Sanctuary

FEBRUARY 25, 2015 ^{• • •}

Roger was an adaptable politician. He knew that in the old conventional world, what Barone had done would not go unpunished. But in this new world, Barone promised his small town a chance to survive and flourish. Yet Roger’s coalition with the other town leaders was fracturing quickly. In their attempt to convince the three dissenters to acquiesce to Barone’s plan, they had lost two others. The five leaders who had rallied against Barone could not see the consequences of expelling Barone. A call for a return to civilian control of the military was on the rise.

He was not looking forward to telling Barone the latest development. Sitting outside Barone’s office in the old finance department of city hall, he anxiously awaited the meeting.

The door opened and Simpson came out. “Come on in.”

Roger stood, wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, and walked into the office.

Barone stood over a small table looking at a map of southern Oregon and Northern California. His brow was furrowed and he appeared to be lost in thought.

Roger cleared his throat.

“Ah, go ahead and sit, Mr. Timms. Sorry, I just had a briefing on some activity to the south,” Barone said without looking at him.

Roger sat down like a nervous student awaiting the principal. Barone pulled himself away from the map and walked to his desk. “Can I get you a drink?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m not,” Barone said as he reached to the bookcase behind the desk and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

“Colonel, we have a problem.”

Barone took a large swig of whiskey. He turned and sat down in the worn leather chair. “Doesn’t every day pose a problem?”

“We now have five council members that are opposed to you staying here,” Roger said.

Barone laughed and said, “Really? Can you remind me who wants me and my Marines to leave?”

“The original dissenters were Mayor Brownstein, Milford, Franklin, and now they’ve convinced Peloni and Harper. They have told me they are not willing to change their minds and are actively courting the others. They plan to announce their decision tomorrow.”

“How nice of them,” Barone joked. “Well, how can we convince them otherwise?”

“It’s not that easy, Colonel.”

Barone poured himself another drink. With drink in hand, he walked to the bank of windows that overlooked the street below his second-story office.

Below he saw a perfect blending of townspeople and his troops, living in harmony. The coordination had gone seamlessly. He couldn’t have these few people causing a disturbance.

Turning back around, he asked, “What do they want? I know you politicians. You always want something.”

“Colonel, I’m serious. These people—the mayor specifically—are hardnosed and principled. Brownstein won’t budge. She’s actually stating that you either need to leave or face a trial for your crimes.”

“Crimes?” Barone laughed. He went back to his chair and sat down. “Mr. Timms, this is all crazy talk. Do I need to remind them of the advantages they have from our being here?”

“I’ve told them, but she is the one leading this. She’s a very patriotic person.”

“I’ve heard enough. Please set up a meeting as soon as you can so I can discuss this with them,” Barone said, leaning forward. He sat his drink down and clasped his hands together before he continued. “Mr. Timms, I want to thank you for coming to see me about this. You are a friend.”

“Colonel, what happened before is the past to me. I can see with my own eyes what good you’re doing for us. I’ve told you before. I want you to stay.”

“I want to stay too,” Barone said. He shifted in his chair and looked over at the map sitting on the table. “Sorry to be rude, but I have to get back to some of the other daily problems I’m plagued with. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.”

Roger stood up quickly and headed for the door. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

“Mm-hmm. Tell Master Sergeant Simpson to come in here, please,” Barone called out.

“Sure thing,” Roger said as he opened the door.

As if he had been listening to their conversation, Simpson was standing right there at the entrance to the office.

“The colonel—”

“Thank you, Mr. Timms,” Simpson said and walked past him and closed the door.

When Simpson walked in, Barone was pouring his third drink. “Top, you might have been right. I need you to keep tabs on the following people.”

Barone quickly ran down the list of the local leaders who were opposed to them. He gave Simpson some guidance on what he wanted, from following them to monitoring where they went and who they spoke to. He instructed him to plant Marines in plain clothes in any public meetings. He needed human intelligence as to what they might be doing.

“Yes, sir, I’ll get right on this,” Simpson acknowledged, turning to leave.

“One more thing, Top. Recall all our forces. We might need them here.”

“I gotta piss,” Brandon said from the backseat of the crew cab truck.

“I’ll pull over up ahead. Just hold it for a bit longer. And stop with the vulgarity,” Sebastian chided.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot we’re not supposed to curse in the apocalypse,” Brandon said sarcastically.

