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"Why?" Ehren asked, blinking "What difference is it going to make if they're here in half an hour instead of ten minutes?"

"Because, Sir Ehren," Calderon said, "like your own de here is as it seems"

Chapter 49~50

Chapter 49

Gaius Octavian's host dismounted at the mouth of the Calderon Valley, much to the relief of riders and mounts alike Fidelias watched the entire process, bemused How different would the role of cavalry be if horses could talk?

And draords

And eat their riders

He thought thereabout

Fidelias shook his head and struggled to focus on the task at hand Such wandering thoughts ht perhaps be natural in the face of exhaustion and near-certain death, but they wouldn't help acco in froulares trailing at a slight distance Though the trees had been a quarter mile away, he had insisted It would never do, after all, for the Legions to see their Princeps beholden to the call of nature just as they were

Fidelias swung down from his own horse and walked over to join the captain

" know you aren't used to perfor men - a cavalry centurion nahts Both were the right arms of Maximus and Crassus, respectively, within the First Aleran "But you've been trained well," Octavian continued "You'll do fine"

Both young ht, tried to lookthe exact sa He was just a lot better at it than the other two It also said so about hied matters so that he could have a moment to bolster their spirits before the rest of the commanders of the host arrived

It took only ions to reach the, and Master Marok in his vord-chitin mantle To Fidelias's surprise, Sha was there as well, clad in Hunter grey, pacing along in Varg's shadow

"Gentlemen," Octavian said There were no h only the Cane didn't look it Their fur siht to it There are two and a half million enemy troops packed into the next fifty miles or so There are about forty thousand of us So there are plenty of vord to share Let's not be stingy"

A ru looked a looked patient

"Garrison is about fifty ot alionares and support froh to face the vord directly," Nasaug said, his deep voice resonant

"No," Octavian said "It isn't Somewhere between here and Garrison is the vord Queen Once we kill her, we aren't facing an army anymore We kill her, we have a chance"

Sir Callu to find her?"

Octavian gave him a wolfish smile "Well, Sir Callum It appears that some blackhearted villains destroyed the vord's food storehouse at Riva, then proceeded to burn out the croach that was supposed to be their supply line"

Another ruroup