His plan to defend Lund was to hold the Valley of Baruk. The valley was easily defensible, and the gate had to be kept clear in any event. And if Akaru's army failed, the bridge and gate both would be under seige.
There was also the problem of the valley of the River Grey, through the mountains, just to the north of Lund. If Alin was inadvertently bypassed, all of the northern armies would be cut off from retreat.
Harvick was not openly critical of Baldric's methods, and shored up his plans rather than circumvent them. This was well, for there was no confusion or divided loyalties within the ranks this way.
Harvick's greatest contribution, however, was still to come. From the beginning he had been planning a massive evacuation from the Four Kingdoms, that would save countless lives.
Yet in a fickle twist of fate, history would remember neither Harvick of Brand nor his contributions, no doubt because with the collapse of the Four Kingdoms, the inhabitants were reduced to the barest subsistence living, and for a long time after, parchment and literacy both were in scarce supply.
And you who read these words . . . what would you have witnessed that day, when forty-thousand soldiers departed from Lund? Would you have seen throngs of people standing high atop the battlements, cheering them on and waving encouragement? Would you have seen proud mothers and fathers watch their sons and daughters march and ride into battle bearing weapons that had been passed down for generations? Would you have seen children excitedly pointing out to anyone