Sebastian adjusted the rearview mirror so he could see him. In response, Brandon lifted up his middle finger.

Sebastian nodded and readjusted the mirror back.

The four had been on the road since the early morning. It had started out uncomfortably for Sebastian and Annaliese, but within a few hours they began to carry on a light conversation. The boys acted like typical boys on a road trip. They bantered, laughed, made fun of things they saw. Annaliese tried to play a few games she grew up with, like “I spy with my little eye.” Luke was a good sport, but Brandon mocked her and the game. Sebastian played along while monitoring the road ahead, looking for any threats.

When they had pulled out of the compound in the early morning, they drove off with Sariah crying and waving. Annaliese had an intense premonition that she’d never see her mother again. They embraced for a long time, and many tears were exchanged. Sariah told her that she was welcome back anytime, but Annaliese knew that only pertained to her and not to her husband. This hurt her, as it pitted her feelings for Sebastian against her own mother. She prayed that time would heal the wounds of the past few weeks and that the altercation with Samuel could be forgotten. But until then, the time needed to pass. She and Sebastian still hadn’t completely dealt with the incident. It was a conversation they’d have to have and she wanted to make sure it was done in a way that benefitted them both.

Sebastian planned the trip carefully and estimated it would take them five days to travel the five hundred miles to McCall. However, he began to recalculate the instant they drove onto the freeway. Icy spots, old packed snow drifts, abandoned cars, and trash slowed them down. Fear of hitting something buried in some of the patchy areas of snow caused him to drive slower than he wanted. They had been driving for over seven hours and they had only gone forty miles. He was not happy at all. Soon the sun would be setting and he was not even halfway to where he wanted to be for the night.

Seeing a grouping of abandoned cars ahead of him on the freeway, he slowed and pulled in behind one of the cars.

“Here’s your pit stop,” he said to Brandon.

“It’s about time,” Brandon mocked. He opened the truck and stepped out. “It’s as cold as a witch’s tit,” he said, then slammed the door.

“That boy is incorrigible,” Annaliese said.

“What am I supposed to do, put him over my knee?” Sebastian asked.

“Actually, he needs a good spanking. I bet he was a spoiled as a child,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have to go too,” Luke said, jumping out.

“They couldn’t be any more opposite,” she remarked.

Laughing, Sebastian joked, “I know, good and evil.”

Sensing he was a bit tense, she reached out and touched his arm. “What’s the matter, hon?”

“Oh, we’re a bit behind schedule, that’s all. Do me a favor. In the glove compartment there should be a map and a paper with coordinates and frequencies.”

She rustled around and grabbed what he needed. They both discussed a more realistic travel plan for the day. After a few minutes, they noticed that the boys hadn’t returned.

“Stay in here. Keep the truck running and the doors locked,” Sebastian ordered and stepped out.

The cold wind was whipping down the dead freeway. He looked in both directions, but he didn’t see them. He saw Brandon’s footprints and began to follow in earnest. He pulled out his pistol and peered around a tractor trailer. Nothing. The tracks led down the length of the semi until they disappeared into a clump of wrecked cars.

From the looks of the cars and their arrangement on the road, they had collided with each other.

“Argh!” a voice screamed out.

The scream came from the cars in front of the tractor trailer. Not hesitating, Sebastian sprinted as best as he could.

He came up just behind the group of cars with his pistol outstretched when a snowball hit him in the face.

“Ha, ha! That was awesome!” Brandon laughed.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sebastian yelled.

“Oh, now it’s okay to curse?” Brandon asked sarcastically.

“I thought someone was in trouble!” Sebastian yelled at him. Anger overcame him as he marched over to Brandon. “Don’t fuck around, ever again!”

Brandon stepped back when Sebastian got in his face. “Chill out. Just trying to have a bit of fun.”

“What are you, a fucking child? Stop your bullshit, Brandon. I don’t need it, nobody needs it.”

Holding up his arms, he said, “Sorry. Just thought a bit of fun would be fine.” Brandon walked around as Sebastian headed back to the truck.

“Where’s Luke?” Sebastian asked, looking around.

“I think he’s over there,” Brandon said, pointing to another group of cars about twenty feet away. Then under his breath he said, “Dick.”

