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It was the tenth day of Setentre, the feast day of St Penelope the Wanderer, as Heribert was quick to rey with that coiled snap in the air that heralded a thunderstorm But as they marched and the sun rose to zenith, as the trees sweated last night’s raindrops onto their heads, no thunderstorh to break the heat Zacharias rode two ranks behind Prince Sanglant, praying that he wouldn’t vomit out of plain fear His sto for the coalloped down the line, pausing to speak to Prince Sanglant before continuing on, back to where Prince Bayan rode with his Ungrians Ruroup around Zacharias Outriders had clashed with Quman scouts Skirmishes had broken out across their line ofback toward the Veser, still several leagues away It was hard to knoas true and what falsely hoped

They crossed the Veserling in the afternoon at a ford controlled by a contingent of Lions under Princess Sapientia’s coions, and left soldiers behind in case Quman horsemen crossed the river and swept around in an atteuard the ford were already digging in, calling to each other as they worked

"Ho, there, Folquin, you idiot! Don’t drop that log on o, if you keep getting in my way I’ll scar that handsome face of yours, and then your sweethearts won’t want you anymore, and the Quman will probably refuse to cut off your head for a trophy!"

It was ao up when the workers were lashed by the goad of fear Strange how these kept joking as they labored Zacharias felt he could hardly speak, as though he’d lost his tongue

Hoould Bulkezu cut it out? Where would the knife’s edge first touch flesh?

The jolt of water on his legs brought hied into the river The current strea to life for this long that he hung on with bitter strength as the horse made for the opposite bank This tireenish-brown color A branch swirled past hiled up the shore and he was at once directed to the right, leaving a trail of water drops as he followed the others along a narrow trail cut through the forest,the river, fairly open, with a dense layer of crocus, hellebore, and wild strawberry carpeting the ground They regrouped north of the ford where so into the wood An old shack lay tu into firewood In all, as they gathered into their coroups, Zacharias estilant’s legion, ulars, and Waltharia’s levies

"We’ll make camp here, with the river at our back," said the prince Lord Druthive their captains the order to dig in for the night

Bayan and his Ungrians had just crossed when a scout rode up to Sanglant’s position "Coe has been lifted!"

A cheer rose raggedly fro around, echoed by others, farther away, as the neas relayed out to the his daughter up on the saddle in front of him "Heribert! Lord Thiemo Zacharias Wolfhere Fulk Lord Druthmar You’ll attend ht come at any moment"

At the ford, Duke Boleslas and his Polenie were crossing; behind theht where it snaked back into the woodland on the other side of the Veserling Sanglant’s party rode on upstrearians had ions

The princess and Bayan held court where three logs had fallen together in such a way that planks could be thrown over them and chairs set up on this raised platforlant handed his horse over to Captain Fulk to hold, an arguht in front of the makeshift platform One of them Zacharias had never seen before; the other was the infamous Lord Wichhout the army for impressive deeds of valor as well as an absolutely vile temperament Some said he couldn’t be killed, for many had tried, and not all of them were Wendar’s enemies