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She had started to run, intending to leap at one of them, pitch him from the saddle and ride clear, but soon found herself flat on her face with aShe thrashed, trying to tear free but another cord wrapped itself around her wrist The rider who had spoken to the slavers dis in war a single word in Volarian, “Garisai”

They bound her fro her onto the back of a horse to be carried a few reeted by more slavers under the coely cowed demeanour in the presence of the red-arave curt instruction and Reva was placed at theirthe hatred in the faces of the slavers as they chained her, one holding a knife to her throat, twowith spears no more than an inch from her chest as the shackles were snapped into place But whatever vengeful thoughts they harboured, it seeh handling as she was hauled into the caged wagon But, as she surveyed her new surroundings, it became clear she was not to be spared all forainst her chains and crane her neck to see it, but with sufficient effort could view the spectacle of other captives being brought in and subjected to the slavers’ attentions Their injunction against har her clearly didn’t extend to the other prizes clai by the breadth of his fra to his knees before the overseer who bent to view a deep wound in theback with a diser in hand, and slit the archer’s throat before Reva forht to cry out in protest

She refused to look away as h her body ached from the strain They were htered or spared depending on their injuries The store for it seemed more were discarded than spared She resisted the faint seed of hope nurtured by the fact that neither Antesh nor Arentes were ahtered on the shore, what difference does it ardless

The last captive provided the hardest trial, a slender figure with cropped hair,to be cowed by theher chains against the bars of the cage A slaver thrust his spear-butt through the bars to push her back, then stepped away at a harsh glower froain, finding the Scarred Daughter standing with a s with undimmed awe “I knew the Father would spare you, ht and joyous

The overseer grunted a curse, raising a hand to deliver a cuff to the girl’s face Lehra didn’t shrink fro her mouth wide as the slaver’s hand connected with her face, biting down hard A girlish shriek erupted from the overseer’s mouth as he tried to tear himself free, but Lehra held on, even as the other slavers assailed her hips and cudgels, shaking her head like a terrier as she worried at the flesh, stopping only when a spear was thrust through her back, pinning her to the sand

Reva heard a wo in her forehead and a war down her face A Volarian voice barked at her and she felt rough hands pulling her back froainst them She heard the woman’s screams fade and choked over the sudden catch in her throat She found herself staring up into the face of the red-armoured man frorin was gone now and he regarded her with an expression of faint puzzle a shiny novelty

His face diue, pain and despair were conspiring to drag her into unconsciousness She found enough hate to keep it at bay a er “I am the elverah,” she told the red man in a hoarse rasp “I have killed more of you than I can count, and I aer alone in the cage The face of the man slumped opposite her was concealed by a lank cascade of blond hair, swaying with the on Reva could tell he was tall, and no stranger to work or war judging by the strength evident in the scarred and powerful hands resting on his knees, the shackles tight on his well- at the Father’s inexhaustible supply of trials for a sinful soul

“Wake up, e his bare foot Like her, his boots had been taken

The blond runt Reva kicked hiain, harder “My lord Shield!”

His head jerked up with a shout, blue eyes ith alarm and, she noted to her disht of her, though his survey of their surroundings provoked a barely concealed moan of despair “I dreaood dream”

“They took you on the beach?” she asked

His head jerked in affir to soe in the storht We were heading north,site, then they came”

“The slavers?”