Sebastian walked to the group of cars and there he found Luke crying, kneeling next to a car.

“Luke, are you all right?”

Startled by seeing Sebastian, Luke wiped the tears from his eyes and cheeks. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He stood up, brushed by Sebastian, and walked away quickly.

Sebastian looked at the car. The front end was crushed from a collision with the car in front of it. The engine had been pushed back into the cab. He looked inside and saw two corpses. Their bodies hadn’t completely decomposed; the cold air partially mummified them. Their hands were clasped together in what must have been their last demonstration of love and devotion. He then glanced in the back and saw an infant carrier and the body of a baby. Seeing this repelled him. He looked back toward Luke, who was shuffling toward the truck.

“Luke, wait up,” he called out. He jogged to catch up. A dull throb from his leg slowed him.

“Leave me alone,” Luke said, his voice still showing the signs of his crying.

“Want to talk?”

“What did I say? Leave me alone.”

Sebastian let Luke proceed, understanding that he wasn’t in the mood to talk about what he just saw.

Sebastian stood out on the cold, windy freeway and watched Luke get back in the truck. He could only imagine that seeing this family had brought up painful memories for Luke. It was a shame that this new world had inflicted such horrors on young minds. Sebastian didn’t know if he could ever provide the home that Luke desperately sought, but in that moment, he promised himself that he would try.

The compound was immense. From Gordon’s count there were eight large permanent structures and one massive barn that he estimated was 25,000 square feet. The area didn’t look like a compound used by crazed religious leaders, but it was now the home of one.

Gordon and his group had arrived late yesterday. They established a campsite north of the compound and took advantage of elevation to scout and recon. The recon was a success and had given them the necessary information about the compound and its structure. It was nestled in a small valley, with six roads leading into it. The number of roads forced Rahab’s groups to be scattered over a much larger area than was necessary in his desert compound.

“How many people did you count?” Gordon asked Lexi after she returned from her recon to the north.

“He’s got two men on each road leading into the compound, so twelve right there. On the grounds themselves, I counted eight men walking the perimeter and only a handful milling about,” she said.

“Where do you think he’s keeping the prisoners?” Gordon asked.

“It’s a guess, but he only seems to be using that main building and the barn. He might be keeping everyone close,” Lexi theorized.

“Here’s a sketch of the area. From here to here, it looks to be about a thousand feet,” Gordon said, pointing to the square that represented the main building and the barn.

“So a rough head count is…?” Rubio asked.

Gordon and Lexi looked at each other.

“Go ahead, smarty-pants, what do you think?” Lexi joked with Gordon.

“I’d say we’re looking at about forty to fifty people down there. This is based on what we’ve seen and my memory of what he had before.”

“Has your girlfriend started talking yet? Maybe she could help firm up those estimates,” Rubio asked Lexi. He was referring to the woman they had picked up yesterday, who had woken up to discover all of her friends were dead.

Lexi pointed her middle finger at Rubio, then blew a kiss. “She hasn’t said a damn thing. So far she’s been useless.”

“So, based on your estimates, we’re looking at upwards of forty armed people and we have three men, one pissed-off lesbo, and Jonesy, who’s now a gimp.”

“You know I probably would turn gay if I had to look at your little dick all the time,” Lexi cackled.

Jones chuckled loudly.

“Guys, enough bullshit, we have a job to do here. Let’s focus,” Gordon said firmly. “We have five of us, we’re all well armed, well trained, and we can do some serious damage if we plan this right.”

“It’s not going to be a cakewalk, but Van Zandt is right, we can put a hurting on them,” Rubio said.

Gordon led the conversation and presented his ideas. His plan called for a night raid. He, Lexi, and Rubio would enter the valley from the south. Their assumption was that Rahab was located within the main building. To the south, a hill sloped very close to the front entrance. From there they would enter directly into the front. McCamey and Jones would position the Humvee on the hill to the south but in a hide. Jones was healthy enough to shoot the M40 bolt action rifle and he’d take out anyone who came in and out of the buildings. If any vehicles started to exit or move into support, McCamey would light them up with the machine gun.

As they discussed scenarios the radio in the Humvee came to life.

“Romeo Sierra One Three, this is Papa, come in, over.”

