'Of course,' I said.
'Your Ina,' he said, 'is blond, you said.'
'Yes,' I said.
'So, too,' said he, 'was the Lady Ina, of Ar.'
'Oh?' I said.
'Yes,' he said. 'I once saw some wisps of her hair, blown from beneath her hood.'
'Interesting,' I said.
'But that coincidence, too,' he said, 'merely makes the name more appropriate.'
'True,' I said.
'It is my understanding that blond rencers are rare,' he said.
'But, of course,' I said, 'there are some such.' I had seen some, years ago.
'Undoubtedly,' he said.
'Though you are blind,' I said, 'I think you see some things more clearly than your men.'
We listened for a few moments to the soft cries of the captive, in the arms of one of the fellows of Ar.
'Do you believe in justice?' he asked. 'Occasionally,' I said.
'What of justice for traitresses?' he asked.
'There are many different forms of justice,' I said.
'You claim her as your own, by capture?' he asked.
'Yes,' I said. 'She is mine, by capture.'
'Entirely yours?'
'Yes,' I said, 'entirely mine.'
'We shall not pursue the matter further,' he said.
'I concur,' I said.
'You might permit her to speak, if you wish,' he said.
'I think not,' I said. 'Your men might cut her throat.'
'True,' he said.
He heard Ina gasping and crying out, now totally at the mercy of the esurient males who so masterfully fondled and exploited her.
'She is making too much noise,' said a fellow.
'Fold the slave strips,' said another.
'Here,' said a fellow to Ina, a moment or two later, 'bite down on these.'
We now heard her muffled whimpers.
'She responds like a slave,' smiled Labienus.
'And so, too,' I said, 'does any woman, properly mastered.'
'True,' he smiled.
'Perhaps you wish to try her yourself,' I said.
'No,' he said.
'She is excellent,' I said, 'and if she were a slave, she might become, in time, truly superb.'
'It is an amusing thought, is it not?' he asked.
'Yes,' I said, well considering that it was the once-proud Lady Ina of whom we spoke.
'But all women wish to be slaves,' he said.
'Yes,' I said.
'Because in their hearts they are slaves,' he said.
'Yes,' I said.
'Fifty thousand men,' said he, looking out over the marsh, 'entered the delta.'
'I had thought perhaps something in that number,' I said.
'How many do you think managed to withdraw safely?' he asked.
'Probably many,' I said, 'particularly before the deployment of the rencers. Not all commanders were as determined as you.'
'The rencers were soon in position,' he said.
'That is true,' I said.
'How many would you think?' he asked.
'I have no idea,' I said.
'My information, conjoined with plausible conjectures,' he said, 'would suggest at least five hundred, and probably no more than five thousand.'
'Even if five thousand managed to withdraw,' I said, 'that would still constitute one of the greatest of military disasters in the history of the planet.'
'And of those five thousand, if there were so many, how many do you think could reach Holmesk, or Venna, or Ar safely?'
'I do not know,' I said. 'Hopefully a goodly number, particularly if Saphronicus fell back on Holmesk.'
'That is where he will be,' said Labienus.
'Oh?' I said.
'Certainly,' he said. 'Thence he can march southeast to join the Viktel Aria.'
'Cosians will not attempt to interpose themselves?' I asked.
'Not between Holmesk and the Viktel Aria,' he said, grimly, 'but in a line between the Vosk and Brundisium, between the delta and Holmesk, to close the path to Holmesk.'
'I understand,' I said.
'Only the most cunning and resourceful will reach Holmesk,' he said.
'Ar might be reached by a variety of routes,' I said. 'I myself would go first actually to Brundisium, and thence to Ar.'
'That would be bold, indeed,' he said.
'It might not be advisable for you or your men to attempt that route,' I said, 'with your accents.'
'No,' he said.
'You do not think the Cosians will attempt to prevent Saphronicus from reaching Ar?'
'No,' he said. 'Saphronicus will return to Ar, a tragic hero, muchly betrayed, to be celebrated for saving some remnants of his forces. He may be granted a triumph.'
'You are bitter,' I said.
'I was told by Saphronicus,' he said, 'that I was one of his finest officers.'
'I am sure you are,' I said.
'It was for that reason that I was entrusted with the command of the vanguard,' he said, 'to be the first to make contact with the retreating Cosians.'
'I am sure,' I said, 'you were among the most dedicated, reliable, and loyal of the officers.' I had little doubt of this, given what I knew of him.
'And he made public declarations to that effect,' said Labienus.
'I see,' I said.
'Should I manage to reach Holmesk,' he said, 'I might be granted signal honors. I might be decorated, as a veteran of the delta.'
'Perhaps,' I said. I wondered if Labienus was mad. Yet his manner did not suggest this.
'First, I must manage to extricate my men from the delta,' he said.
'I will do my best to be of service,' I said.
He put out his hand and I took it. He clasped my hand.
'Then,' said he, 'I have one final duty.'
'What is that?' I asked.
'I must make my report to Saphronicus,' he said. 'I see,' I said. I decided that Labienus, after all, was mad.
'There will be no difficulty in obtaining an audience with him, should I reach Holmesk,' he said. 'It would be politically impossible for it not to be granted. I am a veteran of the delta, leader of the vanguard, one of his finest officers.'
'Of course,' I said.
