---
"Good," Mardek said. He felt the itch in his skin ease—just a little—at the thought of not being alone with what he'd seen. "We'll meet in the Salt Spine Basin. Twenty kilometers northeast of the mountain. Three stone fins. No cover if you stand wrong. Enough if you stand right."
Skall grunted. "I know the place. The ground's hard there. Good for a wall."
"Bad for a grave," Oru said softly, pleased.
Yavri didn't smile. "You lost your army. You still have your head. That means he didn't come himself to finish you. Why?"
"He had a reason," Mardek said. He kept his face still, but he felt the phantom weight of a small body in his hand, the memory of red on white. "He was turning into something else and needed time. His women bought it for him with their blood."
Oru's eyes narrowed. "So he has women who fight."
"He has women who do more than that," Mardek said. "Keep laughing at him and you'll learn. Or you won't. Either way, I'll be done listening."
