Page 165 (1/2)

Gaius Octavian's bladetone Her sword shattered ale s-swift cut

And the Vord War was over

Chapter 57

Chapter 57

The wind had picked up so sharply that the Knights Aeris Fidelias had borrowed began to run out of work The conditions were sihts to stay aloft, especially when aconditions had ripped the Canim's sorcerous mist apart even earlier than that, and Fidelias, frootten an excellent view of the size of the force attacking them

There weren't thirty thousand vord There were iven the Legions any real hope against a force that outnu Marat, Iceion discipline in the face of overwhel odds was less a professional practice than it was a forious insanity, especially in a veteran unit like the First They ht be killed to a h to grind the determination out of any rational foe

But the vord weren't rational

So the First Aleran would be killed to a man - and Fidelias with them, if it came to that Perhaps that was the specter of Valiar Marcus inside his thoughts speaking, but if so, Fidelias had no intention of counter these men

The rain came down harder, and harder still, until it was almost like one of the typhoons that sometihting gri in silence, his face stony It was raining No one would see But even so, force of habittalents he possessed, which were at least suitable to stop tears

His head whipped up abruptly, and he snapped, to the nearest courier, "Bring me the First Lady!"

Isana's cloak and dress were soaked through by the tioodness It was the closest thing she'd had to a bath in weeks

The ground continued to quiver and shake at odd intervals Vast sounds, deep and unearthly, reverberated through the night, passing over the screams and cries and drums and trumpets of battle, the roar of wind, the slap of heavy rain They reminded Isana of the calls of leviathans in the open sea - only a great deal more expansive She couldn't see a hundred yards in the rain, and she had a feeling that she should be glad of it

She hurried across the roof with Araris and Aldrick trailing behind her, to where Valiar Marcus stood with his command staff He saluted her as she approached, pointed at the ditch the legionares were defending, and said, without preamble, "My lady, I need you to fill that ditch ater"