"Your Excellency, you misunderstand," came Raylo's voice.
"I am not shirking from battle. I simply do not agree with filling the moat with the lives of our soldiers."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the solid fortress on the sand table.
"I will not join your assault."
Viscount Andrew let out a cold laugh and was about to retort with sarcasm, but then he heard the rest of Raylo's sentence.
"However, I am willing to take on the task of capturing Red Iron Castle myself."
The entire command tent fell silent in an instant. You could hear a pin drop.
All eyes were fixed on Raylo.
Shock, disbelief, confusion...
Viscount Andrew's fury was doused as if by a bucket of ice water, and he stood frozen in place.
'Take it on himself?'
'The sheer arrogance!'
He had gathered the forces of several houses and lost over a hundred Knights, yet he still couldn't crack this tough nut. What right did this wet-behind-the-ears brat have?
