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Paran was three paces behind Trotts, who still held to his old role in Whiskeyjack’s squad -- that of taking point Not the ideal position for the cohast role of warchief The captain was not happy with it Worse, it showed Trotts’s stubborn side all too clearly A lack of adaptability that was disturbing in a leader
An invisible presence seemed to settle on his shoulder, the touch of a distant, farowing stronger This was the third time she had reached out to hi of fingers, tip to tip He wondered if thathis thoughts Given all that he held within hi to instinctively recoil froht to plunder the Even tactical necessity could not justify that to his ered If it is her What if-
Ahead, Trotts stopped, settling into a crouch, one hand raised He gestured twice
Paran and the soldier ihast warrior
They had reached the Pannions’ north pickets The encaanization, sloppily prepared and seriously undermanned Litter cluttered the trodden paths between trenches, pits, and the ragged sprawl of makeshift tents The air was redolent with poorly placed latrines
The three er, then withdrew to rejoin the others The squad sergeants slipped forward A huddle was formed
Spindle, who had been the soldier acco Paran, was the first to speak ’Medium infantry on station,’ he whispered ’Two small companies by the pair of standards-’
’Two hundred,’ Trotts agreed ’More in the tents Sick and wounded’
’Mostly sick, I’d say,’ Spindle replied ’Dysentery, I’d guess, by the s The no matter e do Guess everyone else is in the city’
’The gates beyond,’ Trotts growled
Paran nodded ’Lots of bodies before it A thousand corpses, ates theuard The overconfidence of victors’
’We gotta punch through theeant Antsy muttered ’Spindle, how are you and the rest of the sappers for Moranth rinned ’Found your nerve again, eh, Antsy?’
The sergeant scowled ’This is fightin’, ain’t it? Noer ot plenty Wish we had a few of theh’
Paran blinked, then recalled the oversized crossbows Fiddler and Hedge used to extend the range of cussers ’Doesn’t Hedge have one?’ he asked