"Detail!" he snapped suddenly.

Silence fell, and they all turned wide eyes to him.

"Fall in!"

Startled they turned to each other. Very few of them recognized him on sight, as Thomas rarely moved in the same circles as he and Jeremiah.

Gabriel stepped forward and took the edge of the table in both hands. He heaved it onto its side, spilling the Hunters, their food, and their drinks to the floor.

"Move out!" he shouted, his voice a whip crack in the silence.

Stunned, they scrambled to their feet and ran for the door. Gabriel righted the table and followed at a more leisurely pace.

In the yard, they stood at attention in a hastily formed and sloppy formation.

Gabriel stood on the steps leading to the bailey so they could all see him.

"Do not ever," he said softly, "force me to repeat another order. I am your Commander. You will address me as Sir or Commander, is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Should I ever again come upon any of you behaving so like curs again, I will personally flog all of you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Should I ever see a formation so horribly formed as this, I will pound you into dust. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Fall out, and fall in like you know what you're doing. Move out!"

They jumped to obey, forming a straight, if hurried, formation. Gabriel left the steps and paced in front of them.

"I'm certain not many of you know much beyond what you may have heard about me if that. I will tell you I will be as fair as you allow me to be. I will be as hard as you force me to be. We can work together, or I can grind you until you drop where you stand. The choice is yours to make. Anyone who believes he cannot serve under me can request reassignment.

"You will obey me, or you will die. We will not tolerate dissent in our ranks. We will work as one unit, or we will trim away those who chose otherwise.

"We are withdrawn from the Hunt until I am satisfied that we will not get ourselves killed out there. I understand your former Commander led you to tragedy more than once. You will be pleased to know I have never lost a Hunter in battle. You are all my Brothers, and I will stand by your side to the death.

"I will die before I fail you.

"Remove your cloaks and blouses and leave them in the stables. For our despicable behavior in the dining hall, we will run the perimeter of Homestead. After that, we will begin our exercises.

"Move out!"

The team broke ranks, running for the stable. Most tore off their clothes on the way and threw them over stall doors. Gabriel ran behind them, stripping down to his blouse.

"Move, move, move! If I were a Darkling you'd be dead! Run!"

When Jeremiah emerged to begin his team's exercises he blinked when he saw Gabriel bodily lift a stumbled Hunter and push him ahead of him.

"Finish it!"

Several moments later, an exhausted team shambled into the yard. All of them were drenched with sweat and laboring to breathe. Gabriel's blouse clung to his skin from the run, but his breath came easily.

"We have ten minutes. Then we begin our exercises," he told them.

They shuffled into the stable and Gabriel followed.

Murmurs arose from Jeremiah's team, and he quickly silenced them.

"Commander Gabriel's team is none of your business. Fall in!"

Minutes later, Gabriel trotted his team in pristine formation out of the stables and across the yard from Jeremiah's. They all carried quarterstaffs. Gabriel paired them up and set them to sparring. He paced among them, correcting their hold or stance. They worked for an hour, then switched to wooden staves.

By the time exercises were over, Gabriel's team was wrung to the breaking point. He spent a moment with each of them, speaking quietly and listening as well. He offered them water from a bucket and a cup he carried. Everyone received a pat on the shoulder or the back. As they dragged themselves inside, Gabriel put away the tools they used himself.

Gabriel nodded to Jeremiah as he went inside. Jeremiah smiled back.

It seemed things had started well for his Brother after all.

***

"A month?"

"At least, Father. Only a few of them know the minor points of the quarterstaff. They are terribly conditioned. I don't know how they survived the Hunt."

Fredrick nodded. "Very well. We shall review your team's performance in a month."

"Thank you, Father."

Fredrick nodded again as Gabriel bowed and turned away. He bowed to Father Daniel standing just outside the room.

"A word, if you will, Commander," Daniel said as he drew near.

"Of course, Father."

Daniel fell into step beside him.

"I understand your team needs work."

"We do, Father."

"Do you consider them lacking in all areas?"

"I believe them to be a product of their training."

Daniel frowned. "That's not what I asked."

