'and?'

'gall spoke true. a more stubborn lot this world has never seen.'

abrastal thought of kolanse. 'they will need it.'

'firehair, will you escort them to the border?'

'who?'

'all of them. the khundryl, the perish, the bonehunters.'

'i wasn't even aware the bonehunters were entering our territory.'

'perhaps they won't now that the need is gone.'

'the evertine legion shall accompany these khundryl and the perish. it seems, however, that some form of meeting of at least two of the three commanders is planned-and gall seems to think it will be soon. i would like to speak with them. accordingly, you and your gilk will now attach to me-and if we have to march past the border, we shall.'

spax showed his filed teeth. 'you can make a request to the warleader, queen.'

'i think i've already been invited-'

'not that.' he jerked with his chin. 'the pup.'

she scowled.

the gilk warchief grunted a laugh. 'you told to me watch carefully, firehair.'

abrastal swung about and began marching back to her legion. 'rava is going to pay for all of this.'

'he already has, i gather.'

'not enough. i'll keep shaking him till he's old and grey and shedding teeth and whiskers.'

'gall is disgusted by your people.'

'so am i, spax.'

he laughed again.

'stop sounding so smug,' she said. 'hundreds, maybe thousands of bolkando soldiers have died today. i had actually considered using your gilk for one of the pincers-you would not be so pleased with yourself if i had.'

'we would have just kept on marching, firehair.'

'studded with arrows.'

'oh, we'd leave a trail of our own, yes, but we would have arrived when we were supposed to, ready to deliver vengeance.'

she considered that, and concluded he was not simply full of himself. we should have heeded what befell the lether empire. dear bolkando, the world beyond is very large indeed. and the sooner we send it on its way again the sooner we can get back to our orgy of sniping and backstabbing.

'you've a nostalgic look in your eye, firehair.'

'stop seeing so much, spax.'

his third laugh made her want to punch her fist through the man's ugly face.

impatient, gall left his two tear runners to deal with the gift of skins and rode back to the camp alone. a formidable woman, this queen. thick, long hair the hue of flames. clever eyes, brown so deep as to be almost black. stolid enough to give krughava a tangle in the spit-circle with some lucky man the prize. and i'd like to see that match-why, they're both enough to make me uncertain whether i was in bed with a woman or a man. the thought enlivened him and he shifted in the saddle. bult's balls, never mind that, you old fool.

they would not be quit of abrastal and her evertine legion any time soon, he suspected. all the way to the border and perhaps even beyond. but he did not anticipate betrayal-the khundryl had done enough to keep the fools honest-honest in that frightened, over-eager way that gall so appreciated. sometimes war did what was needed. always easier-and lucrative-dealing with a reeling foe, after all.

he was well enough pleased with how the parley had played out, although some unease remained, like a yurt rat chewing on his toes. kolanse. what do you know, adjunct? what is it you are not telling us?

you're moaning like an old man shivering under furs, gall. the khundryl, the perish grey helms and the bonehunters. no army can hope to stand against the three of us combined. bolkando is small. queen abrastal rules a tiny, insignificant realm. and the only empire she knows is the one the marines shattered.

no, we have nothing to fear. still, it will be good to learn what the queen knows.

a cadre of wing and sub-wing officers awaited him at the edge of the encampment. he scowled at them as he rode up. 'seems they want to keep their kingdom after all. send out word-hostilities are at an end. recall all the raids.'

'what of the wings attacking the flanking armies?' one of the warriors asked.

'too late to do anything about that, but send runners in case they're still fighting. order them to withdraw to the main camp-and no looting on the way!'

'warleader,' said another warrior, 'your wife has arrived and awaits you in your tent.'

gall grunted, kicking his horse onward.

he found her sprawled on his cot, naked and heavy as only a pregnant woman could be. eyeing her as he drew off his cape, he said, 'wife.'