Tealdo rapidly discovered the Algarviansoldier who’d told him the woods were mostly clear of Unkerlanters was a bornoptimist. Some paths through the woods were clear. The Algarvians already inamong the trees kept those paths clear by posting guards along them. One of theguards called, “You go off the road to squat in the bushes, you’re liable toget blazed or get your throat cut or have something worse happen to you.”

“Who does hold these stinking woods, then?”Tealdo called back.

“Wherever we are, we hold,” the guard answered.“Eventually, they’ll run out of food and they’ll run out of charges for theirsticks. Then they’ll either surrender or try and pretend they were peasants allalong. In the meantime, they’re a cursed nuisance.”

Galafrone swore. “Aye, maybe that lieutenantdid have a point.” A moment later, though, he snorted and added, “Besides theone on top of his head, I mean. Thought he was a noble, so his shit didn’tstink.” He turned back to his men. “Hurry along, you chuckleheads, hurry along.Got to keep moving.”

“Got to keep moving is right,” Trasonegrumbled. “Sounds like we’re nothing but targets if we don’t.”

They turned out to be targets even whenthey did keep moving. A beam slammed into the trunk of an oak in front ofTealdo. Steam hissed out of the hole charred in the living wood. It would havehissed out of a hole charred in his living flesh the same way.

He threw himself off the track and behinda log. Somewhere behind him, a comrade was screaming. Off to the other side ofthe path, the Unkerlanters were shouting: hoarse cries of “Urra! Urra!” andKing Swemmel’s name repeated again and again. More beams hissed through the airabove Tealdo’s head, giving it the smell it had just after lightning struck.

From behind a nearby bush, Trasone called,“I’m sure glad we cleared the whoresons out of these woods. They must have beenstanding on each other’s shoulders in here before we came through and did it.”