Ventus by Karl Schroeder

outgrown tears on the battlefield.
Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 592
Near dawn, Lavin decided he could finally afford to
snatch some sleep. The world was spinning, and everything
had that speckly quality that came to him in states of extreme
exhaustion. He kept losing track of his words in mid-sentence.
But everything had to be organized to his satisfaction before he
could rest.
"...Ten squads only? Are you sure?" Hesty looked as
tired as Lavin felt, and was a damn sight more irritable.
encourage more rebellion. We have it crushed now, Hesty, you
no focus."
Hesty bowed and took his leave. Lavin lay down,
knitting his hands behind his head, and smiled at the dark
canvas overhead.
Ten groups of men would fan out in the morning, to look
for the queen. The leaders of each had been told the truth; the
others would know only that they sought a noble woman and
her consort, who had to be returned alive. Lavin was confident
he would be able to conduct the search unobtrusively; hundreds
of people had seen the swans cluster around his tent last night,
then rise into the sky carrying with them a dark-haired woman.
Lavin had not had to invent the story that this was Galas--it
was all through the valley almost before he knew it.
Depending on which side you were on, the Winds had either
summoned her to divine retribution, or snatched her from the
this myth, but when he had her in his custody again he intended
to say that he had given her to the Winds for judgement, and
that they had granted her an amnesty, and returned her to