88
Tarkyn ducked out though the doorway of the command tent into the cool of early evening. Guards on either side of the door snapped to attention. Above him, thousands of stars studded the soft black sky and his breath produced puffs of white steam.
He glanced uneasily at the white tent some fifty yards to his left, which he knew housed the laid out bodies of his brothers. But his attention was distracted by ragged cheers rising from the nearby campfires. Just as three people converged on him, a raucous cry heralded the arrival of his great mountain eagle from somewhere beyond the hundreds of campfires that dotted the valley. Moments later, Bird landed on his shoulder in a flurry of enormous wings. Despite his preoccupations, Tarkyn grinned as a space cleared miraculously around him.
“
