Hunter and Chekwe made their way up the saddle in a ridge, plodding along on snowshoes. The air crackled with cold, the sky was clear and so bright its blue was turned nearly white. Off on the western horizon, a fragment of a rainbow jutted up from either side of the pale-gold sun. They could see posts sticking up from the snow at the ridge of the saddle, with strange knobs topping the posts.
“Skulls!” Chekwe said. His voice was muffled by a fox-skin scarf, but Hunter clearly heard his delighted tone. Chekwe had lasted two days training slingers before he was thoroughly bored. Then he began carping on Hunter to take him on a long scout. Besides Chekwe’s unceasing begging, Hunter itched to be closer to Marna. He’d lasted half a week before giving in. Now they were on the far western edge o