They all looked at each other, surprised that the Marines’ radio was working this far out.

“I guess we are close enough to a repeater,” Rubio commented and stood up.

“You guys set up repeaters?” Gordon asked.

“Yeah, part of our overall mission on these long-range patrols is to reestablish communication and the only way to do that is with repeaters. Apparently we’re picking up a signal.”

Jones leaned over and keyed the handset. “Papa, this is Romeo Sierra One Three, we read you, Lima Charlie.”

“Roger that, Romeo Sierra One Three. Be advised. Terminate current mission and link up with Romeo Sierra Actual, over.”

Jones looked confused and handed the radio handset to Rubio.

“Romeo Sierra One Three, did you copy, over?” the voice crackled.

“Roger that, we copy. Terminate mission and link up with Romeo Sierra Actual,” Rubio answered. He dropped the handset and looked at Gordon.

“Who’s Papa?” Gordon asked.

“That’s the command element back in Coos Bay. Actual is Gunny back in Klamath Falls,” Jones explained.

“So that’s it? You guys are bailing on us?” Gordon asked, concerned.

“Corporal, we could head back tomorrow morning. Let’s at least try to get this guy. We’ve made it all the way here,” Jones said.

Rubio acknowledged Jones with a slight nod. He then looked at both Lexi and Gordon.

“Yeah, we’re in. Let’s see this through.”

“Now that we have that settled, what do we do with the girl?” Lexi asked.

“We can’t just let her go, she might head back and warn Rahab,” Rubio stated flatly.

“You know there’s a good chance they’re on a heightened alert now anyway. They must be concerned about their missing people,” Gordon added.

“Yeah, I’m sure they’re watching out, but I just don’t know if he suspects he’s about to get attacked,” Lexi said.

“We don’t have anything to worry about if we kill her,” Jones suggested boldly.

“Stop! We’re not going to murder her!” Gordon said sharply.

“Wait a minute, Van Zandt, you’re not in charge here!” Rubio countered Gordon.

The woman was tied up to a tree, and she began to wiggle to get free after she heard the possibility of her murder.

“Here’s the grand compromise. Let’s keep her tied up. If we survive we’ll come back and untie her, if we don’t… well, for her sake, let’s hope we can come back,” Gordon recommended. After a few moments they all finally agreed with Gordon.

“Then it’s settled,” Gordon said, walking over to the woman.

As he knelt down next to her, her eyes opened wide with fear. Her mouth was gagged and her arms were tied behind her.

“You hear that? You lucked out. We’ll come back for you. I don’t know if you deserve it, but that’s how it is,” Gordon stated, then walked back to get ready for their raid.

The perimeter of Eagle’s Nest was not protected with any type of fencing. Nelson knew this was a problem, but since they arrived in the heart of winter, finding a spot to settle down was more important. Now the issue of perimeter security took center stage after the attack and the encounter with Truman and his men. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the materials to construct anything that would be sufficiently hardy, so the only reasonable idea was to add more people to the watches. The additional posts put a strain on the limited manpower they had. It was a domino effect; problems came in one after another. The constant rotating guard schedule limited the number of people who could go out for patrols outside the gate.

Nelson and Scott had several long conversations about Truman and his men. They didn’t know whether to expect a strike from them, and if so, what direction they would be coming from. Truman had given a vague indication of where they were located, but they hadn’t gone out to investigate where they came from for fear of leaving the community unmanned. They had limited weapons and ammunition, but not enough men to satisfactorily repel an attack if coordinated. Nelson was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the logistics of keeping the community safe.

“Here,” Scott said, handing him a cold water.

“I’ve been thinking that we shouldn’t just sit here.”

“You think we should leave?” Scott asked, concerned.

“No, not leave. We should look at this issue differently. We can’t adequately fence the perimeter. I mean, look out there,” Nelson commented, pointing to the rolling hills and groves of trees that dotted the landscape. “The material and manpower we would need to protect us from someone just walking in here is impossible. It’s just impossible.”

“So what are you proposing? We don’t know for sure if Truman will be back.”

Nelson looked at Scott and shot back, “He’s coming back. I could see it in his eyes. He knows his brother is dead and that we killed him. He’ll be back and he’ll come back on his own terms.”

“I don’t know what you’re suggesting,” Scott said.

