“What’s the talk of Rabban in the sinks and villages?” Paul asked. “They say they’ve fortified the graben villages to the point where you cannot harm them. They say they need only sit inside their defenses while you wear yourselves out in futile attack.” “In a word,” Paul said, “they’re immobilized.” “While you can go where you will,” Gurney said. “It’s a tactic I learned from you,” Paul said. “They’ve lost the initiative, which means they’ve lost the war.” Gurney smiled, a slow, knowing expression.
