There is a way men have of breathing hard when their blood is up that Shai had come to recognize in these soldiers, a spillover that the Qin soldiers had, evidently, learned to rein in. Twist lurched out of the gathering, glaring around, hands clenched. Men moved back from him as he spotted the cowering girls. Shai leaped up and trotted forward.

“Here, now!” he called out. “I’m thirsty! Where’s my water?” He affected the lopsided gait that made the men laugh at him, but no one was laughing.

“Take the body away,” snarled the sergeant. “If any of you have further complaints, let me know.”

Twist grabbed Shai. “You’re not what you pretend to be, that’s what I think, cursed outlander.” He spat in Shai’s face.

The spittle landed beneath an eye, and he flinched, sparking with hatred as he forced a stupid grin. “Heya! My dear mom said spitting wasn’t nice.”

“I’d wick your dear mom until she wept for mercy!” Twist slugged him up under the ribs.

The impact doubled him over, but the spectacle had drawn the attention of the others, those slinking away to lick their wounds and those needing a bit of fun to work out the bloody aftermath of the killing of one of their own.

“Heya, Twist! I’m betting his mother was a ewe. I hear that’s more to your liking.”

“You ass-wiping turd.”

Gagging and hacking, Shai stumbled out of the way. A fight broke out, fists flying, and more men waded in, laughing with a high-pitched giggling, but as Shai staggered toward the girls the roil settled out and the knot dispersed, men grumbling as they headed to fires or shelters.

“Pick up the buckets.” It was hard to choke out the words with his chest throbbing. “Get back to the well and get more water. Keep moving like nothing happened.”

Faces gray with fear, the girls grabbed pole and empty buckets and hurried off. They were so scrawny their shoulders came to a point instead of a nice rounded curve. What remained of their tunics hung in flaps.

Shai rested on hands and knees as he waited for the worst of the pain to fade. Merciful One protect them! Tohon would be making a plan, while he did nothing more than react as each new blow fell. Maybe he was dull-witted in truth. He’d done his best, organizing the children into banners so they could look out for each other, carrying the weakest when they lagged. But it wasn’t enough.

And yet the girls did come back with the water without being hit. The men mumbled, and ate their supper, and called for their favorites or waited their turn. The beaten man had been dragged away by the other soldiers and thrown into the trees, but despite the pulpy mess of his head, some glimmer of life still animated him because no ghost rose.

Shai crept back to the shelter as twilight mellowed the scene. It was easy to believe they sheltered in a peaceful backwoods hamlet, trees soughing in the breeze, candlewick flowers giving off dusk’s perfume. An owl hooted, and a nightjar clicked.