Ironvine Territory (Seventy-Three)

Ursus's adjutant stared at the mass of enemy troops charging down the nearby hillside. "How is this possible? How could so many soldiers suddenly appear here?"

"They hid their movements and advanced under cover. No wonder their cavalry spent the last two days hunting down our scouts and patrols so relentlessly. They were clearing away our eyes so their main force could strike our camp."

Ursus's face was still grim, but his duty as Legion Commander forced him to grit his teeth and regain his composure. Even so, his clipped words betrayed his turmoil.

"But that still doesn't make sense. How could so many troops creep so close to our camp? We had hidden sentries all around it during the day, not to mention watchtowers inside. There's no way an enemy force could come within five kilometers without us seeing some sign of it. Do they have ghosts or gods helping them?

"How can we possibly stand against an enemy like that?"

The adjutant seemed so frightened by the enemy's sudden appearance that he could barely speak coherently.

Smack! Ursus slapped him hard across the face, then said with icy calm, "Get a grip. There are no ghosts or gods.

"They didn't come during the day. They came at night.

"They used the stars and moonlight to navigate and kept their torches to a minimum. That's how they slipped so close without us noticing."

The slap and his commander's words finally brought the adjutant back to his senses. "I lost my composure, Legion Commander."

Ursus nodded. "Good. Now I have something you need to do.

"Find Phyllis at once. Tell him to assemble my guard and block the gate in the second camp wall. We probably can't save the Coalition of Nobles in the outer camp, or the Second and