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‘Oh? What did she say? - If you can reht She said, "My naets right to the point,’ Keselo said He was just a bit surprised that Oo’s story had pushed his weariness aside He ide awake now, for so I should really tell you, Keselo,’ Oo continued ‘I don’t want to offend you, but I don’t really like this soldiering very much I don’t like to tell others what to do, and the idea of killing things that look like people - even though they aren’t - uess soh, and Veltan sort of depends on me I just hope I don’tvery well, Oo,’ Keselo replied ‘You invented the spear If my history professor back at the university knehat he was talking about, you compressed about a thousand years of huo looked just a bit eain ‘The tip of the sun just ca-people will be co’

From out in the Wasteland there came that now-familiar roar that echoed back fro, oversized (and, Keselo believed, under brained) new breed of bug-people ca slope toward the now-empty breast-works which had been abandoned by Narasan’s forces the previous night As had happened several tih were completely baffled by the absence of soldiers behind the now vacant breast-works

‘Bugs aren’t too intelligent, are they?’ Oested

‘Rocks are probablyfor the pulse in his left wrist with the fingers of his right hand

‘Are you hurt, Keselo?’ Oo asked with so,’ he replied ‘If I’ht, we’ll hear another roar from out there in just about fifty-seven heartbeats’

‘Your heart,just a little faster’

They waited, and sure enough, the voice of the Vlagh roared forth the coain

‘Fifty-three,’ Keselo reported ‘So out there appears to be a little faster than the others’

‘Where did you cos ere trained to do ere student soldiers,’ Keselo explained ‘Precise ti can be crucial in certain situations It doesn’t work too well if you’ve been running, but I’ve been standing in one place since first light’ He nodded toward the now-occupied breast-works they’d abandoned the previous night ‘Here they coo added as the attaching force encountered the reintroduced poisoned stakes Keselo had been very relieved when Commander Narasan had rescinded his earlier coo back to the previous practice of planting those stakes to slow the attacks of the bug-people If things went the way they were supposed to, the church armies would soon arrive to take over for Narasan’s ar as many of histheir supply of snake venoet back to the Vlagh this time,’ Keselo predicted ‘The stakes always confuse them, and it takes theh will shout again and the ones wearing ar over the stakes?’

‘Exactly Then, as soon as the turtle-people get close enough, the archers will start shooting arrows at their eyes, and that should just about end this particular attack’ Keselo yawned at that point ‘Then we’ll all be able to get soain?’

‘Not very likely, my friend,’ Keselo said ‘They never have before It takes a very long time for this particular enemy to modify its tactics - months usually -happens’ Then he found a relatively comfortable corner in the breast-works, settled down, and proadier Danal woke them ‘Andar wants to know if you can co that’s a bit peculiar, Keselo,’ he said