The skin had been torn from them, raw, red, glittering wet and cracked.
‘What is this, Udinaas?’ Uruth demanded. She rose and yanked him close.
‘I fell-’ the Letherii gasped.
‘To weep your wounds onto our food? Have you lost your mind?’
‘Mistress!’ another slave ventured, edging forward. ‘I saw him come in earlier – he bore no such wounds then, I swear it!’
‘He is the one who fought the Wyval!’ another cried, backing away in sudden terror.
‘Udinaas is possessed!’ the other slave shrieked.
‘Quiet!’ Uruth set a hand against Udinaas’s forehead and pushed back hard. He grunted in pain.
Sorcery swirled out to surround the slave. He spasmed, then went limp, collapsing at Uruth’s feet.
‘There is nothing within him,’ she said, withdrawing a trembling hand.
Mayen spoke. ‘Feather Witch, attend to Uruth’s slave.’
The young Letherii woman darted forward. Another slave appeared to help her drag the unconscious man away.
‘I saw no insult in the slave’s actions,’ Mayen continued. ‘The wounds were indeed raw, but he held cloth against them.’ She reached out and lifted the plate to reveal the bleached linen that Udinaas had used to cover his hands.
Uruth grunted and slowly sat. ‘None the less, he should have informed me. And for that oversight he must be punished.’
‘You just raped his mind,’ Mayen replied. ‘Is that not sufficient?’
Silence.
Daughters take us, the coming year should prove interesting . One year, as demanded by tradition, and then Fear and Mayen would take up residence in a house of their own.
Uruth simply glared at the younger woman, then, to Trull’s surprise, she nodded. ‘Very well, Mayen. You are guest this night, and so I will abide by your wishes.’
Through all of this Rhulad had remained standing, but now he slowly sat once more.
Tomad said, ‘Rhulad, I know of no plans to resurrect the ancient blood sacrifice to announce a war. Hannan Mosag is not careless with the lives of his warriors, even those as yet unblooded. I cannot fathom how you came to believe such a fate awaited you. Perhaps,’ he added, ‘this journey you are about to undertake will provide you with the opportunity to become a blooded warrior, and so stand with pride alongside your brothers. So I shall pray.’
It was a clear overture, this wish for glory, and Rhulad displayed uncharacteristic wisdom in accepting it with a simple nod.