to reinforce Valentine and break him and his men free of the trap they'd willingly allowed to set around them. When a bewildered Valentine asks why the Texans would journey from another fort they were trapped in a siege to rescue him and his men, he is told: "That could wait. You couldn't. We remember the Alamo". Valentine's Exile Valentine's Exile begins with the Razorbacks as they continue to lay siege to the desperate remnants of Solon's forces. The Kurians attempt a breakout, which is stopped at great cost by the Razorbacks leaving William Post injured, but winning the day for the free territories. Valentine is informed he has some time off and agrees to track down Post's wife. He learns that some women were given tests while Solon's forces occupied the Ozarks, and that Post's wife Gail was one of those who tested positive and was taken. While visiting Molly Carlson in an attempt to learn more about the tests, he is detained by Southern Command and informed that he is facing a court martial for the murder of Quisling prisoners. While in detainment, Valentine learns that some Quislings are in the process of negotiating a truce, and that many of the more recent courts martial have been a way of showing the Quislings that Southern Command doesn't encourage murder and looting. Valentine is also offered a deal that will see him in prison for several years in exchange for a confession of guilt. He learns that the deal is false and instead escapes with the help of some sympathetic guards. Valentine, free of the prison (though knowing he will be judged guilty in absentia), decides to continue his search for Gail Post. This takes him to meet Eveready, who helps him with supplies, and allows Valentine to infiltrate the Kurian facility where Gail Post is being held. After spending weeks in the facility, Valentine is able to escape with a pregnant Gail, though it requires Ahn-Kha to draw off their pursuit. The child is delivered, and everyone is horrified to discover that Gail has given birth to a Reaper. The book ends as Valentine wonders whether the newborn creature has a soul, or if it's already a mindless killing machine. Valentine's Resolve Valentine's Resolve is set a few years after Valentine's Exile. Valentine has abandoned the cause, and is exacting revenge on the rape and murder of one