'Why?'

Brucal said, 'Too long a story to tell now. Just say there's even more history between his family and Murad's blood-drinkers than there is between him and the Tsurani.'

'So what happens if this Hartraft and the Dark Brothers meet up?'

Brucal sighed, and wiped his nose. 'A lot of people are going to get dead.'

Borric took a step away from the map table and looked out of the pavilion's door. A light mix of rain and snow was starting to fall. After a moment, he said, 'Maybe they'll miss each other and Hartraft will get back to Moyet's camp.'

'Maybe,' said Brucal. 'But if that bunch from the north gets between Dennis and Moyet's camp, or some bunch from Clan Raven moves to meet with them…'

Brucal let the thought go unfinished. Borric knew what he thought. If that many Brothers got between Hartraft and his base, the chances for the Kingdom soldiers returning home alive were nearly non-existent. Borric let his mind wander for a moment, considering the cold hills of the north and the icy winter almost upon them, then he brushed away the thoughts. There were other fronts and other conflicts to worry about, and he couldn't help Hartraft and his men, even if he knew where they were. Too many men had already died in this war for him to lose sleep about another high-risk unit out behind enemy lines. Besides, maybe they'd get lucky.

ONE. GRIEVING

The ground was frozen.

Captain Dennis Hartraft, commander of the Marauders, was silent, staring at the shallow grave hacked into the frozen earth. The winter had arrived fast and hard, and earlier than usual; and after six days of light snow and freezing temperatures, the ground was now yielding only with a grudge.

So damned cold, he thought. It was bad enough you couldn't give the men a proper funeral pyre here, lest the smoke betray their position to the Tsurani, but being stuck behind enemy lines meant the dead couldn't even be taken back to the garrison for cremation.