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Much Fall Of Blood — Snippet 60

Chapter 32

Across Europe there are places where old stones remain in cleared places. Moss grows on other rocks and even on the trees. Not on these stones.

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Much Fall Of Blood — Snippet 59

A little later a party of four reappeared, still carrying the truce lance and Erik found himself riding out again. The new party from the Golden Horde was headed by a harder-faced individual, and as was protocol, two knights and two of the Ilkhan men rode out to meet them. This time Erik’s party included Tulkun. Once again, Erik had great difficulty in following what was obviously a very polite . . . . but more insistent discussion. The one word that seemed to be being repeated quite often was ‘Bortai’ with several gestures.

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Much Fall Of Blood — Snippet 58

Chapter 31

Erik had noticed that the Ilkhan hunkered down on their haunches to talk. So he did the same next to the girl and her brother. Struggling to express himself in a language he barely had a handle on, he gestured quite a lot. “I have given the order. A thing to carry him on will be made for the boy. We have to travel. We look after you.”

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Much Fall Of Blood — Snippet 57

He tried to place where the three had been during that disastrous encounter. One of them, still with a horse, had been part of that terrible charge. The other two, one now leading a pack pony, had definitely been with the group that had scrambled off on foot. Vlad had thought them all killed. To his relief, he realized that some of them must have got away.

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Much Fall Of Blood — Snippet 56

There were barely twenty of them left. Looking back to see if he was being followed, Vlad realized that the flanking party of Magyar had reached the col behind them. His pitiful little force was caught between two sets of enemies. But it was too late. The little ragtag group of rebels, all that remained of his army, had begun their doomed charge. All he could do was to wave his sword — he had no idea how to use it from the saddle — and race towards the chaos that had been their campsite.

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Much Fall Of Blood — Snippet 55

Chapter 30

The sun kisses the high places, the cold roost of eagles and fugitives, before it shines upon the rest of the world. In the pale clarity of dawn, Vlad gazed out from the craggy edge above their small camp, loving the sheer limitless immensity of the folded shadow lands below. It had frightened him a little at first. Now he would die before he let anyone shut him away again. For a brief while his soul was at peace, in the vast tranquility of the place, away from the turmoil of conflicting desires and a world he understood poorly.

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Much Fall Of Blood — Snippet 54

Chapter 29

In Odessa a very frightened little man made painstaking notes about the number of wagons passing beneath his window. He was unsure if or how he would get the information to his paymaster. But if he had nothing to sell, he would never have the money to leave.

The work was dangerous, but Count Mindaug paid well.

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Much Fall Of Blood — Snippet 53

Chapter 28

The great gray wolves ran on, covering the miles with an easy, distance-eating lope. They conversed as they did so, in the way of the wolf which is far more complex than mere words, communication at the level of scent, tiny movements and postures of the head, ears or tail, with the smallest yelp meaning many things through these filters. Human speech had its advantages, and a greater range of vocabulary. But now . . . this seemed very free. They had kept to human form for a long time.

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Last Snippet, why haven’t you purchased this book? [Wink]

THE CRUCIBLE OF EMPIRE — Snippet 74

“For now, this contemplated commitment of resources is simply beyond my oudh,” Wrot said. “And I cannot send a communication asking for clarification that could be intercepted by one or more of the kochan.” His whiskers stiffened. “I must go back and consult with Preceptor Ronz in person.”

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THE CRUCIBLE OF EMPIRE — Snippet 73

Chapter 28

Caitlin winced. One hundred thousand? That was a tiny fraction of the population the Lleix must have had once, when they inhabited several well-developed planets. But, in immediate terms, the number was far too large. It would take ten ships the size of the Lexington to transport such a population.

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