At Ashwell, the Horde watched the kingdom bleed.
The Verakh network's reports arrived daily, each one describing the same pattern: the barbarians advancing because their dwarven thundermakers breached every position the king's army established, the king's army retreating because the retreating was the only alternative to the destruction that staying produced, the territory lost measured in miles per day.
Khao'khen read the reports at the command table with the attention he applied to all intelligence.
"The pinkskin king lost four thousand in the valley engagement," Sakh'arran said. "Six thousand wounded. He withdrew to Brennan's Ford. The barbarians followed. Their ammunition supply remains unlimited. The dwarven resupply wagons arrive every three days through the mountain routes. The pinkskin king's ammunition is finite and decreasing with every engagement. His thundermaker batteries expended eighteen percent of his remaining total stockpile in one battle."
