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The scouts trailing the Herd's main force reached The Styx and brought back one piece of bad news and one piece of good news.
The bad news was that the floating bridge had been burned down.
Blackened remnants of small boats littered the riverbank. The West Camp across the river had also been set ablaze, with not a single survivor found.
The wounded, merchants, and Colin's Centurion who had stayed in the camp had all perished. Even those returning to Paratu probably couldn't escape their fate.
The good news was that various signs indicated the enemy had already crossed the river in its entirety, so the supply column was temporarily safe.
But... could it really be considered good news?
The old marshal had once said, "The most difficult thing in war is to guess at the enemy's intentions."
An experienced old commander might easily discern the barbarians' intentions, but not everyone possessed such a skill.
