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…

The boats were standard three-masted merchantmen who’s holds had been emptied of their cargo to carry troops and supplies across the Southron Sea to the open ports in Verona. The Kingdom of Rhodes was taking advantage of the shorter travel time across the water rather than take the month and a half to march by the land route. The same trip by sea could be made in just three days if the winds were right. The Legion loaded up their companies and all their gear into four of the merchant ships. Read more…

The next few weeks were a blur for Cori and the rest of the members of second platoon of Stag Company. It seemed that they never stopped running, drilling, or shooting. The were the first legionnaires up each morning, before dawn, and the last to return to camp, well after dark, if they returned to their tents at all. More often than not, the entire platoon spent the nights on the cold ground huddled inside their cloaks. Read more…

The rest of the company was sent off to set up their camp on the eastern edge of the Legion’s encampment. Cori did not join them. Her father beckoned to her to follow him, and he and Lady Elena returned to the command tent’s interior. Logan and Jonathan followed her inside. Her brothers walked around her to stand on either side of her parents while they sat in folding camp chairs set up next to a pair of bunks. Cori knew that her brother Logan liked to camp with the troops so clearly this tent set up was for her parents, signifying to her they had been here for a few days. Read more…

Stag Company of the Legion of Solon stayed in camp for two more days before they disembarked for the full Legion mustering point just north of Rhodes City, the Kingdom’s capital. During those two days, the second platoon, with whom Cori had arrived, was integrated into the company. Captain McAffrey, Sergeant Verell, and the other platoon leaders kept Cori’s secret for the time being. She was relieved because they all needed to focus on the continued training. Read more…

It was another week of travel through the woods paralleling the southern road to the capital before they met up with Captain McAffrey and other two platoons of Stag Company. Along the way, the platoon became better at navigating the forest quietly and in addition to what the scouts were able to shoot along the march, Sergeant Verell sent out advance hunting parties an hour or so ahead of their route of march to scare up bigger game. Read more…

The march south from Gladestown began on the rutted road south for the first several hours. Then Sergeant Verell called a halt and explained the way they would forage for food on the march. It was also the first time he explained the Legion’s standing orders to the group. The standing orders were important to a group of scouts who would be operating separately from the rest of the army. Because of their frequent separation, they would have to be more self-reliant than the forces that usually had large supply trains supporting them. Read more…

A shout jolted Cori awake the next morning. She sat up and looked around, disoriented for a moment until she remembered where she was. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and saw the source of the noise. Kieran was standing halfway up the ladder calling to the rest of the group of recruits who were all in various states of being awake. Read more…

The next several days of travel through the forest gave Cori a chance to think about her plans more. She had not liked lying to the farmer and his wife, and it settled poorly with her that they had realized that she was lying to them almost immediately. They were kind people and did not deserve to be lied to. She thought on this and determined that she would not lie about who she was if directly asked but she would only share information that was necessary to achieve her goals. Read more…