XVIII

They all stare quietly as Major Maddox rubs the bridge of his nose.

“La Muerte has killed more soldiers?”

“Yes, sir,” Sauda responds.

Maddox leans back in the reclining chair of the office he commandeered, massaging his temples. “This I will have to report,” he grumbles. “They will not be happy about this. I’m still dealing with the consequences from Yemen.”

“What consequences? We saved the world from a little more innocent blood shed.”

“We destroyed a historical castle and left a political nightmare behind.”

“So,” Sauda sighs, “How bad do you think it’ll be?”

Maddox looks at his captain through the phone screen. “They’ll be mad at the loss of life and the money behind it, but if you can solve this problem without spending more of the budget, that'll make it easier.”

“That’s all that matters to these people,” Adorna snuffs, “the money.”