“I say we set our own terms. We don’t sit here and wait for him to come back. We find him and take him out.”

“Wait a minute—you’re suggesting we attack him? That’s crazy! I’m not a soldier!”

“I’m not either, but just sitting here waiting for what I know is coming is foolish.”

“Things could go horribly wrong. I don’t know about this.”

“Scott, I understand your reservations about this. But we’ve spent a lot of time out there surviving. Hell, we almost didn’t make it out of the last community we lived in,” Nelson said, his voice growing louder and more animated. He didn’t want Scott to feel he was wrong, but wanted him to see for himself that offense is sometimes the best defense. “Listen, I totally understand you feeling uncomfortable about this, but we must, at minimum, see where these guys come from. Let’s see who we might be up against. Then we can sit down and have another conversation about this.”

Scott didn’t answer right away; he was looking off toward the snow-covered hills. After a moment, he sighed. “That’s fair. Let’s go take a look, then we can discuss it further.”

Nelson thought that now would be a good time to have Gordon around. After all, they weren’t soldiers. Regardless of this fact, the responsibility fell on him. Tomorrow he’d set out to see exactly what they were up against.

Pablo examined the bottle of wine, holding it at an angle.

“I hear the Alexander Valley is superior to the Napa varietal,” he commented, then filled two long-stemmed glasses full of the cabernet.

“I don’t know anything about wine,” Isabelle said, taking the glass by the stem. Her hand shook slightly. She was nervous and didn’t want to make one wrong move. She knew by his invitation that he was attracted to her. She was repulsed by the idea of having an overtly romantic dinner with him, but what other option did she have? If she refused his wishes, what happened then? Would he kill her and her father? At the moment, this was just a dinner. If he tried to make it into something more physical, she didn’t know if she could stop her urge to lash out at him. But until that happened, she bit her lip and smiled.

“Oh, you should learn. Wine is truly God’s gift to mankind,” he said with a smile as he picked up his glass and swirled the wine. He admired how the wine changed colors from a dark burgundy to an earthy red when he held it up to the light. He set the glass down on the table and inspected the wine’s legs. “Impressive,” he said again. “You Americans have really come a long way in the wine-making process.”

“Why am I here?” she asked.

“I’ll put this bluntly: You intrigued me. I’ve seen a lot in my life. I’m not an old man but I’ve lived enough to fill several lives.”

“That’s it. I’m something for you to look at. I’m a novelty?”

“Yes and no. You intrigued me because of the way you expressed yourself. You’re a smart and beautiful woman. I won’t lie to you; I’m attracted to you, but beyond the conventional sense of attraction. I felt a connection with you yesterday when you talked to me. There’s a common saying I remember from university: You ‘got’ me.”

She looked at the knife in front of her, then looked at Pablo. A strong desire came to take the knife and stab him. Only the knowledge that her father was being treated by his men caused her to control that urge.

“What are your plans for us?”

“Let’s talk about something else. Do you have any brothers and sisters?” he asked as he relaxed into a tall fabric dining chair.

She didn’t want to be here, especially answering questions from a madman, but she couldn’t see any other option at the moment.

“No brothers or sisters. You?”

“I’m like you, the only child. I have found that being the only child has some real positives and negatives. I wanted a sibling so badly when I was growing up. I didn’t have what you would say was a normal upbringing. I didn’t go to normal schools. I didn’t have many playmates. That was a big negative for me,” he said, smiling sadly.

“I felt the same way. Not having someone to play with was difficult. I did have some friends, though.”

“I found solace in my books and studies. Education was very, very important to my father,” he said, taking a large gulp of wine.

“Are your parents still alive?” she asked.

He shot her a look that frightened her, then said, “Yes, did someone say otherwise?”

“I’m sorry. No, no one has said anything to me. It was just a question. I ask because my mother died years ago. My dad is all the family I have.”

Pablo regretted snapping at her. “Please accept my apology. That was wrong of me. Both of my parents are alive. They’re both retired and living in Mexico.”

“That’s nice,” she responded. She was now apprehensive about the questions she asked.

Sensing her discomfort, he shifted the topic of conversation. “I hope you like lamb and fingerling potatoes,” he commented.

“Sure,” she said unenthusiastically.

