[*]
His eyes were like polished lacquer, flickering with a grim, ghostly firelight.
The young man's eyes were usually exceptionally clear, but now they seemed veiled by a black fog.
After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "So it's a dead end."
A heavy silence fell, broken only by the CRACKLE and POP of the embers.
"Little General," Amy clapped her hands lightly and grinned at him. "Weren't you just talking about serving the country with utmost loyalty, swearing to die for it? Why so afraid now?"
"If I had been born in a time of chaos, with no family to speak of, then my life would mean nothing. But now, with my family and country in peril, even if I'm willing to die, I fear my death alone cannot save a house on the verge of collapse."
