"I'll say this to you once," he said. "We are in the field, not in court. You will address me by my rank, not my title."

"Yes, Lord ... General."

"Now, what is it?"

"I was just wondering, sir, if you would be dining alone or with your officers tonight?"

Dardas suppressed his annoyance at having his reverie interrupted for such a trivial matter. The junior officer was barely in his twenties and standing duty as aide for the first time tonight, so he couldn't be expected to be familiar with the general's routines or proper protocol.

"I'll dine alone tonight," he said. "In my pavilion, I think."

"I'll see to it at once, sir," the aide responded and hurried away, obviously eager to get out from under his commander's scrutiny.

In spite of himself, Dardas was amused by the youth's discomfort. Among others, he had implemented the policy that officers from various units were to rotate through the position of his personal aide. Partly this was being done so he could familiarize himself with the officers under his command. More important, however, was that it allowed him to dismiss those favored officers who would normally have held the post permanently. They would be the ones most likely to notice the changes in the "Lord Weisel" they had known for years.

Even now, after only three campaigns, Dardas was overhearing murmured comments, most of them expressing pleasant surprise as to how effective a battle leader the previously discounted Lord Weisel was proving to be. Apparently there had been no small measure of protest and concern when Matokin had named Lord Weisel as the commander of the army.

It seemed Weisel, who affected pretenses of military aptitude, was traditionally indecisive and easily confused. The critics were pleased to admit the error of their misgivings, however, as the army was now functioning with superb efficiency.

Weisel was one of the few Felk lords who was not also a mage. Matokin had otherwise surrounded himself with wizards.