"Duty?" I said the word like I was tasting wine that had gone sour. "You think I cared about that?"
"Yes!" The dwarven commander slammed his fist on the table. "We have a pact!"
My grin widened. "How lovely. Tell me, Commander, do you happen to have a copy of this pact with you? Perhaps with my signature on it?"
His face reddened, and I swear his head looked bigger too.
The silver-haired elf woman stepped forward, her voice smooth and diplomatic.
"General, surely you understand the moral obligation you carry. You were chosen to bear the dragon's mantle and have even undergone training precisely because—"
"Because I have the most potential," I interrupted. "They chose me because no one else was worth the investment."
The blond elf from earlier found his voice again. "What about honor? Doesn't that mean something to you?"
"Honor? You want to lecture me about honor? You, who wanted to pull back your mages just because they couldn't use their magic properly?"
