-sounding words.
High General Shin actually chuckled as he patted Zenos on the back, then put his hand on his shoulder to steer the corporal to walk with them.
Perrin simply shook his head in amazement.
“The race was very entertaining and effective. Yes, Zenos, good run. But I must admit, I think I would’ve enjoyed watching my son race you instead. I heard from my daughter-in-law it was quite an exciting finish last week.”
Perrin winced.
Zenos dared to smile. “It was, sir. Major Shin is very fast.”
“He always was!” the High General bragged to his guard.
They nodded politely to him.
Perrin cringed and blushed.
“No one could beat him,” the general announced, happily squeezing Zeno’s shoulder.
The corporal shrugged a little from the unintended pain of Relf Shin’s good mood.
“Perhaps you can run the race again next year, Corporal, and I can come observe it myself.”
Perrin noticed Shem’s discomfort, and was starting to feel some himself. “Father, I really don’t think that—”
The High General held up a hand to stop his son. “We’ll discuss next year’s race next year. Now, Major, I have a question about communication between the towers—”