They’d separated and settled down just in time. The faint brightening that heralded morning soon had the rest of the unit stirring. First one and then another of the soldiers poked a head into the tent.
“What do we do now, Sarge? Is the cap’n going to be able to move today?”
Bard answered for himself. “I’m a little shaky still, but we need to move. I may need some help, one of you on either side of me, while we press on. Staying here much longer is risking another attack, maybe worse this time. Everyone get some hot food in you and then pack up. We’ll move out in half an hour.”
Fortunately, he was one of the smaller men in the unit. With his own spares and borrowed bits and pieces of uniform from some of the others, he put together enough of an insulated suit to provide the protection h
