The man reached into a bundle of shivering children and yanked a girl up by her braids, a little thing, not more than twelve or thirteen. She was sniveling, her shoulders bowing like the ferns as she folded forward to beg for forgiveness.

“Eihi! I can’t take that sound!” He plunged his sword into her belly.

She screamed. Shai leaped to his feet as the children who had been huddling with her scrambled away like so many insects scattering from a disturbed nest. The soldier stuck her a second time, and a third, all done so quickly that Shai barely had time to take a step as her shrieks turned the air cold. A hand grasped Shai’s ankle. He looked down into the dark face of the watchful boy.

“They’ll just kill you, too,” the boy whispered. “Sit down.”

It had been too late already when the first thrust cut into her abdomen. The stink of entrails filled the air, and Shai coughed, retching, as the boy’s hand clutched more tightly.

“Sit down, ver. You can’t help her.”

Her screaming twisted into a rising and falling moan as the pain tore into her and her life leaked out. The soldier slit her throat and let her go, stepping back from the gush of blood. Shai fell to his knees.

Merciful One! Give me refuge!

He mouthed the words, but uttered no sound. Not one of the captives made a noise as the girl died. Rain hissed in the leaves and wind rattled through the branches, almost drowning out her last hoarse gasp.

In night, the spirit rises like luminescent pale smoke out of lifeless flesh, twisting in confusion as the girl reached first here and then there toward those who could not see her. Even in death, she mewled, as though she had had her tongue cut out and could form no speaking sound. Her ghost drifted in the damp night wind, and then she saw him seeing her. He ducked his head, but her ghost sailed over and began to pluck at his sleeve to get his attention, although obviously her fingers had no substance with which to grasp.

A hush stilled the camp. Soldiers coughed and shuffled as a tangible presence moved among them.

“The stink offends me.”

“Yes, lord. We’ll move the corpse away at once, lord.”

“Here, now.” A man moved up beside Shai as captives shrank away. The hem of a long cloak brushed his right arm. “Look up.”

Shai swallowed, hard to do with that choking knot in his throat, and slowly raised his head as he remembered all those awful family evenings when arguments had raged around the dining chamber while he kept his face empty and his mouth closed. The ghost was patting his hair, tugging at the unraveling topknot.

“Do you see her?” His gaze bent on Shai as though to dig deep into his heart, but Father Mei’s rages were twice as frightening, and this man didn’t look strong enough to have any force if he backhanded Shai. If they meant to kill him with a sword or spear, there was nothing he could do but run and be ready for arrows to take him in the back, but even if they chose to beat him it wouldn’t be worse than what his older brothers had done to toughen him up. Even Hari had slapped him around to try to stop him sitting in dull silence while the others teased him. Be a man. Speak up for yourself. He’d gotten used to their ridicule.