"You turn tribute into an insult," the Captain observed his voice impassive as he measured Sera as if she were a gate. "You turn the list into a joke."
"The list was always a joke." She nudged a toe at a laminated placard someone had zip-tied to the post: 90% SUPPLIES • VEHICLES • WOMAN.
The corner had curled in the heat like it wanted to hide. "You know it, or you wouldn't be out here instead of letting your boys collect the poor women who only want to survive."
He didn't flinch at woman. That earned him a sliver of respect. "You bring a problem into my district. A problem with teeth."
"You are mistaken. I am the solution to the problem with teeth," she corrected, nodding past him at the city.
Walls were patched with steel; windows were meshed together; watch posts holding more discipline than most warbands could buy.
