Heir of Shandara (Book 4) Read Free Page A

had encountered so far. The stronghold itself was composed of remnant walls of a long-abandoned castle. Trees and shrubbery grew around the walls, becoming part of them. There were easily a few hundred soldiers and Elitesmen within the stronghold, whose interior was comprised mainly of tents.
    “Now comes the fun part,” Verona said, coming up to a branch near him.
    Aaron nodded. “Hopefully, the other teams are almost in position.”
    Gavril had advised them to work on coordinating their strikes as a team. The Free Nations Army, with their newest specialized recruits, needed to learn to work together. Their last encounter with a stronghold was almost a disaster. Former Elitesmen, while superb fighters, had issues with following orders and functioning as part of a larger fighting force. The younger ones were easier to retrain, as their experience within the Elitesmen Order wasn’t so ingrained in them. They still remembered what it was like before they became Elitesmen. The older Elitesmen who were not part of the Resistance gave him the most trouble, and were the riskiest to keep in the FNA. The Elitesman way was one of ruthless brutality to achieve their goals.  
    Dividing their number so that they were dispersed throughout the army was one way to reintegrate them back into the ever-changing world. At Sarah’s request, some were assigned to help with the sick and wounded soldiers, which did help reacquaint them with their own humanity. Unfortunately, this didn’t hold true for as many as they would have liked. Commanders down the chain voiced their protests at being assigned former Elitesmen among their own troops.  
    Isaac, a former Elitesman who was a leader among the Resistance in Khamearra, had taken it upon himself to help watch over and keep track of the former Elitesmen to ensure they were staying in line. Isaac’s efforts had proven invaluable, but after many long discussions with leaders of the FNA it was decided that the most troublesome cases came to Aaron. He insisted that he get a chance to work with them before they were to be imprisoned or executed.  
    Gavril, who had been a colonel in the Hythariam military over a hundred years before Aaron had been born, had more than a few ideas as to how to handle those men. They were given a chance to serve within a specialized force of the FNA that was headed up by Verona and himself. Having a group of highly skilled and lethal fighting men and women earned them the riskiest of missions. Within their specialized force was a group of soldiers that were extremely loyal to Aaron, which helped with those who would get it into their head to test their mettle against the famed scion of Shandara.
    “Sarik is in position,” Verona said.
    Aaron nodded, expecting nothing less. The young man threw himself into everything that came his way until he mastered what was taught.
    “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something, my friend,” Verona said.
    “Now?” Aaron asked with a slight grin. “Oh, is this about Iranus?”
    Verona wiped his hand across his brow and frowned. “I swear he doesn’t like me at all.”
    “That’s not true,” Aaron said.
    “You didn’t see the look on his face when he finally learned that Roselyn and I were together.”
    Aaron chuckled. “You probably just caught him off guard.”
    “That’s what I thought at first, but now whenever I enter the room, he draws himself up and looks at me as though something foul has just wandered in,” Verona said.
    “All fathers disapprove of their daughter’s significant others in the beginning. Could be worse; at least he hasn’t tried to kill you.”
    Verona was about to answer when a voice spoke over his comms device. “Do you guys realize that Verona’s comms channel is open?” Gavril asked, unable to keep the mirth from his voice.
    “Thank you, Aaron,” Iranus said. “I hadn’t thought of trying to have Verona killed, but it’s something I will seriously consider in the near