Songreaver by Andrew Hunter

said,
"Fresh troops, better supplies, we're in charge right from the
start on this one."
    "You think the Chadiri will renew their
advance?" Cenick asked.
    "You're leaving without me?" Garrett blurted
out.
    The two older necromancers turned to look at
him.
    "We have our own work to do, Garrett," Max
said.
    "It looks like we've all become loyal
servitors of the worm goddess," Cenick sighed.
    Garrett said nothing more, picking at his
noodles with his silver fork and regretting his decision
already.
    "Have we had any word of Chadiri advance?"
Cenick continued.
    Max shook his head. "We've lost the bat
riders," he said, "Apparently, our little war no longer interests
the vampires."
    " Gaunts ," Garrett corrected him.
    "Hmm?" Max said.
    "Nevermind," Garrett muttered.
    "And with half our ghouls off on a rescue
mission," Max said, "we're a bit blind in the North."
    "We have to assume they will attack again,"
Cenick said.
    "Doesn't matter," Max said, leaning back to
prop one leg over the arm of his chair, "I'm taking the fight to
them."
    "What?" Cenick asked.
    Max smiled. "I sense some discord among their
leadership," he said, "They've overreached themselves this time and
hoped that no one would notice. I have, and I intend to make them
pay for their mistake."
    Cenick looked at him as if he'd gone mad.
"You plan an assault up the escarpment with undead troops?"
    "Who said anything about the escarpment?" Max
said.
    "Then how..." Cenick began to ask, then his
eyes went wide.
    Max's smile stretched into an evil grin.
    "What?" Garrett asked.
    "He's going around," Cenick said, his voice
barely audible, "He's going through Astorra."
    Max drained his cup and held it out for the
zombie to refill.
    A cold tingling feeling crawled over
Garrett's skin. "I want to help," he said, "You promised me,
Max."
    Cenick stared at Garrett, a sick look on his
face.
    Max nodded. "You'll be there when we take
Braedshal," he said, "and Cabre will kneel at your feet and beg
forgiveness."
    Cenick's chair scraped loudly as he got up
from the table. He did not look at either one of them.
    "Going somewhere?" Max asked.
    "I have to pack," he said, "for a very long war."
    "It will be good for you, Cenick," Max
sighed, "The city makes you fat."
    Cenick jabbed a finger at Max. "Listen, Max,"
he hissed, "You need to think very seriously about what you are
about to do. This won't be about killing legions of war-mad blood
priests. You will be marching through people's homes! We will be the invaders, not the Chadiri! Innocent people will get hurt. There's no way to prevent that, if we go that route."
    Max toppled his chair to the floor with a bang as he shoved himself to his feet. " Think about
it?" he yelled, "Think about it seriously? That's all I've done
since the day the Chadiri murdered my family!"
    "This isn't about vengeance, Max!" Cenick
shouted, "You have no right to spill your misery across the lives
of countless..."
    "Vengeance?" Max shouted him down, "Oh, no...
this is Justice , old friend." Max flung out the contents of
his wine cup, spattering the closest zombie with red droplets.
"This is the wheel of history turning to crush out the cruelest
empire the world has ever known, and we get the pleasure of
watching it happen."
    "You're not talking about watching it
happen," Cenick said, "You're talking about becoming the thing we
hate."
    "No!" Max said, "We're not going into Astorra
to conquer and enslave and burn! We're going in to liberate them
from the madness of their own false king who sold their children's
souls to the red god!"
    Cenick bared his teeth, raising his hands
like claws. "You think they will see us as liberators ?" he
demanded, "The undead horde lays siege to their castle and demands
the head of their beloved prince. Do you honestly think that every
Astorran boy strong enough to hold a shield won't be on that
battlement, ready to live out some ridiculous tale of storybook
valor? No, Max, stop pretending that this isn't about
vengeance!"
    Max