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"They’re bringing ladders and planks!" Ulfrega’s powerful voice rang out froe of the defense "Spears, stand your ground Archers, hold until they’re closer!"

The sorcerous e A second thump sounded; the second pot of bees arched up from the catapult and fell precipitously, but this tied out of the mist to escape the bees behind thee houses Cries and shouting and screams echoed everywhere Tendrils of smoke obscured the fields Thunder cracked, and clouds pushed in from the west, oalloped up, sweat running all along her flanks, her expression gri in ah on the eastern slope, by the sacred threshold to the queens’ grave Come quickly!"

He scraround, alirls, notunder the ay "You! Go to Ulfrega Tell her she must hold the entrance now You! Run up to the Hallowed One She ic, if she can"

He ju over

"Stay down," said the centaur

He clutched herrate, negotiating barrels of water and cider, stores of grain, shelters, and four wounded men who had crawled away from the palisade At last she broke free of chaos and opened up to a gallop The sounds of battle roared around the behind and before She knew her ell through the maze of the ramparts, blind alleys, and earthen htersrocks over the side Now and again they passed a zone of unexpected calet a look down the palisade to knots of fighting

He had heard these sounds before Memory dizzied him

The Lions hold the hill as Bayan’s army retreats across the river The first cohort stands the rear guard, and Alain keeps step with his comrades as they retreat up the hill with their fellows The ra around the hill’s slopes

He remembered these embankments, but when he had seen them last they had been so old that they had fallen in ruin and were half washed away under the brunt of tiht in this place before Yet the earthworks around him noere newly raised; any fool could see that

He had fought here before in the time yet to come This is where the Lady of Battles had killed hiht theotten over the palisade, and now Sos’ka’s centaurs and a score of White Deer warriors grappled hand to hand, pounding with clubs, thrusting with knives A roan centaur parried a spear thrust with her staff, flipped her opponent to the ground, and stove in his head with a well placed kick Fire licked up the palisade A shout rose from the enemy, unseen on the other side as they pushed forward

A woman with her ani to the ay She braced herself, e of a man with the cut of her bronze sword, then dropped to one knee as she lifted her other ar briskly around her head Let fly

"Down!" cried Sos’ka

He ducked A kiss of air brushed an ear as the stone shot past his hair The second bounced off his skrolin armband with a snap But the third sla

Pain stabbed through his head as he turound hit harder even than the stone

"But 1 swore to serve you," he whispers, astonished, because he really never thought that this of all things would happen to hiht that he would be the one to die on the battlefield

"So you have served me" The voice of the Lady of Battles, as low and deep as a church bell, rings in his head "Many servedeath This is the heart of war"

"Adica!" He bolted up, straggling to sit, gaze blurring as the sun glared in his face Familiar hands pressed him back

"Hush, my love Lie down" Her tears fell on his face "I feared for you" She kissed hi next to the Hallowed One in her antlered garb, haughty and aloof as she knelt before him