Mogaba glanced out the window. We could see two Shadowlander patrols raising dust in the hills. He can starve us out now.

Maybe.

Mogaba grimaced but controlled his anger. Yes?

For no rational reason I feel confident that our friends will break us out.

I must confess that I remain a stranger to that sort of faith. Although I concede the importance of maintaining an optimistic aspect in front of the soldiers.

Was I going to argue? No. He was more right than I could be.

So, Standardbearer, how do we survive a protracted siege when most of our food stores are exhausted? How do we recover the standard once we do get out of these straits?

I dont have any answers. Although I think the standard is in friendly hands already. Why was he interested? Almost every time we talked he asked something about the standard. Did he believe possessing it would legitimize him?

How so? He was surprised.

The Widowmaker that was here the first time carried the real standard.

Youre sure?

I know it, I promised.

Then share your thoughts about food.

We could try fishing. Wisecracking was not a good idea with Mogaba. It just made Mogaba angry.

Aint no joke, Goblin snapped. That water comes down here from regular rivers. Theres got to be fish.

The little shit wasnt as stupid as he acted sometimes.

Mogaba frowned. Do we have anyone who knows anything about fishing? he asked Sindawe.

I doubt it. They meant among their Taglian soldiers, of course. Nar are warriors, back for a dozen generations. They do not sully themselves doing unheroic work.

I was negligent. I failed to mention that the Nyueng Bao came from country where fishing was, probably, a way of life.

Its a thought, Mogaba told me. And there is always baked crow. He glanced back at the window. But most Taglians wont eat flesh.

A conundrum, I agreed.

I will not surrender.

No reply seemed adequate.

You have no resources either?

Less than you, I lied. We still had a little rice from the catacombs. But not much. We were stretching ourselves every way possible, in accordance with hints recorded in the Annals. We did not look like famine victims. Not quite yet.

We looked, I noted, less well fed than did the Nar.

Suggestions for reducing the number of unproductive mouths?

Im letting my worn out Taglians and any locals who want build rafts and go. But I dont let them take anything with them.

He controlled his anger again. That does consume valuable timber. But it is another thought worth consideration.

I studied Sindawe and Ochiba. They remained jet statues. They were not even breathing, it seemed. They expressed no opinions.

Mogaba glared at me. I feared this meeting would be this nonproductive. You havent even thrown the Annals in my face.