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The officer lifted his eyebrows A balest bolt could pass through a horse and fatally wound an arionare on the other side "How far out were you?"

"Twenty yards, maybe," Fidelias said

The officer stared at him for a moment Then he fretted his lip and eyed Durias "And we're chasing that? This is pointless This Princeps is going to get us all k - "

Durias dug one heel abruptly into his horse's flank, and the beast lurched forward and to one side, slaainst the Tribune's mount Durias's hand flashed out and seized thehiionares complain," Durias said in a harsh, low voice "Officers lead Shut your bloody mouth and lead Or if you can't do that, have the balls to resign your commission and let soive the officer time to respond He just shoved him, stiff-armed, away

The officer recovered his balance and control of his horse, his face chagrined "Aye Aye We'll get back to work"

Durias grunted and said nothing The officer saluted and turned to ride away Durias turned to Fidelias, a belligerent gleam in his eyes "Well?"

Fidelias pursed his lips and nodded "Not bad"

Froan to blow assean to return to the causealking in pairs of one Cane to one Aleran,to get there exhausted," Durias said quietly "On open ground No fortifications"

Fidelias took a slow breath, and said, "If the Princeps ive him a chance to take down the Queen, he should do it I would In a heartbeat"

"Yes," Durias said, evenme"

"First Spear," Fidelias said "Shut up and lead"

Durias let out a snort of bitter aed a salute, and Durias turned to ride back toward the Free Aleran's section of the colunal came - the normal cavalry call to ionares Each of the, wide canvas straps, cut from the cloth of their tents A loop in the cloth had been tied in one end The legionares stepped behind their Canim partner and slipped their boots into the loops Then they passed the straps to the Cane before the as the Canim slid the straps over their own shoulders, wrapped their other ends about their paw-hands, and crouched as their Aleran partners claon the role of human back-packs Men occasionally fell Canim occasionally were kicked in inconvenient (and unarmored) places Several tails, particularly, seemed to be put in harm's way in service to the Princeps' novel concept in transportation

Other legionares, Fidelias kneere nowjust as ain, the Cani overland pace, then even faster, running without difficulty as the Aleran partners bid the furies of the causeway to help the the causeith his own feet The Canireater natural speed meant that they could use the causeway to ood horse Within ain,faster progress than any Legion would have uide his horse back toward the front of the colu very hard not to think about what the Free Aleran Tribune and its First Spear had said about their prospects for surviving another day

"Shut up, old man," he breathed to himself "Shut up and face it head-on"

He pursed his lips and thought about a different portion of the previous conversation Then he barked a short laugh to himself