"Might I also intrude, do you suppose, Colonel?" Verdant said with the utmost politeness.
The Colonel scowled heavily. The refusal seemed very much on the tip of his tongue. To allow Verdant would be to indulge Oliver… But still, Verdant was the Idris heir, and as Queen Asabel's Pillar of Coin, he – and his house – had grown immensely close with Lord Blackthorn, as he assisted the man in his duties. Lord Blackthorn would not have been happy to hear that the Colonel had snubbed his son.
"You have my permission," he replied stiffly. "But it is the General himself who will decide."
He said that all as he parted, washing it away as if it was someone else's concern.
"Very well, we'll leave the men in your care, Jorah," Oliver said. "If it comes to it, take command long enough to see the men sensibly in formation. We should be back before then."
