[The words rattle around the inside of his mind for a long moment, searching for a place to settle. How many times has he heard almost the same sentiment before, just in different terms? He's lost count. And every time, he's still blamed himself.]

Not bein' able to guess at what your enemy is gonna do next is how you end up dead. And we all guessed wrong.

[If it had just been him and the other skilled fighters, that would have been one thing. They all knew the risks and accepted them the moment they set foot on the battlefield. But the noncombatants? Well.]

We got lucky this time, but I dunno how long that luck's gonna hold.