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"First Spear," the captain said "Ah, good Ti area in an hour"

"Very good, sir," Marcus replied, saluting "I need to bend your ear for a moment, sir, privately"

Octavian arched an eyebrow "Very well I can spare athe First Aleran to our departure point"

"Yes, sir," Marcus responded "Which is where, sir?"

"I've marked a map for you North"

Marcus frowned "Sir? North of here there's nothing but the Shieldwall and Iceman territory"

"More or less," Octavian said "But we've es"

By noon the next day, the entire First Aleran, together with the Free Aleran Legion and the Canim warriors, had reached the Shieldwall, which lay ten round, already three inches deep, and the steady fall of white flakes had begun to thicken If it had been the , steady, seasonal snowfall

But that single ih for the captain

Marcus had served in the Antillan Legions for years He stared in ht before hiap a quarter of a mile wide had been opened in the ancient, furycrafted fortification The enorh and twice as thick, had stood as unchangeable as aped like a wound In years gone by, the sight would have raised a wild alar into it by the thousands

But instead, everything seeons and pack anih the snow, leading to the gaping opening Unless heprovisions Tribune Cy up supplies for aa halt, the captain continued riding straight toward the hole in the wall, and the Legions of Canim and Aleran soldiers followed hih the opening in the Shieldwall The ht they wouldn't be overheard Orders had come back fro that would have done ainst the cold than any cloak