"Bell."

Kerv entered the tent against his standing orders. Seeing the back of Ester leaning over a table gave him no indication of what was going on, but by Bellavarn's stern gaze, not even that should have been seen.

"Lieutenant Jerome is calling a meeting and the rest are scrambling."

"We've already made contact?"

"Chatter says it's an army."

"It's too soon... Ester, clean this up."

There was some mumbling.

"Didn't realize cleaning was still in my job description, but sure."

"Kerv, Ester is priority one from now on. Protect her before me."

"Bell, I can't afford to split my attention."

"Rise to the occasion. I can hold my own against Kelly or any rouge element."

"Bell-"

"That's an order."

"Argh. Fine! It's only my neck if you get injured. Follow me, we need to get to the meeting and find safety in numbers. Remind me whose idea it was to raise the Sallow flag for all to see?"

Bellavarn marched Kerv out of the tent while Ester cleaned up. On the outside, Bear wrung his hands nervously while his sister was looking outward at the shifting sand. The short pole flying the Sallow crest drew Bellavarn's immediate attention. Its purpose was to make a statement and remind the brass who he was. The target on their back was already large enough to have a beacon of defiance did no further harm.

"This has never happened before. Being attacked right out of the gates isn't fair. Where did they get the numbers?"

Someone was having a moderate panic attack and the only thing keeping him on the straight and narrow was the experience of the last expedition.

"Finally crawling out of your hole, Sallow? You're about to see some real action. Who knows what might happen in all that chaos."

"Don't kid yourself. You won't even make a proper warmup."

Ester exited the tent while wrapping a bright blue scarf around her neck. Looking around at the party of five, she laughed once and shook her head. Bellavarn wasn't sure if the sparks flashing between the two women were inevitable or not, but he didn't need that stress at the moment.

With no time to disassemble the tent, Bellavarn settled for taking down the flag. Rolling it up, he handed it to Ester. She spared him any glib and pocketed it discretely.

"I heard you've already been attacked."

Kerv counted.

"Swamp monsters, a failed assassin, and a cannibal. All dangerous. Nothing like facing an army."

"Where's the Lieutenant?"

"Lieutenant Jerome manages the rear. Commander Ash is the vanguard if you're wondering."

"Lead the way, Teddy Bear."

"Using my real name doesn't count as teasing."

"You're real name is Teddy Bear?"

"Of course not. It's Ted. Why do you think Kelly teases me all the time."

Bellavarn grimaced.

"I'm so sorry."

"I told you, cousin. No one respects a man named Ted."

"Teresa thought it was cute."

"Hah! If I knew she had a sense of humor I wouldn't have broken her nose."

"You broke her nose!?"

"Just a little."

Ester made a pointed look to Kerv. He answered by swirling a finger in the air.

=

The Depot, as it was termed, was the largest congregation of both supplies and individuals. There wasn't a tent large enough to cover the space, so anything not covered in tarps and battened down with ropes was open to the elements. It was usually the center of the march but it had been rotated to the rear since the attacking force could only approach from one direction.

Everything was stored here: water, rations, ammunition, magical formations and talismans, wood and tools, trade goods, medical supplies, livestock, and even personal possessions. Everything was organized in quarters and divided into subsections. At the center was a command awning that coordinated the resupply to the front forces.

Standing high on a makeshift podium were Jerome and his two assistants. Gathered was the crowd of runners, cooks, and suppliers. They were old and young, men and women, strong-armed and weak-boned. The Depot had a place for everyone. Even a disgraced Duke.

"Listen up! Scouts have spotted an army of 3,000 heading in our direction. The General will rally with the Vanguard and determine their intent and potential threat. In the event that we engage with this enemy, we can expect an explosive rate of injuries. Every Medic will be on stand by with additional Runners attached to assist transporting the injured. Triage will be assigned the Left Corner."

Jerome pointed to his right.

"Resupply is the Right Corner. Anyone who hasn't been assigned to a Medic and is capable of putting one foot in front of the other will be reassigned to Runner. That means Builders, Engineers, Haulers, and yes, even the Scribes"

There was an audible groan, but Jerome didn't care.

"The Bottom Corner is being taken over as a staging area for reinforcements. Listen closely, because I won't be repeating myself."

The grumbling quieted as tension built up.

"We are on an Expedition, not a Conquest. There is no chain of supplies or location to fall back to beyond this Depot. Every man and woman who dies today is a total loss. The nearest support from the capital is a week away at best."

