15: Preparation
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day long the drums had been beating, and the bare feet thudding in the compound. The dust hung heavy in the air. Garroch looked lazily through the doorway, Asa Wolf at his side.
‘If I am to die for them, they shall obey me like dogs,’ he said, waving his hand towards the sweating warriors. ‘Like dogs, they shall be fed if they obey. They shall go with empty bellies and beaten hides if they disobey.’
Asa Wolf said, ‘Learn not to be too harsh, Garroch. That can be as bad as being too soft.’
Garroch answered, ‘The flint must be struck hard with the hammer, its edges chipped painfully, if it is to be sharp, to be useful to its master.’
Asa Wolf began to cluck humorously, casting his eyes over the warriors who trained for the war they had been promised. They danced i
