At dawn the next day, the entire Legion of Solon was assembled on the road north. Lord Logan and Wolf Company led the column, followed by Stag, Hawk, and Panther companies. Cori looked around and shifted her pack to settle the straps to a more comfortable position on her shoulders. They were carrying a lot more supplies than they normally would. Every Legionnaire was carrying three quivers of arrows, a full pack with dry rations for up to four days plus their other weapons, extra clothing and blanket rolls. Read more…

The next several days were a whirlwind of activity, and most of the Legionnaires had a sense that something big was happening. Arrows and other supplies were pouring into their section of the encampment, and they were stockpiling those supplies into wagons for each company. No one knew what the hustle and bustle were all about. Each company was brought back up to full strength with new recruits, mostly from the northern refugees they had helped rescue. The Legion had lost about ten percent of their number to deaths and injuries that couldn’t be quickly healed by the monks who traveled with them. The new people were all hardy frontier folk much like most of them were, so they fit right in except for their accents and the different cut of their clothes. Read more…

Cori and Shelby escorted their charges through the forest to the west. The Legionnaires knew that if they continued west they would reach the road on which the rest of their company were camped. The challenge they faced was keeping the two noblemen from bickering like two fishmongers about every aspect of the journey. Cori rolled her eyes as they argued about who should hold brambles out of the way for the other to pass without getting scratched. Read more…

Cori and the rest of the platoon were told to pack up their gear but to pack light. Leave their tents and packs, taking just their weapons and necessities for a two-day march east and back. Many of the farmers they had rescued stayed on and helped maintain the camp, and they would keep an eye on things while the legionnaires were gone. Their goal was to lay an ambush for the Imperial column with the combined company platoons from Panther and Stag Companies. They started off just after noon and marched long into the night until they reached the north-south mountain road they had been shadowing for weeks now. Read more…

They followed the trail south through the late afternoon before Declan came back to the lead element of the platoon. They halted on the trail as he gave his report. Lissa and Shelby were still to the south, hidden and watching the enemy force. The scouts had counted forty-two of the Imperial regulars. They wore the standard splinted mail armor and hob-nailed boots they had been described as wearing. They were setting up an ambush along the side of a rutted forest road to the south. It looked like they were waiting for something to happen. Read more…

After dinner with her brothers, Cori joined Logan and Jonathan on their trip back to the Legion camp. Jonathan had been quiet during dinner. He had always been so, his nose usually in a book rather than a conversation. She asked him his thoughts on the war. He had read extensively about history and might have insights. Read more…