“Cursor,” Amara said, “you learned from my example that it was wrong to blindly follow a First Lord. That you could find yourself used. So it is time to ask yourself whether you serve the Realm first—or the people who are the Realm. Gaius Isana was Steadholder Isana first. And freeman Isana before that.” She smiled tightly, and delivered the next sentence flat, without the coating of gentleness that would have made it slide home like a well-honed knife. “And she was your friend’s mother before that.”

Ehren gave her a sour look but leavened it with a nod of thanks, that she hadn’t driven that last home in the properly manipulative Academy fashion.

“Aquitaine has all that remains of the Realm to stand with him tonight,” Veradis said. “Who does the First Lady have?”

Ehren tapped a toe several times on the ground and nodded once, sharply. “Come with me.”

They followed him as he started through the encampment, moving at a quick walk. “Where are we going?” Amara asked.

“Every scrap of battlecraft we have is being focused right now,” Ehren said. “There’s a force of better than five hundred thousand vord closing on us. They’ll reach the defenses within the hour.”

“How did they get here so swiftly?”

“We’re not sure,” Ehren said. “But logic suggests that they repaired the severed causeways.”

“What?” Veradis demanded. “Could they possibly have done that in the time they’ve had? It would take our own engineers months, maybe years.”

“The work isn’t complicated,” Ehren said. “Just heavy and repetitive. If they had enough gifted earthcrafters focused on the task it could be done relatively quickly. The causeways weren’t built by Citizen-level skills. For healing over the cuts, a powerful Citizen with the proper knowledge could theoretically repair several miles a day.”

Amara let out a blistering curse. “That’s what that little slive meant.” At Ehren’s glance, she clarified. “Kalarus Brencis Minoris. The vord Queen’s slave-master. Before I killed him, he said he’d been focusing on recruiting more earthcrafters, as ordered.”

Ehren hissed between his teeth. “I remember the report now. We should have put it together.”

“Hindsight is always better,” Amara said, walking beside him.

“But isn’t that a good thing?” Veradis asked. “If the roads are restored, perhaps Octavian’s forces can get here more quickly.”

“It’s unlikely they’ve repaired all the causeways,” Amara replied. “Most probably they’ve rebuilt a single artery for their own use, to move an attack force here rapidly. They’re coming up from the south, mainly, near the capital. Octavian is far west and a bit north of us.”

“And he’s only got two Legions.” Ehren sighed. “Assuming he got back from Canea with everyone and all those freed slaves stuck to their banners. Maybe fifteen thousand men, total.”

“Sir Ehren,” Amara repeated. “Where are we going?”