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Parson had to wonder if Morgunov had intended to disrupt Blacksong all along. After such a long absence, could it really be a coincidence that Morgunov decided now was the time to reemerge?

Well. Of course it could be a coincidence. That was the trouble with the Mad Demon. It was impossible to tell whether he had planned for something or not. Skill and good fortune became almost indistinguishable.

Hell, Parson had experienced that phenomenon himself. When he acted the fool, people tended to underestimate him, but among those who didn't, those who knew the truth about him, the reverse reaction sometimes appeared. They would overestimate his ability, attributing some great wisdom or predictive intelligence to him when, in reality, he'd simply gotten lucky.

And Overra never let him correct anyone on that particular point. If they wanted to give him credit he didn't fully deserve, then so much the better, she always said.

'Because luck is a skill, too,' she explained. 'Having the wherewithal to take advantage of opportunities as they arise is just as important as those opportunities arising in the first place. Too many people allow their own good fortune to pass them by without so much as a second glance.'

It sure sounded nice when she'd put it like that.

Perhaps this was karma, then, to be on the receiving end of an enemy's good fortune.

With this apparently disastrous outcome of the battle at Uego, the Vanguard as a whole was now in danger. Even before this, it was already having problems with disorganization, and now its total number of generals had been reduced by, what, a third? More?

How many of their forces were now leaderless? How many innocent lives were now at stake? Or soon would be?

It was enough to make a normal man lose hope.

Parson Miles was not a normal man, however. Despite all of these things, he was not panicking.