XI
The Command of Power“You bathe in blood.”
“That’s what they say?”
“Bathe in it, swim in it, drink it. Depends how far away they are.” Daro shrugged. A bloodthirsty but successful leader made his job as chief recruiter and general all the easier.
“Half the force was there. They saw me slip and fall.” There had been mud, and corpses piled high around her.
“They saw you drenched in the blood of your enemies. That’s enough.”
Iskra waved it away. It didn’t matter why people followed; it mattered that they did. With her own funds depleted, intangibles were all she had to offer. Those and plunder.
“Did they find much?” The latest battle, like the rest, had left behind a weirdly empty town.
“Not much. A few babies.”
“They were cared for?” Iskra’s tone was sharp.
“Of course. No more W
