---
One more kick. Then Kai dropped low, grabbed the shaft of his own spear, and made a choice that would end the noise for good. He drove the point up between the captain's legs with both hands and all the weight in his back and shoulders. The spear cut through the ruined soft into his balls and man's part. It goes up through the groin, through the gut, and out at the base of the spine. The tip burst from the small of the back and flashed wet in the moonlight.
The captain's eyes went wide and empty. His jaw worked once. Then he sagged down the length of the shaft toward the ground like a coat on a peg. The spear stuck upright with him on it. It came out of his butt hole.
No one spoke. The night made a thin, high ringing sound where the spear point vibrated.
Kai pulled the shaft free with a short, mean jerk and let the body fold in two. He stepped over it without looking down. The crown over his head hummed louder for a heartbeat and then went quiet again.
