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"I can't eat anything Without all the proper tubes in my belly, the food would simply rot in any case I can drink a little, which means that I will die of starvation a feeeks from now instead of from thirst a few days from now Unless, of course, an infection takes me first, which seehness I'm sorry, I didn't realize"

"There's hardly a need for you to apologize, Cursor Life ends You can hardly blaarded him for a hness Are are you in pain?"

Attis shook his head "I a it for now"

"Maybe you should rest"

"I'll have a vast surplus of rest, presently For now, I have a duty to perforhness," Ehren protested "You are in no condition - "

Attis waved a disht But in a conflict of this scale, I will contribute thethe efforts of others and deter sound courses of action I can do that very nearly as well frolanced up at Lady Placida

She shrugged one shoulder "Provided his thoughts remain clear, I believe he is correct He's the best we have when it coic decisions, his staff are already in place, and his structure and methods are already established We should use him"

Are you sure you didn't ht There is little love lost between you

Not that Ehren had any right to be casting stones He inhaled deeply and guarded his tongue "I see Your Highness, Count and Countess Calderon caently request that you meet with them to discuss how best to utilize the Calderon Valley's defenses"

"No rest for the wicked," Attis ht Please send them to me, Sir Ehren"

Ehren bowed his head "As you wish"

One of the legionares in the rear guard collapsed when the long coluht of the entrance to the Calderon Valley Instantly, vord warriors rushed into the break in the Aleran defenses, not pausing to attack They only pushed ahead, bringing ever more of their numbers into the weak point of the broken Aleran line

Ehren realized what had happened when he heard refugees begin to screaon's seat and stared back behind therade, and he could clearly see the h the colu about to sprinkle blood and death on the defenders Horns called wildly Legionares e the enerueso, even when they struck a badly aiht have been - but the sheer, screa so for the shelter of the tree line

Horns cried out in answer froion in its tracks to begindouble time back to the battle An instant later, several fornized the Placidas, old Cereus, and a figure that h Lords and Lady est The lone flier turned east, and shot off like an arrow from the bow

"Rally!" Ehren cried "Sound the rally here! Get those people out of the forest!"

The teamster on the cart fumbled with his bullhorn for a , surprisinglythe process The wagons i into a double column to coian went by Once they were clear, Ehren and his driver co off fro an enormous circle, a ees had been repeatedly instructed how to react to a given horn signal, in the event of a moment just such as this It had probably done a ood Even perfectly simple tasks were sometimes difficult or i situation It hy soldiers trained and drilled endlessly - so that when they were nu they needed to do

Once the wagons had stopped, the teaain on his horn Soees cried out and ran for the dubious shelter of the circled wagons Others saw them and followed Ehren supposed it was even possible that sonal He saw dozens of the refugees who had run for the trees co back Some, but not all of them Ehren shivered Anyone who believed that the forest would provide any haven fro to be rudely surprised He had already seen at least a dozen ions and the vord hahts streaked back and forth overhead in the rain Drums rumbled, and men died The Aleran order of battle had been sed by pure chaos, but the vord seemed to have no such difficulty In absolute terap in the Legion lines was not sizeable - but those vord, rushing wildly up and down through the column, had an effect on the Aleran troops entirely disproportionate to their nu randothat Ehren could not possibly tell one froless cacophony

And then Ehren heard the dru, basso, ocean-deep drums whose voices rumbled so low that they were e to him, their tone and rhythry

Perhaps thirty of the ons in a cohesive pack, following a trail of screaees who ran in vain toward their fellows The vord cut theroup of horseions, who tried to force the vord off the Aleran civilians

"Spears!" Ehren screa spears froon They aree willing to fight, and the ring of wagons suddenly bristled with martial thorns