Kingdom of Ash

not hurry, did not make landfall soon and
discover where the khagan’s army would
march, how many more would perish?
The ancient woman’s knowing look didn’t
fade. Always, from the first moment Yrene
had laid eyes on Hafiza, she had emanated this
calm, this reassurance. The thought of the
Healer on High on those bloody battlefields
made Yrene’s stomach churn. Even if this sort
of thing was precisely why they had come,
why they trained in the first place.
But that was without the matter of the
Valg, squatting in human hosts like parasites.
Valg who would kill them immediately if they
knew what the healers planned to do.
What Yrene planned to do to any Valg who
crossed her path.
“The salves are made, Yrene.” Hafiza
groaned as she rose from her perch on the
steps and adjusted the lapels of her thick