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Though, Ehren reflected, that was quite a bit different than counting for nothing

Even though the Legions could face the vord at a point ofof the Citizens and the freeions reionares out for a fresh cohort The vord needed no such cooperation They si, an endless tide Ehren counted, out of habit, noting that only sixtheir hourlong rotation on the walls And yet it was entirely possible that their losses, proportionately, orse than those being inflicted upon the vord

The hollow booh the night, acco sounds of the occasional launch of fire-spheres from a mule, but even those were infrequent Ehren asked Count Calderon about it

"The firecrafters are resting in rotation," he said quietly "They're exhausted There are just a few of them on duty to prevent any breaches of the wall And we're running low on a established in the refugee camp east of the city toas fast as we'd like"

"How fast would we like it?" Ehren asked dubiously A stray sphere from the last mule launch had co enthusiastically

"Twelve million of them an hour would be ideal," Calderon replied

Ehren choked "Twelve h for one hundred mules to loose two-hundred-shot loads at their maximum rate of fire, nonstop," Bernard said He squinted out at the battle "With that, I could kill every vord in this sithout losing a ure out a way to s more quickly"

Ehren shook his head "Seems so unbelievable When Tavi showed one insane" He paused "More insane"

Two ht more vord screah-pitched whistles drifting down from the bluffs on either side of the little city Bernard looked up sharply and sed "There Here it co attack It's the weakest part of this position, defending against an attack froestured at the two bluffs "The vord are going to try to take the heights, then come down on us"

"The Marat are stationed there, I believe," Ehren said

"Yes," Calderon said "But if the vord have reinforced their flankers" He bit his lip and beckoned Centurion Giraldi "Signal the Marat"

Giraldi saluted and stoer as the battle upon the bluffs resumed, with the screams and howls and cries of the Marat, their beasts, and their foes echoing down into the Valley

"It would be nice to be able to see what's happening up there," Ehren said

"Probably why they did it at night," Calderon replied "Shoith a h before anyone realizes there are a whole lot more of them this time" He shook his head "Did it ever once occur to whoever is in charge over there that they aren't the only ones who can furycraft a decent trail up onto the bluffs?"

Ehren turned with the Count in tinal-fire arrows launched into the air over each bluff There was a brief pause, then the sounding of horns somewhere out on the plains

And then there was a low, rurow closer - andinto existence between his hands, to let him look out east onto the plains beyond Garrison And there he saw, surging toward the west, an enormous mass