He picked up on her hesitation when he mentioned their meal. “Sure? Wait a minute. Are you a vegetarian? I know that’s very popular here in California.”

“No, the menu sounds wonderful,” she said while looking around the grand dining room.

“I’m sure it must be odd to be sitting here. I didn’t want to just stay anywhere. The governor’s mansion seemed fitting.”

Isabelle had been there a few times for events, so it was even more jarring to be there under the current circumstances.

They shared conversation and even an awkward laugh a few times. If Pablo was one thing, it was charismatic. She tried to get him to talk about what his plans were for his army, but he always found a way to deflect and bring the conversation to a topic that was more palatable.

“Do you like port?” he asked as they had their plates taken away.

“I do, but don’t ask me about anything specific about them,” she answered with a slight smile.

“Let’s go into the parlor. I have a fire going and there we can sit and enjoy a glass of Quinta Do Vesuvio. I find it’s not too sweet for a vintage port,” he said. He enjoyed showcasing his knowledge of the finer things in life.

She smiled and followed him into the parlor. The room was dark, save for the light coming from the roaring fire. Two wingback chairs faced the fireplace. In between them, a small round table stood with two glasses and a bottle atop it.

She was starting to have a difficult time understanding this man who was so savage and primitive in his actions but so refined in his mannerisms and taste. He was dichotomy embodied.

“Here you go, beautiful,” he said as he handed her the small-stemmed glass. He sat down and raised his glass. “A toast to…”

The main double doors that led into the parlor burst open. General Pasqual stormed in like a man on a mission.

“Emperor, please forgive me for this rude interruption!”

Pablo stood up, a look of anger and disdain written on his face. “General, what the hell?”

“Please forgive me, but something urgent needs your attention,” General Pasqual said as he walked over and handed a piece of paper to Pablo.

Pablo snatched the paper from his hand but didn’t even glance at it.

Seeing an opportunity to call it a night, Isabelle stood up and said, “It’s getting late. This is probably a good time to go.”

Pablo turned his attention back to her. “No, do not go,” he pleaded, waving the paper in his hand dismissively.

“Emperor, please read it now,” General Pasqual said in a low, urgent tone.

“I am having an evening with the lady!” he screamed at Pasqual.

“But, sir.”

Pablo tossed the paper on his chair and walked toward Pasqual. “General, leave now. We can deal with this matter later.” Pablo grabbed Pasqual by the arm and roughly escorted him out of the room and closed the door. He locked it and turned around.

With Pablo distracted, Isabelle glanced at the paper. All she could read were the words urgent, sunk, and loss.

“Please pardon my army commander, he doesn’t have manners,” Pablo said and came back.

“It really is late and I should go, but can I offer two gifts to you before I go?”

“Please don’t go. It’s still early enough to have another glass. Or might I find something else for you to enjoy?”

“I really do need to go back and check on my father. Here is my offer to you. If you’re available, let’s have dinner two nights from now,” she said as she stood up.

Pablo didn’t want to argue. “I will happily receive that gift. What is the second one?”

She took a step toward him and leaned in. He met her half-way for a long, passionate kiss.

She pulled back when she felt he was getting excited and said, “That is gift number two.”

Pablo was at a loss for words. “Isabelle, it was a pleasure. Thank you for joining me tonight.” He took her arm and escorted her to the large double doors. He unlocked them and led her to the front door of the mansion. There he said, “As a token of my gratitude for your time tonight, I will have my personal physician immediately come over to take care of your father.”

“Thank you, Emperor,” she said, then walked out toward the vehicle waiting for her.

Pablo closed the door and looked at the guard standing there. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

Pablo touched his lips. Her lip gloss still clung to them. He didn’t know what was wrong with him; he had never fallen for a woman so quickly before. She had something about her, some kind of magnetism that he’d never experienced. Thoughts of her being his empress came to mind; he had visions of a coronation.

He briskly walked back to the parlor and shut the door. He picked up the paper that Pasqual had been so insistent he read.The yellow glow of the fire illuminated everything. He unfolded it and began to read it.

He finished the port and took a moment to stare at the empty glass. Pasqual was right, he needed to attend to the matter immediately, but in this moment, he would have preferred to be with Isabelle. Frustrated, he threw the empty glass into the fire and went to find General Pasqual.