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Greer said, "Looks like we’re stuck here for a while Might as well have a look at what’s down the road We’re going to have to alloped away, riding without a glance past Hollis, as advancing toward thened hi out food and water to theon adown the line He turned his horse to face her

"It’s Sancho, sir I think he’s dying"

Greer nodded "I see Thank you for telling ht appreciate a visit from you"

His face showed no eht to cover six hours of open ground That’s what I’ht now Just do the best you can Is that all?"

"Did he have anyone he was close to? Somebody who could be with hiht now I’m sure he’d understand Now, if you’ll excusein the snow, Sara realized she was suddenly fighting back tears

"Come on," Hollis said, and took her by the arm "I’ll help you"

They ain They pulled a couple of crates beside Sancho’s berth His breathing had gotten ed; a bit of foam had collected on his lips, which were blue with hypoxia Sara didn’t need to check his pulse to know his heart was racing, running out the clock

"What can we do for hioing to die, she’d known that since the start, but now that it was actually happening, all her efforts see now"

It wasn’t While they watched, his breathing began to slow His eyelids fluttered Sara had heard it said that, in the last moments, a person’s life would pass before his eyes If that was true, as Sancho seeing? What would she be seeing, if she were the one lying there? Sara took his bandaged hand and tried to think of what to say, ords of kindness she could offer But nothing ca about him, only his name

When it was over, Hollis drew the blanket over the dead soldier’s face Above the Sara stood to find his eyes open and blinking, his gray face shining with sweat

"Did he-?"

Sara nodded "I’ to acknowledge her; his roaned "What a fking drea beside Sara now "What did he say?"

"Sergeant," Sara pressed, "what drea to loosen its hold from his memory "Just horrible Her voice And that stink"

"Whose voice, Sergeant?"

"Soly fat wo his head froine of the disabled five-ton, Michael saw Alicia-racing down the ridge, galloping through the snow She tore past hi for Greer

What the hell?

Wilco was standing beside Michael,the path of Alicia’s horse The rest of Alicia’s squad was co toward the, he pressed the wrench into his hand "Just do it and be quick I think we’rethe tracks she had rew: Alicia had seen soe Hollis and Sara cli on Greer and Alicia, who had both dis in a broad swath, then kneeling, drawing frantically in the snow As Michael ca, "How ht The tracks are still fresh"

"Major Greer-" This was Sara

Greer held up a hand, cutting her off "How oddamnit?"

Alicia rose "Not ht for that mountain"

Chapter SIXTY-FOUR

Theo awoke not with a start but with a feeling of tu world His eyes were open They had been open, he realized, for soht He reached for Mausami and found her beside hi her knees upward That’s what it was He’d been drea of the baby

He was chilled to the bone, and yet his skin was slick with sweat He wondered if he had a fever You had to sweat to break a fever; that’s what Teacher had always said, and hishis face as he lay in bed, burning up But that was long ago, a memory of a meotten what it felt like

He pushed the blankets aside and rose to his feet, shivering in the cold, thethe last heat fro the sa wood in the yard They were ready at last for winter, everything battened down and put up and locked away He drew off his sweat-soaked shirt and took another fros he had found lockers full of clothes, so from the store: shirts and pants and socks and thermal underwear and sweaters made of a material that felt like cotton but wasn’t The otten into some of it but not all Whoever had stocked this place had stocked it for the long haul