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"Twenty-three will do that to you. My balls did my thinking for me whenever you seemed approachable. You used to say, what was it-"
"Dream on, Valentine," they said in unison. They both giggled.
She kissed him, softly, on the lips. Looking up into his eyes, she smiled. "There's a grand alliance forming down there, helped along with liquor and barbecue. I think tonight's a night for dreams coming true.
It was so tempting. He could forget everything, thrusting into her. He could find oblivion in satisfying lust the way some men lost themselves in drink, or at the green gaming tables, or in swirling clouds of narcotics. So tempting. No more thoughts of Ahn-Kha's face, those curious townies peering at him from behind quilted curtains, the apparently bottomless supply of alcohol ...
Valentine put his hands on her, tickled the back of her neck. "But we d-
The krump of an explosion interrupted him. The distant pop -pop -pop of small arms fire followed.
Duvalier's brow furrowed. "I hope that's fireworks."
Valentine grabbed his pistol belt and sword and poked his head out of the tent. No comforting bursts of fireworks filled the mountain valley, but there were red flares firing in the air above the Green Mountain Boys' encampment. He couldn't see the town, but the torchlight glow in the sky over it was almost gone.
"I've got to get to headquarters," he said.
"I know," she said. "Where do you want me?"
"If any of your fellow Cats are in camp, round them up and report to Moytana's headquarters."
The corner of her mouth turned up. "It was a nice moment, while it lasted."
"It was," Valentine agreed. He trotted a few feet over to company HQ as the brigade bugle sounded officers' call.
Rand was already up and Patel came into their two-pole headquarters tent carrying his boots and his rifle. Red Dog was running around, excited in the commotion but not looking at all frightened. That gave Valentine some comfort.
"I'm going to brigade," Valentine said. "Preville, come along in case I need a messenger.
I've no news, other than that something's wrong. Assemble the men with full field kit and three days' rations. Make sure the reserve dehydrated food and ammunition reserves are handy.
Get a meal into the men if there's anything hot handy."
They nodded. Patel just kept putting on his boots. Preville patted back some rather straggly hair over his ears that made him look more than ever like a revolutionary intellectual.
Valentine could rely on them. He hurried to brigade headquarters, saw Duvalier's head bobbing off toward the Hunters' collection of tents within the larger encampment. Lights died out all over camp, and she vanished as a lantern was extinguished. He tried to let the red hair take his regrets with it.
He beat Moytana into the headquarters by fifteen seconds. Others trickled in, way, way too many junior officers who missed the celebration thanks to privileges of rank. Nowak was speaking to someone over a field phone.
Major Bloom stood behind, looking like a pit bull waiting for the release. From her position, Valentine guessed she was the temporary senior for the Guards.
Jolla's balding head glistened. He kept wiping it with a handkerchief. "There's been some kind of disturbance in town. We don't know anything more than that."
"Observers report the firing is dying down. There's still some torchlight and lanterns in the town square, but the rest of the lights in town are out," Nowak reported.
"Are . . . are the lines to the Green Mountain contingent and Karas', er, headquarters functioning?"
"Not strung yet," Nowak said. "We're in radio contact with the Green Mountain troops.
They're asking us what's happening in town, since we've got a better view. They got a walkie-talkie distress signal, it seems." She spoke with the flat monotone of someone operating on autopilot.
More officers arrived and Jolla silenced the babble.
"Defensive stance," Jolla said. "Let's get the men to their positions for now. Where's Colonel-oh, at the party, of course."
Valentine dispatched Preville to pass the word to Rand, met Moytana's eyes, and jerked his chin toward Jolla. As everyone filed out to get their men to battle positions, some of which were only half-completed, they were joined by Bloom and Nowak.
"Your Wolves haven't reported enemy formations?" Valentine said.
