The fingers of his right hand, his sword hand, flexed slowly, as though being loosened up for action. Fidelias had a flash of insight. Though Aldrick might be a mercenary, he wasn’t inhuman. None of them were. And no Aleran could look at the vord destroying their world without realizing that there was no way to remain safely out of this fight. You could only decide whether to make a stand beside your fellow Alerans—or delay the moment of reckoning until you faced the vord alone.

“Say yes,” Odiana said, her lovely eyes eerily bright. “Oh, say yes, my lord. I’ve been waiting ever so long to see you kill vord.”

The mercenary glanced over his shoulder at Odiana, then turned to Isana with a second bow of his head. “Aye, my lady,” Aldrick growled.

Wolfish smiles spread through the men behind him, along with growled words of agreement.

Aldrick stepped forward to overlook the battle below, and Araris went with him.

Aldrick grunted. “Earthworks?”

Araris nodded. “Little elevation will make a big difference.”

“Odiana,” Aldrick said.

She was still hanging on to his belt. “Who?”

“Antillar and his brother. We need them.”

The woman turned and hurried from the roof.

“Where is she going?” Fidelias asked.

“Wake up your sleepers,” Aldrick replied.

Fidelias shook his head. “You can’t watercraft someone back to consciousness.”

“She can.”

Isana stepped forward. “It is possible. But it’s somewhat insane.”

Aldrick almost smiled. “Sanity. Huh.”

Isana frowned after Odiana. “It’s dangerous. For patient and healer alike.”

Aldrick shrugged. “Dangerous for the vord to run those scythes through you a few times while you’re lying there unconscious, too.”

Isana’s mouth compressed, and she nodded once. “I’ll go with her.”

Fidelias touched her arm as she began to turn. “Lady,” he said quietly, “you need not do this.”

She blinked at him as if surprised. “Of course I must. Excuse me, First Spear.”

She left the rooftop to follow Odiana, and Fidelias turned to Aldrick. “The Antillan brothers could get us a ditch around this place—it’s mostly soil here. I assume that’s what you had in mind?”

Aldrick nodded. “Get your best seven or eight engineers, too. We’ll give them each a Knight Ferrous escort to cover them.”

Araris nodded. “It would be best if there was some way your Knights could drive them back for a moment,” he added. “Buy the earthcrafters a few seconds in the clear.”

Fidelias nodded slowly. Then he turned to the courier stationed on the roof near him, and said, “Ask Master Marok if he would please come speak to me.”

* * *