“Maybe,” Pyrre replied, “but the crowd loved it. It made him seem fearless. Invincible. You couldn’t imagine him losing.”

“And we’re Long Fist’s wolves,” Gwenna said grimly.

“Funny thing about that guy, though,” Pyrre said. “Just before I left the city, he turned his back on a bear. He had to do it. It was part of the show, remember.”

“And . . .”

Pyrre smiled. “And the bear took off his head.”

Of course, talking about breaking free and actually doing it were two different things. As the night stretched on and the sun set, the three of them were still in the api. Whatever Pyrre said about wolves, Gwenna felt more like a ’Kent-kissing sheep—one waiting for the slaughter, at that.

“It has to be tonight,” she said, stabbing at the fire with a long stick. “We’ve waited too long already. The entire Urghul nation is riding on the frontier, riding to war, and nobody knows. Annur doesn’t. Valyn doesn’t.”

“I would imagine that,” Pyrre said, arching an eyebrow, “is exactly the point. I believe it’s referred to among militarily-minded folk as ‘stealing a march.’ ”

“I know what it’s called,” Gwenna snapped.

“Tonight,” Annick said abruptly, as though she’d made a decision, stuffing her cured meat into a pack. “It’s time to leave.”

Time to leave. As though they weren’t surrounded by the largest Urghul army in history.

Pyrre chuckled. “I like it, Annick. Focus on the big picture. Don’t get bogged down with the details.”

“I’ve considered what I can,” the sniper replied, cinching the pack shut, “but we don’t have time for anything elaborate. Every hour counts.”

“But they tend to count less,” the assassin observed, “if we spend the hours dead.”

“It’s a risk,” Annick said, nodding.

“And are you going to tell us,” Gwenna asked, burning with frustration, “what your risky plan is, Annick? Or are you just going to walk out of the tent and start killing people?”

“There’s something to be said for simplicity,” Pyrre pointed out.

Gwenna rounded on her. “And what the fuck do you want with it? Just a few days ago you were happy to drink Long Fist’s booze and lounge by his fires. Now suddenly you want to go charging off after Annick? I didn’t know you were such a ’Kent-kissing lover of the Annurian empire.”

Pyrre’s eyes hardened. “Annur can stand or burn. I have my own reasons for wanting to see Long Fist thwarted.”

“I don’t suppose you’d care to share them?”

“Not particularly.”