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"Enkido was killed by an alagai changeling, bodyguard to one of Nie’s princelings," Inevera went on "These ined I watched the Deliverer hi his duty, protecting Amanvah, Sikvah, and their honored husband, the son of Jessum Your cousins live because of his sacrifice"

Ashia nodded, bending her center to accept the news "Does this … changeling still live?" If so, she would find a way to track and kill it, even if she had to follow it all the way to Nie’s abyss

Inevera shook her head "Amanvah and the son of Jessum weakened the creature, but it was the Par’chin’s Jiwah Ka who at last took its unholy life"

"She must be formidable indeed to succeed where our honored master failed," Ashia said

"Beware that one, should your paths ever cross," the Dareed "She is nearly as powerful as her husband, but both, I fear, have drunk too deeply of alagai ic, and made the madness that coether, eyes still on the floor "My spear sisters and I beg the Daai each in his honor, one for each pillar of heaven, to guide our lost ers "Of course Assist the Sharu wards on her nails They were not long in the fashionable way of pa Enkido’s students kept a warrior’s cut, barely past the nub, the better to handle weapons

But Ashia had no need to claw at the alagai A knife or speartip served best for that She had other intentions

Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched her spear sisters, silent save for the sounds of oil and leather, stitching and polishing as they readied weapons for the co spears and shields of warded glass, much like the Spears of the Deliverer The blades needed no sharpening, but the grips and harnesses were just as iularly, never satisfied A single crooked stitch on a shield strap, barely visible and irrelevant to performance, and he would rip out the thick leather with his bare hands, forcing the owner to replace it entirely

Other infractions were treated less gently

There were three kai’Sharu in Everam’s Bounty Ashia, Micha, and Jarvah Micha and Jarvah were full daughters of the Deliverer, but born to his dal’ting wives, Thalaja and Everalia They, too, had been refused the white

Their blood ht have ranked them above the Deliverer’s nieces, but Ashia was four years older than Micha, and six older than Jarvah The girls walked in woht, but they still looked to Ashia to guide the every day, but only they were blood of the Deliverer Only they wore the white veils

Only they had been trained by Enkido

That dusk, the gates of the city opened to release the Sharum into the vast territory they dubbed the New Maze Two hours later, when full night had fallen, the three kai’Sharu and half a dozen of their new spear sisters slipped quietly over the wall

The Damajah’s command to "assist" the Sharues of the New Maze, where demons were thickest, and patrol for foolhardy Sharue they let themselves be surrounded

Ashia and her spear sisters would then step in to rescue the men It was meant to create blood ties with asthe warriors’ pride This, too, was part of the Daes froh to send clear examples to the others