"You're asking me to demean my team," Gabriel said drily. "They are my responsibility. I will train them as need dictates. We will be a team worthy of serving the Order."

Daniel stopped in his tracks.

Gabriel kept going. He didn't have time for irrelevant questions.

"You withdrew from the Hunt," Daniel said when he caught up.

"I cannot lead a team I do not know into battle, Father."

"How can you not know them?"

"They are all older than I. We rarely mix once we are assigned rank and team."

Daniel nodded. "When do you think you will rejoin the Hunt?"

"When we are ready Father. Will you excuse me? I have much to do."

"You have no confidence in your team?"

"I have no confidence in my ability to bring us home alive from the Hunt. May I bid you a good day, Father?"

Daniel narrowed his eyes. He held Gabriel's gaze and the new Commander didn't lower his eyes. He simply waited with seemingly endless patience while Daniel weighed his response. Finally, the Father gave a curt nod. Gabriel bowed and turned to climb the stairs to his room in the Commander's wing.

Once there he rang for pages and gave them orders as he scribbled in his journal. While they ran to carry out his commands, he went into his bath and stripped to the waist. He washed with cold water, dousing his head with what remained in the pitcher. As he dried off, the first page came back, panting.

"As you wish, Commander," he gasped. "Cook will deliver the pastries. The casks shall arrive within a quarter-hour."

"Thank you, Bryan," Gabriel smiled. "Catch your breath, then I would be pleased if you could stay and serve my men when they arrive."

The boy's eyes grew round, and he nodded. Gabriel went to his wardrobe and pulled out a blouse, shrugging into it as more pages returned. Each one reported success, and he invited them all to stay.

He directed the boys to rearrange his sitting room to allow for the most space. He had more chairs brought in and a few more tables. As these preparations were completed, kitchen boys brought up platters of food. Gabriel set the eldest page, a boy called Travis, to directing them. The casks arrived at nearly the same time, and he gave the task to Bryan.

Within two hours of leaving the yards, Gabriel's bewildered team began to arrive at his door. He welcomed them each with a smile and a glass of mulled wine.

Once all 30 were accounted for, he stepped before the hearth.

"Brothers," he smiled, lifting his goblet to them, "let us begin anew. This day began with confusion, and we shall end it with Brotherhood. I salute you all."

They gaped at him as he took a sip of his wine.

"Forgive us, Sir, but we have never been invited into a Commander's quarters, let alone saluted," one murmured.

"Paul, is it?" Gabriel waited for a nod then continued. "First, when we are together like this, I am Gabriel, nothing more. After that, let me offer my apologies. No matter what rank we hold, we are Brothers first and last."

The team shared glances, many tinged with wonder.

"Thomas said...he said you were arrogant. And...Tainted."

Gabriel put his wine on the mantle and flipped his blouse up and over his head. "See me for yourself, Paul."

He stepped forward and offered his arm to Paul. He smiled and the Hunter touched his skin.

"Come, all of you," he invited the others. "I want you to be sure of me."

"He's warm," Paul told them.

Gradually, they all came close, touching and inspecting his neck, back, and shoulders. They all touched the silver chain and cross at his throat. He turned and twisted so they could all see him.

This seemed to break their tension, as one remarked upon a scar he had along the back of his left arm from the shoulder to the elbow.

"That looks like it hurt."

"Well yes, and no, Elliot. It was the heat of battle. I didn't even know I was bleeding until Jeremiah mentioned washing my cloak. I didn't feel a thing until I saw the blood, then I couldn't recall being injured at all."

"Was it the Darkling?" another asked, his eyes huge.

"No, Richard," Gabriel laughed. "It was one of the team. He stumbled over a rock. He apologized for weeks afterward."

Relieved laughter flowed then, and the barrier was truly broken. They sat together until Eve Bells. Gabriel stood at the door and clasped hands with each one.

"We'll have an easier day tomorrow."

"We aren't exactly a well-trained team Gabriel," one sighed with resignation and a shadow of shame in his dark gray eyes.

"That," he promised, "will change."

***