Coralis caught Henry staring and nodded knowingly. “This is how it has always been,” he said softly. “This is why we do what we do. Every day, in other countries, soldiers fight to protect this way of life, and for the most part the average person never gives them a second thought.

“You are a Wandbearer now, Henry. A soldier in a different kind of war. No one will know who you are or what you will do to protect them. But it is good for you to remember these many faces. You are forevermore charged with protecting them.”

Henry thought he should be scared stiff. But Coralis’s words filled him with pride.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Dai She paced impatiently outside the front door of the small shack. “What’s taking you so long?” he shouted.

Another minute went by before Markhor emerged holding a dangerous-looking dagger, upon which several small scorpions were impaled. “You asked if it was safe.” He held the dagger close to Dai She. Two of the arthropods squirmed and thrust their venom-filled tails forward.

But Dai She did not flinch. “Ah, Centruroides suffusus. Fine specimens! They’ll make a nice treat for Viktor once we roast them.” He turned to the vulture squatting on the ground next to him. “And you deserve a treat for being such a good boy,” he said, patting the bird on his bald head.

Markhor turned away and rolled his eyes. “This is all I found, but there is still a chance more are hidden.”

On the outside, the shack was unimpressive, made up of dry-rotted wood planks in various stages of decay that hardly seemed capable of holding together. Two of its four sides contained a single window, filthy beyond cleaning. The entire structure was only about four by four meters, with no rear door—although someone with a dry sense of humor had painted one.

Dai She roughly brushed past Markhor to enter the shack. Inside wasn’t much better, but at least the gaps and holes in the wood provided some ventilation. Two rusted, steel-framed cots, one beneath each window, looked more like gurneys in a morgue than beds for sleeping. Wooden crates ranging from completely intact to totally demolished were scattered around the single open room.

“Where is the restroom?” Dai She asked. It had been a long ride over many miles of washboard dirt roads that jolted, bounced, and rattled his innards. His bladder was at the bursting point.

The door was still wide open, and Markhor pointed into the distance. “I believe it might be that somewhat dubious structure out there.” And while he wanted to be able to laugh at Dai She’s discomfort, his need to use it was just as urgent.

The two men groaned and trudged up the incline, neither looking forward to what awaited them inside.