‘I ain't that stupid.’

She nodded, squinting cross-eyed. ‘Good. I hoped you weren't.’

‘Naw,’ Gant opined, leaning back. ‘You was just out hunting dropped munitions, weren't cha? An’ Ryllandaras jumped ya…’ and he winked.

‘Yeah. Something like that.’

Bowl's bulging eyes narrowed to slits. ‘How many did you find…?’

‘All right,’ Braven Tooth cut in. ‘You'll all get your fair share. But I have to warn you – the Gold keep most of it. They know it best. Now, as to you sorry-assed excuses. We're short on mages – that's no secret – so you're going hunting. That's your assignment and the assignment of the saboteur squads in all the other companies. You keep your heads down and wait for an Avowed to show him- or herself then you let them have it. You got it?’

Nods all around. A chorus of slovenly ‘Ayes’.

Braven Tooth scowled his disappointment from under his matted tangled brows. ‘All right. Dismissed – all except you, Jumpy. A word.’

The other saboteur sergeants sauntered off, Gant offering a mocking laugh to Nait. Braven Tooth waved him close. ‘Met someone out there, did you?’ he said, his voice low. So close was the man Nait flinched back – he stank of rancid animal fat, old sweat and stale beer. Gods! Has he never washed?

‘Yeah. Met the master sergeant, Temp.’

‘No, you didn't, right?’

‘That's what no one out there told me.’

‘Good… Now, what was he doin’?’

‘He met up with some old Seti veteran he knew from before.’

Braven Tooth's bhederin-like brows climbed his blunt forehead to his greasy tangled mane. ‘This Seti,’ he rumbled, his voice oddly faint, ‘what did he call him?’

‘Called him his “sword-brother”.’

The commander stepped backwards as if reeling. ‘Hood's bony prang!’ he breathed, awed. ‘Two! Two of Dassem's old bodyguard here with us now! The Avowed have no idea what they're facin’.’

‘What's that?’ Nait asked.

The man's faced clouded over. ‘Nothin’. You saw nothin’- heard nothin’. Clear?’

Nait shrugged his indifference. ‘Fine. Anything else?’

‘Yeah. You've got munitions. They're all supposed to be handed in for distribution. Return ‘em.’

‘I'll return half.’

‘Half!’

‘Deal?’

Nait swore he could hear his commander's teeth splintering and grinding. ‘Deal,’ Braven Tooth spat. ‘Now get outta my sight before I throw you in the brig.’

Nait saluted and sauntered away. Out on the compound grounds May edged up and said aside: ‘I'm comin’ around to thinking maybe you're not so bad for the unit after all.’

‘All this lovin's making me just dippy,’ Nait grumbled. ‘Now let's take a look to the south.’

They climbed the south palisade wall. Far out of sight beyond the gently rolling hills the Guard were deploying. Within the compound horns blared to sound formation. Laseen's combined forces, the remaining Talian, Moranth and Falaran soldiery all now serving beneath the Imperial sceptre, were gathering to march south.

‘All open ground,’ Nait said, thinking aloud. He stroked a thumb across his lips. ‘Lousy for us.’

‘At least they got no cavalry to speak of,’ said May.

‘Who does? Horses are as rare as gold these days.’

‘So won't be much manoeuvring, then, maybe.’

‘No. Toe-to-toe. It'll be ugly. Nothin's gonna be held back today. Say – remember that siege equipment in the train? Take a few of the lads and get a hold of one of those stone arbalests. Biggest you can find. Break it down if you have to. I want to be able to reach anywhere on that field.’

May's thin lips crept upwards at the images that came to mind. She tilted her head in agreement. ‘Aye, Sarge.’

Silk had settled Storo in a better-class inn. That dawn Hurl paced the hall outside the door. She was leaving, nominally commanding a Hengan detachment of volunteers to join the Empress's forces to the east. It seemed probable to her that she'd never return so now was her only chance to say goodbye. Still, she could not bring herself to enter. It had been days and all this time she hadn't yet come to see the man. Now maybe it was just too late…

‘C'mon in, Hurl,’ he called through the door. She froze, cursed the noisy floorboards. She opened the door. He lay on the bed. An open window let in the early morning light and air. She stood in the entrance. He waved her in. ‘C'mon, I don't smell so bad now.’

She didn't want to and didn't mean to but she flushed, embarrassed. She came and sat at the end of his bed. The man's face was torn, a great ragged zig-zag that had taken an eye, cheek and edge of his mouth – he now spoke with a slur. That side's arm was gone as well, amputated. An abdominal wound was covered by the sheets. ‘I hear you're headin’ out. Wish you wouldn't. The Seti will probably attack – it's their last chance.’

‘Rell's staying, and Silk and Liss. And the city's full behind us now. You have full cohorts and Captain Gurjan. More than enough men and women for the walls.’

‘Still don't like it.’

‘I'll be fine. Got a good sergeant in Banath.’

‘You won't be safe. You're safe here in the city. And you're takin’ those three. I don't trust them.’

‘Can't say I like them myself but they fought for the city and Silk agrees Laseen's short on mages – these three could make a real difference.’

He took a laboured breath – was this tiring him? He was weaker than she thought. ‘Still don't trust ‘em. Why go? Why're they all so eager to go?’

‘I don't know. But they are. So we're going. Now take care – heal up.’ She stood.

He struggled to straighten himself higher. She came and gently eased him back. ‘What… V

‘Come back. Y'hear? Come back. I don't want… this fight to take you.’

‘All right. I'll keep my head down. Now, we'll see you later.’

His hand on the sheet rose to her, opened, fell away. ‘Yeah. Be careful out there. Real careful.’

‘I will.’ She backed away, closed the door. Pressing her back to it, she considered the very real possibility that they were both of them damned cowards.

Outside, her escort of twenty waited; she was, after all, second in command of the city. They rode to the Gate of the Dawn where six hundred cavalry were assembling in a double column. The call had gone out some time ago and, with Rell's very vocal support, six hundred viable mounts had been selected from the city's remaining horses. Many were on their last legs, hardly better than swaybacked nags. But they would do for a day's ride on a good road. At the gate, a sliver of dawn's light still slanting through, Hurl pulled up short. There waited the three brothers, but also Rell and Liss, both mounted. Near them stood Silk, his arms crossed over his still unmended tattered shirt, and Sunny, his glower even more sour than usual.

‘What's this?’ Hurl asked of Rell.

‘We're coming,’ said Liss.

‘I asked them not to,’ Silk cut in.

‘You shouldn't. The city-’

‘He won't come here this night,’ Rell said from behind his visor, his voice still harsh and distorted from his scarring. ‘We know where he's going to be.’

Hurl nodded. True, from all she'd heard there was no way the monster could resist all the blood about to be spilled. Obviously Rell and Liss wanted to be there when he came. So be it. At this point, with so few, she wouldn't turn anyone away. She raised her shoulders to Silk who hugged himself tighter, frowning his helpless disapproval.

Sunny came to her side. ‘I ought to be the one goin‘,’ he growled.

One of us has to stay and I seem to be the field commander.’

‘You weren't such a week ago.’

‘No, but somehow suddenly I am. Keep any eye on the north wall.’

His sneer told her not to tell him his job. She signed to Sergeant Banath who raised himself in his stirrups, waving. The banner-men dipped their colours forward and the column slowly made its way out of the east-facing Gate of the Dawn. Hurl raised a hand in farewell. The mage bowed, arms tight about himself, a strained smile of encouragement at his lips. Sunny raised a fist.