In a single move, I had taken Flitton Sedge’s brand for myself. What had always been her most important weapon was the perception that she was the bloody edge of the bottle born, the real, substantial, sustained menace. That was the basis of her support. She was the only lifeform willing to act directly against the forces that were trying to cram us back down. She made those in power afraid and that was seductive. Now I had accomplished more in a day than she ever had. Flitton Sedge could not let me stand, she would have to move against me, devastate me to demonstrate her power and she would have to do it soon. She would not have the time to plan, to aim for precision. She would have to act and take a scale of risk that she had never done before. Just as the SDO wanted, Flitton Sedge was g