It sunk in that they were alone out here for the first time.

"That means our Bottom Corner is our last defense. If the enemy makes it past, they will overrun the injured and cut the rest of the non-combatants into meaty chunks. See to it that they never do."

The silence held into a stray voice rang out.

"And the Top Corner?"

Jerome's smile was palpable.

"The Top Corner is reserved for our resident VIP. The dead will be rotated to the Top Corner, safe from further harm, along with all of your personal possessions. In charge of this area will be Bellavarn Sallow."

It was a sight to see as nearly every head turned in unison. The word that came out of the stinging silence was as poignant as a wet cat.

"Scheisse."

=

"What was that word you used?"

"It's a Lady Gaga song."

"Who?"

"Nothing."

"Everyone knows what he meant. Jerome is still stinging from getting his ass kicked."

"My ass is none of your concern, conscript."

Kerv almost winced. Jerome met them and lead them to the Top Corner personally.

"Believe it or not, I am looking out for you and Sallow. The Top Corner is safest from the fighting."

Bellavarn eyed the shorter man.

"You couldn't have made a better decision for yourself."

Jerome nodded.

"You will all be drawn and quartered if you fail. If you succeed we will be free of the most brazen of traitors. Anyone who would ignore the 3000 enemies in front of us to attack an ally in the back needs to be plucked from our ranks. If you can protect the only thing more important than the lives of our soldiers—their bodies—until we have time for a proper burial, it'll go a long way to earning your chit."

Ester fiddled with something in her cloak but kept it hidden. The group rounded a corner. The open space they came to was massive. It seemed they moved the corner far enough back to be on solid ground instead of shifting sand.

"This area's been cleared for the bodies. They'll be carried in from the Left Corner over there. If someone approaches from another direction, and they aren't an officer, assume they mean you harm."

Jerome hurried over to a massive mountain of supplies. All the personal possessions were piled into a pyramid.

"Your job is simple. Lay down tarps for the deceased and log their tokens in this registry."

He made an example of tapping his identification token and handed Bellavarn a list of papers. It didn't escape his attention that a new one needed to be filled out for each person.

"When you run out of papers, you can find more in that box there."

"What are the expected casualties."

Jerome was as straight as an arrow.

"The minimum will be two hundred. Too many fresh faces. Expect the actual number to be anywhere from five hundred to all of them."

"That seems overly pessimistic."

"I'm a realist. Three thousand is only their advance force. I expect another third to be lurking just behind them."

Poor Ted couldn't handle it. Those numbers were practically unheard of in this area.

"Who are we even facing? There's a chance we'll walk away peacefully, isn't there?"

No one answered. Even his less experienced sister knew there was no chance of that happening. Not with who their General was. The whole reason they came was to subjugate these lands. An army of three thousand rolling over was a deadly daydream.

Ignoring the question entirely, Jerome pointed to the pyramid of possessions.

"Some brought nothing. Some paid to bring their entire childhood bedroom. Whatever the case, if they die, it's cataloged. The inventory list states whether it will be buried with the deceased or donated to the cause. I trust I don't have to expand on that."

The sound of horns blew once. The air filled with shouts of morale and the banging of shields. The Lionel Army roared from the front.

"Seems negotiations went sideways. Don't leave your post for anything less than an army."

Jerome ran back to his command and left the group alone.

"Another one?"

Ted squeaked and Kelly tightened the grip on her sword.

Ester approached Bellavarn and held out a pair of objects.

"The Duke asked me to give this to you. It's a Proof of Life broach. Your mother has the other one. Hers will show that you're still breathing and vise versa."

Bellavarn looked down at the swirling crystal. He'd heard of such objects but never given them much thought. Suddenly he felt incredibly grateful and loved. Odd emotions for the beginning of a life-or-death battle.

What if looking into that tiny crystal was his first glimpse of his future sibling?

"And the letter?"

"From your girlfriend."

An unladylike snort interrupted the moment.

"Who would ever agree to date that dirtbag—ow!"

A pebble hit Kelly in the forehead. Bellavarn kept a handful in his pocket for training purposes.

"Thanks."

He took the letter and put it in his coat pocket, next to a handkerchief. He'd read it after the battle was over.

"If there's nothing else?"

Ester shook her head and Kelly bit her tongue. Ted and Kerv were eagerly awaiting orders.

"Let the war begin."