A spear point stopped an inch from Kane's throat before he even saw the man move.
"Hold," the lead figure said sharply, and the spear pulled back, though the man holding it did not step away.
"We're not here to fight," Kane said, hands raised slow. "We came because we had no other choice."
The lead figure studied him a long moment. "My name is Marek. I lead what's left of our people here. You'll forgive us for being careful. The last outsiders who found this island came with fire, not questions."
"When was that," Talyn said.
"Years back," Marek said. "Before some of these children were even born. We drove them off, but not before we lost good people doing it."
Kane looked at the crowd gathered on the rocky shore, dozens of them, young and old, all carrying that same pale mark near th
