"Then again," Sodun added with a chuckle, "aren't we forgetting the man of the hour?"
Feerah smiled. "That might be the case. Come on, Zac. Cheer up!"
Zac shared a quick smile and raised his glass. His body was seventy percent covered in bandages, from all the knicks and glancing cuts of Zac's many clashes with the rebel chief of staff. But Zac's true pain came from the inside of his body. After exhausting his veita and blowing through a veita potion without pause or a moment to even breathe, the fibers of Zac's being were exhausted down to every muscle strand and joint.
"To Frantoch!" Zac cheered.
"To Frantoch!" shouted the other four.
Together, the five of them chugged their drinks before resuming their conversations. But, now that Sodun had brought Zac out of his thoughts and into their chat at the table, Zac wouldn't hold back.
"... Sodun, you were the one to receive Emperor Falix's exact orders. Weren't you?"
