Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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"Yes,khyd-hird ," the girl said curtly.
The sound of the first morning gong rang out over the camp, mellow and too lovely for the business of
war. Shkai'ra looked down at the dark head with its white streak in the crook of her arm.
"Goodbye for now," she whispered.
"Some part of me desperately wants to keep you here," Megan whispered back. "All the Gods be with
you, love." She buried her head in Shkai'ra's neck, clinging. "I need you. I love you."
"The day we met was the luckiest of all my life," Shkai'ra said, "and will be if I live fourscore." She
kissed the other on the top of the head. "Smile for good fortune, my heart: I love you, too."
"Come back to me."
"First, this army; second, Marble Palace steps; third, Temonen manor, at noon," the Kommanza said.
Almost shyly Megan reached into the clothing hanging from the tentpole and pulled out a long lock of hair
knotted at one end, mingled black and silver. "You'll be cutting yours for me, and my son."
"I will always come back to you, even if mountains and seas lie between," Shkai'ra said. She pulled her
boot-knife from the footwear, and clipped a lock of her own. "Huh. This'll be the longest it gets for a
while."
They lay for a moment, holding each other wordlessly, and then crawled out into the pale predawn light.
It was important not to alter their routine, with enemy eyes possibly watching, friendly eyes, certainly.
Shkai'ra went into her stretches as Megan shook out her kinks and braided her hair; Sova yawned out of
her pup-tent, stoking up the fire and putting on water before helping Shkai'ra on with her armor. They'd
told the girl nothing; the fewer knew the better.
"Sova," Shkai'ra said, "you're off with that Yeoli staff type today, aren't you?" To broaden her
experience, they arranged such things.
"Yes,khyd-hird ," the girl said sleepily.
"I'm trying out that Arkan sword," she said, buckling it on. It was loot, a plain straight longsword except
for the silver wire on the pommel, and the best layer-forged blade she had seen on this side of the Lannic.
"Look after this for me until this evening, wouldn't you?" She handed the girl her Minztan-made
Kommanz saber. "By the way, in the unlikely event I'm ever killed," Shkai'ra added, with a wry grin,
"don't put it on the pyre with me. Use it. You're the only one in the family who's going to have the heft
and the training both."
Sova's pale eyes flicked up from the sword into Shkai'ra's, wide. The saber was legend even in
steel-making F'talezon, as great as an ancient-made or perfect Yeoli blade. "Yes,khyd-hird ," she said,
as Shkai'ra swung into Hotblood's saddle.
"Take care, love," Megan called, as she always did.
Sadsadmoanwhimper? the Ri thought; images of dead colts and snowstorms ran through his mind.