The countryside had been years recovering.

And now, when it finally had recovered, here was another war on the far frontier of the kingdom. For the life of him, Leudast couldn't see the efficiency of that. Again, though, he could see the inefficiency of saying so.

Captain Urgan came up to the fire and said, "Be alert, men. The Gyongyosians are planning something nasty."

"I've already warned them, sit," Magnulf said.

"Efficient," Urgan said crisply. "I have more news, too: over in the far east, all of Algarve's neighbors have jumped on her back."

"His Majesty was as efficient as all get-out to stand aside from that war," Magnulf said. "Let all those tall bastards kin each other."

"Forthwegians aren't tall bastards," Berthar said with fussy precision.

Magnulf gave him a glare undoubtedly practiced in front of a mirror.

"They may not be tall bastards, but they're bastards just the same," the sergeant growled. "If they weren't bastards, they wouldn't have thrown off Unkerlanter suzerainty during the Twinkings War, now would they?"

His tone strongly suggested that giving any kind of answer would be inefficient. Berthar didn't need to be a first-rank mage to figure that out.

He kept his mouth shut. Captain Urgan added, "And Forthweg has its own share ofKaunians. They're tall bastards, every bit as much as the lousy Algarvians."

Berthar did his best to look as if he'd never been so rash as to open his mouth. Leudast wouldn't have been so rash himself He did ask, "Sir, any word on what the Gongs have in rmind?"

"I'm afraid not," Urgan said. "I don't look for anything overwhelm ing, though - with so few ley lines charted in this powersforsaken stretch of the world, and with even fewer properly improved, they have as much trouble moving men and supplies as we do. This isn't the most efficient war ever fought, but Gyongyos started it, so we've got to respond."