Kai was on the northern perimeter when Mara arrived.
She didn't look for him — she walked to where he was.
She sat down beside him.
The camp silent behind them. Mount Heiguers on the horizon with the northern sector sky above.
---
"In Orc culture," Mara said, "a Warlord who shows weakness can be formally challenged."
Kai looked at her.
"The fight with you was a technical draw." Mara stared at the mountain. "But many interpreted it as a defeat."
"Why?"
"Because you stayed on your feet when the field couldn't take any more." Pause. "A rankless human who lasts eighteen minutes against me and ends up standing is not a victory for me."
"And for you?"
Mara didn't answer right away.
The camp's central fire in the distance. The tents. The Orcs who slept without knowing yet, or who knew and had decided tomorrow was another day.
"For me it was the best fight in two years."
"Then?"
"Then there are two hundred and fifty-three Orcs who think differently."
---
