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I kept climbing.
I woke to find that my body had started without waiting for me. I wasn't climbing steps now, though, and I couldn't remember getting to the top of that stairway.
But this was no dream now. A
The night had nearly ended. A
A
I brushed the hair away from her face. "I think I did too." I returned the hug and we broke the clinch. There was neither the time nor the desire for another round, not then, maybe not ever. Despite the vigorous intimacy of the night, we were still worlds apart, in many ways. We looked at each other but found no words. I couldn't ask A
"I don't suppose that we'll see much of each other after the battle's over," A
"That's possible." Her words brought my dream back to the fore. If the dream was true, I wouldn't be seeing much of anyone. Back home, I would have dismissed the nightmare without too much thought. But, in Varay, I couldn't be so sure that there was nothing to it but nocturnal fear.
"You have your duty and I have mine." A
I shrugged. That was safer than words.
"This night is one to remember, but not to relive," A
"I think that's best." I took her hands in mine, just long enough to give them a squeeze. "I don't think we could ever recapture the moment." I tried to keep any relief out of my voice. "But the paths of our duty may cross on occasion," I added, releasing her hands.
"We'd better get our horses saddled," A
Sir Hambert and his men were just moving into the orchard when I decided that I had enough light to work. I used the cottage's front door for the link to Arrowroot. I applied the sea-silver and stood looking into the cottage when I reached for the tracing so the men and horses would be coming out of the cottage as they arrived. It would have been incredibly stupid to get that turned around. The actual co
"Your mother is at Coriander," Parthet said. "We decided that that would be faster than me popping over there after we did this door. I've got Resler and his soldiers here, ready and waiting. I'll hold this way open while you do the other." He looked quite his old self, fully recovered.
"Right." I gri
I used the stable door for the second passage. There wasn't much choice, but this door wasn't much wider or higher than the cottage's front door. Even Parthet could have spa
When the men started coming through from Arrowroot and Coriander, I had new responsibilities. The biggest "command" I had ever held was captain of a tug-of-war team in high school. And all that meant was that I got to hold down the tail end of the rope and get dragged across the line last when we lost. We always lost. But now, I had the entire army of Varay to command, and the stakes were enormous, more than just getting dragged through the mud. I would have help, but everyone would look to me for a battle plan and for any tactical decisions. After all, I was the hotshot Hero, whether I was qualified for anything or not. Barons Resler and Dieth came through with their men. I expected Dieth to be helpful, but I wasn't sure about Resler. A
Kardeen set up a headquarters for us in the orchard close to the cottage. He had a large-scale map of the area right around Castle Thyme, both sides of the border, showing considerable topological detail. Kardeen took care of administrative details too, finding out just how many men we had-mounted and on foot, archers, lancers, that sort of thing. He was damn efficient. In thirty minutes he had messengers ru
"How do you do it?" I asked Kardeen.
"Experience. I've been making sure that things get done for twenty-five years."
"You should be ru
He shook his head quickly. "I'm an administrator, not a general. But you tell me what you want and I'll find a way, or find the people who can find the way. If there is one."
I nodded. "Right now, a lot depends on how far off the Etevar's army is. If we've got time, it would be nice to get inside Castle Thyme before his main force arrives." I shrugged. "We probably won't have that kind of time, but just in case we do get the chance, it would help to know the layout inside the castle."
"Give me ten minutes and I'll have the floor plan." Kardeen laughed. "That's an easy one. Try something harder."
"Okay, how about a simple way to get inside?"
"That's military. I'll have to find you someone who knows the castle for that."
There was a commotion at the edge of the orchard, and I went to see what that was about while Kardeen went to find someone who knew Castle Thyme. One of our patrols had surprised a Dorthini patrol and taken a couple of prisoners. No one had escaped to carry the news of our presence back to Castle Thyme or to the approaching Dorthini army.
Our scouts didn't get back until midafternoon, and by then I was ready to start swinging in the trees I was so nervous. The early reports that the Dorthinis would reach us somewhat after noon hadn't been borne out, but I still thought that our scouts should have had time to find the enemy and get back… if any of them were going to get back. When the scouts did return, they brought both good news and bad news. The bad news was that the Etevar had four thousand soldiers. The good news was that they wouldn't reach Castle Thyme until the next morning. They were moving slower than expected and the only logical place for them to bivouac for the night would leave them with three hours' marching to reach the castle.