<- Chapter 46 Chapter 48 -> Gavin stood at the podium once more.  His tooth hurt, and he ignored it.  Everything else was perfect.  Everything was his.  He surveyed his assembled army. The women were in his front now.  They stood behind his generals.  Gavin looked past them.  The plumes rose like stairs.  Only the…

<- Chapter 45 Chapter 47 -> Riley followed Lissie and said nothing.  She refused to break the silence.  The tears were hot on her cheeks.  Her arm burned and her side throbbed.  Her vision swam under the hood.   The smell of horses blew warm on the wind.  Riley breathed deep.  This seemed to be a…

<- Chapter 44 Chapter 46 -> Riley slept through the night and the next day.  She woke only to relieve herself and sip water.  She dreamt of trampling hooves. The drums woke her, but it was the haunting music that dragged her out of her cot.  It sounded like a cello, but wavering, and a…

<- Chapter 43 Chapter 45 -> Riley didn’t think that either of them were comfortable.  They refused to sit on the cot with her and crouched instead.  Lissie’s heels were on the ground, but Cora was perched on the balls of her feet. “You get used to it.  They don’t make chairs.”  Cora said, sounding…

<- Chapter 42 Chapter 44 -> The smoke tent was well-named.  It was the only building Riley had seen so far made with black cloth instead of white.  Cora opened the flap and blue smoke billowed out.  She coughed once and yelled inside, “Riley’s awake!  I have her here!”  A whooping, punctuated by coughs, issued…

<- Chapter 41 Chapter 43 -> Riley’s heartbeat pulsed through her side.  She didn’t want to wake up.  But she needed to relieve herself.  That pulled her back into her body. She opened her eyes to see torchlight.  She was on a cot.  Riley turned her head, and her vision swam.  Then she saw grass…

<- Chapter 40 Chapter 42 -> Gavin stood at the podium.  Replacing the plumes with black had taken longer than he had expected.  The banners were easy, but black feathers were hard to come by.  Ormand had supported the search for vultures. No one will miss vultures. Gavin looked at the notes and straightened them. …

<- Chapter 39 Chapter 41 -> That’s not a bull, Riley thought. It was bigger, and covered in fur, like a sheepdog.  Riley stared.  She looked down at the spear in her hand, and then back at the creature.  The horns were nearly as long as the spear.  Lissie looked so fragile standing next to…

<- Chapter 38 Chapter 40 -> Riley searched the crowd for a moment, Lissie’s face was ashen.  Cora had turned around completely, but Alexander was smiling.  He broke the deafening silence, “What a way to break in Ruskin’s Blade!” Riley bowed low.  When she stood, she took a duelist’s stance, and started to half-sword, both…

<- Chapter 37 Chapter 39 -> Riley had trouble sleeping the rest of the day.  She tossed and turned on the cot. Lissie in a duel.  Sweet Lissie.  Beautiful, calm, compassionate, patient Lissie.  Her thoughts were racing. She got up from the cot, and went to find her best friend.  She offered to show her…