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Bernard grunted and shook his head "All we did was make them take us seriously Before today, the vord had never had much in the way of tactics They just threw more warriors at every probleer "Today they tried to turn our flank Toed "They pulled back because so us down The next ti nasty prepared"

Amara shivered He took a step closer and put his arm around her The ed

"The i," he said, "is that we're still here Once we fall back to Garrison, we should be able to hold out for weeks, if need be We've successfully bought tiet here," Bernard said

"What good will that do us?" she asked "No one's sighted the Queen yet"

Bernard shook his head "He's got so tricky in mind Count on it"

Amara nodded "I hope so," she said "Love, you should have soers absently stroked her hand "Pretty sunset, isn't it?"

"Beautiful," she replied She leaned her head on his shoulder

The sun was nearly gone, its ruddy light glaring into their eyes Shadows spread long across the Valley's floor

And off in the distance, the shrieks of angry vord whispered from the Valley's walls

Chapter 40

"Let me deal with this," Invidia snarled "Give me our earthcrafters and the behemoths, and that on't last five minutes"

"No," said the Queen She paced back and forth beside the pool of water, staring down at it Her tattered old gown rustled and whispered "No, not yet," she said

"You saw the losses they inflicted"

The Queen shrugged a shoulder, the ant, at odds with the stained finery she wore "Losses are to be expected Especially here, at the last They revealed hidden capabilities without destroying us, which ill overcome in our next encounter That is a victory" She looked up at Invidia sharply "However, I do not understand why you did not warn reat fury in the mountain"

"Because I didn't know about it," Invidia replied, her voice tight "Obviously"

"You said you had been here before"

"To pick up Isana in a wind coach," Invidia said "Not to plan an invasion"

The vord Queen stared at Invidia for a h she hadn't quite understood the difference Then she nodded slowly "It must be another disparate Aleran experience"