Red Fang Chapter 5

Toli sighed as he stretched his long legs out by the fire and rested his mud-caked boots on the hearth. They needed a good cleaning, but he wasn’t ready to peel them off. The inn was secure, and his men were all inside, either asleep upstairs or at the tables behind him, drinking and talking about the battle. He was finally free of the burden of command, and he closed his eyes, intending to let his mind drift to a house far away, but the faces of the dead came to mind. Not just those that had fallen that day, but all they’d over the long campaign. Months of wandering the swamp were finally coming to a close, and all Toli felt was emptiness.

He gave a silent prayer to Erensal, the goddess of war, for allowing his fang to come through relatively unscathed, but paused before opening his eyes to add a quick prayer to Liandra, promising to give alms the next chance he had. A gentle cough stirred him, and he glanced up to find the serving maid hovering by his chair. She held out a mug of ale but kept her head down, letting her long brown hair hide her eyes. Toli caught a glimpse of the girl’s tear-streaked face as he took the mug. “We mean you no harm. The war’s over now,” Toli said, turning his focus back to the fire. “You have my promise that the men here won’t bother you.” “Tell that to Grend,” the girl snapped, a flash of defiance in her eyes and then the head fell, the lank hair covering her face once more. “He didn’t want to fight, but they made him.”

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