Swiftcurrent Creek but anything is preferable to the pain

merrick was freed of any linger suspicion when aventus spoke; it was a bleak pleasure that crept to his lips and made them into a baleful twist as he stared out over the creek, at last. 
"how best should we seek blood when our enemies have fallen?" merrick's single-eyed was half-lidded; he did not turn toward the bruin-jaw, wanting to keep the weight of his expectation from coloring an answer. 
raven-mother, corvid-wife; merrick had no such expectations for her; she surpassed him in all regards and he worshipped happily as her second-most;
aventus had become third, but merrick saw in avicus the toppling.
he was quiet, granting aventus the place to speak.