"Two hundred lost, you said?"
She nodded. "Mostly new recruits and a few unlucky ones. They charged in too eagerly. War exacts its toll."
He closed his eyes, inhaling the acrid air, tasting it on his tongue. "Every life matters, but some will always be lost."
Josephine reached out, placing a hand gently on his forearm. "Your plan spared a thousand more. That's what they'll remember."
Perhaps. The memory of Southeastern screams echoed in his mind, but he forced it down. This was different, a step in a greater campaign—though he wasn't sure if telling himself that made it any easier.
"Time to move," he said, shaking off the momentary heaviness. "We need to show the people who's in charge now."
Josephine offered a faint smile. "After you, Baron Evocatore."
