“No, milord.” I thought about Aenah’s last moments without regret. “It was not a clean death.”

“Well and good. I wished I could have run her through a few times with a sword myself, but I suppose you must be cautious around that lot.” He sobered. “I am very sorry to hear about Lady Polaire. She was a wonderful woman. What a fantastic minister she would have made, had she been Yadoshan. Would have given Stefan a run for his money if she’d fought against him in the commons, and she could drink me under the table if she’d had a mind to. She was well respected here, admired by my men. My heartfelt condolences.”

“Thank you, milord. She is—she is greatly missed.”

It did not take long for First Minister Stefan to make his appearance. The leader of the city-states was a tall man, easily several inches over six feet, and round as an ox. He was also heavily clad in chain mail, as were the assistants who accompanied him. “First Minister,” Kalen greeted him, a little warily. “I’m not entirely sure chain mail will be necessary for this hunt.”

“It’s always best to be prepared, wouldn’t you say?” Lord Stefan rubbed his hands. “I will leave the hard work to you and your friends, Lord Kalen, but the last time your Lady Mykaela put down our local daeva, she deigned to inform us only after the fact. While our army may not be up to speed when it comes to dealing with the nanghait, at least permit us to offer some backup, to save face if nothing else.”

“Can you promise me, then, that this has nothing to do with the games regarding the nanghait?” Kalen asked.

“I am afraid,” Minister Stefan responded, his cherubic face beaming with insincerity, “that I cannot make that claim.”

“Yadoshans,” Khalad sighed. “Lord Besserly, surely you can see why the practice should be discontinued?”

“Actually, good sir”—Lord Besserly drew back his cloak, revealing that he, too, was wearing armor—“I was rather looking forward to it.”

“Games?” I asked Kalen. “What do they mean?”

He scowled. “The Yadoshans are some of the bravest people in the land—and also the most ridiculous. There is a customary practice here called chasing the nanghait.”

“You seriously can’t tell me that means what it sounds like it means.”

“The opposite holds true, actually—it’s usually the nanghait that winds up chasing the Yadoshans. Hordes bait the nanghait before stampeding over each other when they get its attention, trying to avoid getting themselves killed before a Dark asha can bring down the daeva.”

“But that’s crazy!” Likh gasped.