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"Yes," Alera said "I warned you about that"

"Then you see why I must question my place here," Tavi said quietly "If I can't outwit her, anticipate her, overco to lead thesethat that"

"That you quite likely take them to their deaths," Alera said

Tavi closed his eyes "Yes"

Alera's voice turned wry "HowGaius? How many more would have died had you perished with the Queen's first strike? Do you not see what this attack means?"

He opened his eyes and frowned up at her

"She cannot have many Citizens left to her," Alera said "Yet she attacked this ca that it was a suicide mission She told you she'd only come to weaken you"

"That doesn't make any sense," Tavi said "To waste such a valuable resource ?"

"Indeed, why?" Alera asked

"Because she thought it orth the sacrifice," Tavi murmured "But that doesn't htened bitterly "Light"

"She didn't co Gaius Not yet She came here to bleed you"

"But why?" Tavi asked "If she'd waited until the Legion was closer, she could have hit us with overwhel her collared Citizens It isn't rational! It's"

He suddenly stopped speaking He blinked twice

"It isn't rational," he said softly "It's the kind ofcoets to be disciplined He decides that doing anything is a better idea than doing nothing" Tavi's eyes widened "She was afraid of

A moment later, Tavi snorted "Well I think I must have cured her of that mistaken impression"

"And yet," Alera said quietly, "she ran You didn't"

"Of course she ran It prevented us fro forces on her It allowed her to control the pace of the fight" His eyes widened

Defeating the vord Queen was not about si It was not about tactics, about furycraft, about organization or technique or ranks of shining armor

It was about minds It was about wills