But how badly was Dentblade hurt? Had Thorn managed to give her a serious slice or only a ripped tunic and shallow scratch?
They circled in the dark, seasoned old warrior and competent younger one. They did not speak. Each knew the other was out for something rare in simple raiding: the deliberate kill. Thorn kept her very breathing steady, so as to prevent her opponent from guessing the extent of her wound. Dentblade seemed to be doing the same. Damn b***h should be training women in a good barracks somewhere, thought Thorn, not commanding a pack of stinking outlaw cut-guts.
If Dentlblade had been badly sliced, she should either have fallen or made her move by now. Since she was still circling, she could probably wait indefinitely. Thorn might have been able to outlast her, if there wer
