Chapter 7 · Rebels Under the Wolf

"Drop the spear or I drop you."

The voice came from behind the overturned cart. I couldn't see the speaker but I could see the crossbow bolt aimed at my chest. Twenty paces. Clean shot. The grain convoy we'd taken an hour ago was already attracting scavengers.

"I'm not here to steal," I said. "I'm here to recruit."

"Recruit." A woman stepped out from cover. Forty, maybe. Scar across her jaw. Leather armor patched with mismatched plates. "You're that Korde girl. The exile."

"Lynn Korde. And you are?"

"None of your business." She didn't lower the crossbow. "This grain's ours. We saw it first."

"I took it first." I kept my hands visible. "From soldiers whose families are hostages. You want to rob them, go ahead. I'm offering something better."

"What, a speech? A banner?" She spat into the snow. "I've heard enough speeches from warlords."

Virrak shifted beside me. I felt him tense, calculating the distance. I put a hand on his arm. Not yet.

"How many in your camp?" I asked.

"What's it to you?"

"Twenty? Thirty? Living in the ruins past the ridge, stealing scraps, waiting for winter to finish what the clans started.