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“We hoped she’d beat us. We were driven so far off course, we were worried about the delay in letting you know about the cannons.” Oscar rose to his feet, staggered a little.

“Now we know about the extra forces, so you did well.” Dak clapped Oscar on the shoulder. “Go get a bath and some sleep.”

The men left together and there was a moment of silence in the tent.

“This is bad.” Fervanti said. “Kurvin is alone out there with just twenty soldiers, guarding the carts and wagons. While they won’t be able to herd us toward the cannons like they planned, they can still wipe out all our supplies.”

“Our plans have to change.” Luc lifted his gaze to Ava, who was now standing quietly at the entrance to their sleeping space.

She must have been woken by the sound of Oscar and Deni’s voices.

General Ru turned, following his line of sight, and nodded. “What do you suggest?”

“Everyone who’s fresh, which is most of the camp, leaves with you, General. If you ride hard, you can come up behind the Jatan contingent of the Kassian army tonight. Deal with them.”

“And you?” General Ru didn’t show whether she would accept his strategy or not.

“Ava and I, and Oscar and Deni, and the few others left who were on night duty last night and are still asleep, will deal with the cannons when the sun sets.”

Kikir looked up from the map. “I will help in the hills, Commander, if you’ll have me. It’s more what I’m used to than the plains.”

Luc thought about it. He had no intention of using anyone but Ava, Oscar and Deni, and the sudden gleam in General Ru’s eye told him she knew that.

“I would like you with me.” The general turned to the Skäddar. “The hills where the cannons are situated are nothing like the mountains you know. But you’ve got a good rapport with all the teams, and you could assist Fervanti, Heival and Dak. We can split the two columns into four, and you could lead one.”

Kikir looked between them, and while he may have suspected he was being steered in another direction for a mysterious reason, commanding half a column was not something he had expected to be offered. “General, you have me at your service.”

“Good.” General Ru gave a decisive nod. “Get everyone ready. We leave in half an hour.”

The lieutenants sprinted from the tent.

“Good luck, Commander.” General Ru thumped her chest in the Venyatux salute. “A lot weighs on your shoulders.”

“No more than yours.” Luc touched two fingers to his left cheek.

The general stepped up and slung an arm around him, pulled him into an embrace.

She was only slightly taller than Ava, he realized with surprise, as he returned the hug.

“We will win.” General Ru’s face was the most animated he’d ever seen it. “And we will remember this day.”

She was suddenly gone, and it was just Ava and him in the tent.

“Are you up for taking the cannons?” Luc asked.

She stared at him through sleepy eyes. “Let me get my needle.”

* * *

“I want to go home.”

Ava crouched down to watch as the Kassian soldier stood up and looked around him.

“Not you, too.” The woman who answered him sounded annoyed. “We all want to go home, Maynard.”

“No. I mean right now.” Maynard crouched beside his pack and threw a few things inside it, then stood.

“What’re you talking about?” The third member of the four-person cannon unit stood as well.