"Well, this isn't exactly the most soldierly bunch, is it?" Katerina replied with a wide and encompassing gesture. "Old men and boys, by the look of it. The ones of age are a bunch of licentious drunkards. Face it, dear sister, there's not going to be much in the way of real soldiering. Our purpose is just to soak up punishment from the Bakh armies so that the Count's forces take less of a whipping." She sighed theatrically. "And between you and me, dear sister, I cannot say much for our captain's planning."<br/><br/>The last words had been a risk. She knew that a disciplinarian such as Ysira would be well within her rights to flog her for insubordination. However, an appeal to her pride as a soldier, her professionalism, that could be good. She would much rather have the other woman as an ally than an enemy. If nothing else, it seemed far safer.<br/><br/>The road along the Licur, such as it was, wound through yet another small village. A loose collection of huts, a few storehouses, a smithy. Nothing to be proud of. Small boats and wicker baskets were neatly stacked by short piers along the lazily flowing river, dotted here and there with chunks of ice gradually working their way downstream. In summer, the fishing would be good here. Katerina remembered that much from her homeland. For now, she knew, the villagers would survive on the stockpiles of balyk, the soft white fish meat that had been dried and salted. That jerky, Katerina knew, traveled hard and light, and filled your stomach. Excellent food for soldiers.<br/><br/>"Company, halt!" came the command from the one-eyed captain. The halt was abrupt, some of the untrained and undisciplined bumping into the backs of those in front of them. "Company, rest!" Livinko dismounted from his charger as curious heads began to poke out from doors and peep out windows. Livinko waved over a small boy and asked for the village elder.<br/><br/>Katerina, for her part, gratefully sat down, first unbuckling the saber she had taken from one of Valishin's guards, dead now. It had barely been two days since she had fallen in with these companions. What a busy time it had been since then!