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Silvershadow swallowed, clenched his broken hand once, and used the other to pull a thin line from his belt. He worked with teeth and wrist and curses kept behind his tongue. He set the line and tied it off and slid back to the shadow at Kai's head.
[Ding! Shell phase: 3:29 remaining.]
Back on the flat, drums rolled. Torches bobbed. Mardek marched at the center. He felt like he had a knife in his chest — not pain. Need. He wanted to stand on the mountain with someone's throat under his boot before the sun rose. Every step that wasn't that made his skin itch.
"Left line," he called. "Watch the cuts. Right line, weapons ready. Center — follow me."
Meanwhile the girls and Silvershadow waited for Kai to finish his rank up.
