Rexis did not attend the ceremony, for pomp and formality was not his place.

  He was at a small camp just beyond the city’s northern walls, close enough to the Ahbek that when he stood still, he could hear the gentle flow of the water.

  He was accompanied by a gaggle of aspirants to his personal scout cohort: The Veltari. They were an eclectic mix of men and women, wrapped up in foul weather cloaks despite the clear sky and gentle winds, all of their caste marks blackened to denote their service to him.

  He had set up a target just down river from where they stood, little more than some old boards nailed together with a coloured piece of cloth thrown over the top.

  “Some of you may be familiar with the composite longbows used by our frontline cohorts. We on the other hand, employ shorter, reflex bows.” Rexis continued the lecture he had been giving on basic techniques for the last ten minutes, pacing up and down in front of the group. He scooped up one such weapon, holding it loosely in his hand. “You’ll find these primarily being used from horseback, or, as we do, on the move.”

  With a swift flick of his wrist, he snatched a trio of arrows from a hide quiver at his belt, clutching each between two fingers. With a series of precise, mechanical movements he drew and loosed each of the arrows in rapid succession, his impeccable aim rewarded by three heavy thuds.

  He did not so much as glance at the target. “They are an effective weapon. They are lighter, more compact, and carry a surprising draw weight in comparison to their larger cousins. They are not, however, the quintessential answer to our ranged question.” He threw the bow onto the ground and hooked his thumbs into his belt. “We spend much of our time belly-down in the sand, staying hidden. This causes problems for our reflex friend here. Try as you might, you will not be as effective as you are standing up, running, or on a horse. Thus, you must learn yet another skill to be of use under my command.”

  He pulled a slim, hilt-less dagger from his belt, and with a twist of his upper body hurled it into the target with another satisfying thud. “Knives,” he declared, noticing three heavily armoured figures marching towards him as he turned back to face the aspirants. “They are faster and require only one hand. But they demand far more practice and judgement to use effectively. You will begin practicing with these, and you will keep practicing until you impress me, which I promise you will take some time to achieve”

  His speech over, he turned abruptly and bowed to the armoured figures. “My lord Consul,” he grunted. “Daiss, Cleonar.”

  “Rexis,” Aiur rumbled, casting his eye across the men and women behind him.

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  “Is the ceremony over? Or do you require me for something, my lord?” Rexis asked.

  Aiur smiled. “As it happens, both. I wish to organise a little field test for your aspirants.”

  Rexis grinned slapping his hands together. “Excellent. Lay out your plan then, sir.”

  “Let us find somewhere slightly further out of earshot first, shall we? The last thing I’d want is to spoil all their fun.” Aiur chuckled, inclining his head at the aspirants. They had all shuffled a little closer.

  “Of course. Lead the way, sir,” Rexis said, with a formal salute; a bare fist slapped against the chest. He led them away from his little target range and into the camp proper.

  They quickly found themselves one of the few small tents that were not occupied; a simple thing of plain cloth. They huddled around a small table, which Daiss rolled a parchment map onto.

  “The concept is simple,” Aiur began, pushing his shoulders back and keeping his voice low. “You have often lamented to me the difficulty in providing training that adequately replicates real-world scenarios. Put simply, you want to catch them off guard.” Rexis nodded as Aiur continued. “After thinking on this, I’ve had an idea. We propose to your prospective scouts a series of training manoeuvres on a patrol. We sweep up along the Ahbek via the towns of Quisal and Inun, and curve around the south side of the peaks in the central desert. Along the way we go through the motions; basic training exercises on the move.” As he gave his proposition, he traced his fingers along his intended route.

  “Apologies for the interruption my lord, but this sounds very much like the standard affair I have lamented the inefficacy of…repeatedly,” Rexis said sceptically.

  Aiur snapped his fingers. “Precisely. While we are doing this, Cleonar will be leading another patrol of legionaries the opposite way, first via Ptheka, then across the A’at and around the northern edge of the peaks skirting the open desert. We meet halfway around outside a small hamlet and pit them against each other in a proper, unexpected, test of skill.” His clawed digit stabbed into the parchment at the suggested meeting point. To Rexis’ eyes, it looked to be a tiny mining hamlet in the foothills, but Aiur’s claw obscured more of the map than the hamlet covered.

  Rexis gripped his chin as he slowly paced back and forth while making a series of emphatic gestures with his other hand. “A clever idea. Letting them get comfortable works nicely, and though it is a long march, the circuit route can make the meeting seem accidental. Pitting them against professional troops is a strong test, especially if they don’t see it coming. The length will also tire them, which is more representative of combat conditions…” he stopped his pacing and nodded. “I like this idea.”

  “Excellent, when would you be ready to leave?” Aiur asked, putting his hands behind his back.

  Rexis waved a hand dismissively. “Bah, dawn at the latest, that’s no issue.” He fixed Aiur with a curious stare. “You have been using ‘we’ a lot. You’re coming with us? Why?”

  “I wish to see your famous scouts working at their best. I want to observe and understand your methods better. Of course, the presence of someone with my level of seniority would also apply just the right amount of pressure on them, make things just that little bit harder on them all.” When Rexis continued to stare, clearly unconvinced, he elaborated. “I also need a very long walk. Preferably as far from the city as possible”

  Rexis chuckled. “Now that, sir, I can understand.”