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

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herd of pigs, for she could see the wagons dropping off carcasses. It smelled—there was no way to
concentrate this many people and animals without a stink—but it was somewhat better than most of the
thousand war-camps the Kommanza had seen.
"These must be the mercenaries, by the road," she said. "I've never seen such a collection of odds and
sods." Megan just grunted. She hailed an Aenir with an axe across his shoulder. "Hai, where's the
paymaster?"
The Aenir looked, looked again when he saw Hotblood. "The bell-tent." That was in the middle of an
infantry regiment; mercenaries with mixed equipment, pikes, spears, axes, swords, bows.
"Shit, there are a bunch over there with threshing flails and stone-headed hammers, Baiwun pound me
flat," Shkai'ra said.
"You Peraila Shae-Keril?" Megan asked in Enchian; that name she'd made sure to remember. The man
who answered was strong-looking, middle-aged but moving smoothly; a curly-haired badger with a sort
of bronze-brown look that said, "Don't mess with me and we'll get along fine." He looked up from the
desk set under the tent-flap to keep the wet off the papers.
"Yes," he answered in the same language, closing the book.
Talkative curly-hair, Megan thought. He looked at the Ri, curious rather than nervous, then at both of
them, with the long considering glance of a man who knew fighters.
"We'd like to hire on," Megan said coolly, ignoring the water running down her face. He beckoned them
under the flap, but didn't offer a seat. Hotblood leaned his head on Shkai'ra's shoulder; she slapped his
muzzle away. His breath tended to take on the fragrance of rotten horsemeat. "Answer me one question
firrst," said Peraila. "What istsaht ?"
"It's a Ri," Shkai'ra replied. "It runs, fights, eats and fucks; since there aren't any female Ri around here, it
fights a lot. It'll do what I tell it."
Peraila leaned back in his chair, unsmiling. "When—if- —we sign you up," he said, "you will call
someone of higher rannkkras . Short fo'kraseye." So that's how to say "sir" in Yeoli , Megan thought.
I've always wanted to know . He demonstrated the salute, one finger to the temple. "You may prahctice
on me, if you wish. Or naht—till you signed up. Well, hyere I ahm… convince me you worth whaht you
think you arrre."
Megan made the formal introduction. "Shkai'ra is the cavalry officer and her mount is very good at night
hunting. They work as a team as well."
"Mounted archer, lance, mounted swordwork, sword-and-shield on foot.
Sneak-up-and-slit-their-throats. In descending order," Shkai'ra said.
Megan turned her hand over, nails curled in. "I work in the dark as well. I'm good with knives and…
other things. Have you heard of Zak?"
"Tai." His eyebrows took on an expression of intrigue, though it was only slight.Truly blase? , Megan
wondered,or Just feigning it ? "We've never hahd one ofyou join beforrhe." He looked around at the
people bustling here and there despite the rain, stood up, and, once reassured Hotblood would stay
where he was, beckoned them to the open flap of his tent.