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Other couriers andup and down the wall, in the air and mounted upon swift horses Amara narrowly avoided a collision with another flier, a panicked-looking young Citizen in ary over his shoulder as he struggled to maintain his oindstreah to attend the Academy, much less serve as a courier in a war

But he could fly, and the vord had taken away the Alerans' ability to spare their young froiven a duty he could perforhts Aeris

Aroup, positioned at the center of the wall's north-south axis Her landing hardly stirred the capes of the elite Knights Ferrous and Terra serving as bodyguards for the command staff Evidently, word of how she had dealt with the young idiot outside the Princeps' tent had spread, at least enough to ensure that she would be readily recognized The leader of the contingent aving her past before she'd settled her weight coain

A her oord a little more comfortably on her hip She had declined the offer of a suit of lorica A body had to be conditioned to bear its weight over the course of months of effort, and Amara had not had that kind of time to spare Instead, she wore a far-ht, strong steel It would alainst an arrow or the slash of a scalpel-edged dueling blade

Pity the vord didn't fight with either of those weapons

Amara strode forward to the low observation platform built upon the wall in lieu of an actual tower andthat it's the sort of thing that one can't take too seriously," High Lord Riva was saying The rather duion lorica, finely ht be "Bloody crows, n fortress right inI did, too," Bernard said h his stiffened jaw

Lord Riva scowled, and said, "I never even appointed you Bloody Sextus did it, interfering old busybody"

"Mave him a harsh look that faded quickly as he let out an exasperated sigh "Well You tried to warn us about the vord, didn't you?"

"We're all trying to do our best to serve the Realm and our people, sir," Bernard said He turned and smiled at Amara as she joined them "My lady"

She smiled and touched his hand briefly "Shouldn't we sound battle positions?"

"Enemy isn't here yet," Bernard said, his voice placid "Men stand around with swords in their hands for a few hours, they get nervous, tired, start wondering why soave the order for no reason" He winced and touched his fingertips to his jaw as the effort of so many words pained him "Won't hurt to wait Excuse me"

Bernard turned to walk down the wall to the elderly ion armor and a centurion's helmet, his trousers emblazoned with not one, but two scarlet stripes of the Order of the Lion He muttered a couple of words, and old Centurion Giraldi, out of retirean dispatching couriers