"What is this nonsense," Blackthorne said disgustedly. "It's all conflicting and it's all garbage. They're going by the secondary road, they're going by the main road, they're stocking up. Thorburn would be a fool to attack me and he's no fool."

"What if he's going to train his women?" Ian said. "He wouldn't even need to hire more mercenaries. He could double his troop strength merely by training them."

"You think he can train women to be ready to fight in two months? It's nonsense. No five women is worth one man. The only thing they'd be good for is stabbing you while you've got your cock between their legs."...