I'd threatened to burn the place down, but I had no real intention of doing it. My target wasn't Heindel at all. It was the young heir standing beside him, whose face was so flushed with agitation it looked ready to burst.
I was young myself, but office life had put me through the wringer and taught me that losing your cool only costs you. That's how I ended up with a temper that doesn't flare easily, except maybe in bed with Hilda.
Heindel, though, didn't so much as blink.
The old man's expression was full of suspicion.
"Do you mean that? Aren't you the one with a reputation as a righteous knight?"
"I'm not ruled by my reputation. This is war. Burning an enemy's land is perfectly lawful. It will take a good while, but since your liege seems to have no intention of showing his face to me, I'll take my time. If the farmland and settlements around here are destroyed, won't that put you and your people in a very difficult position?"
