Lion Head Mesa Thárros

a snicker pulled its way between their teeth.

as the courtesan worked to dig free one thing and then another from the earth, the sound died away. large ears turned to listen to the boy speak of a family with little heart behind it; he might have thought himself a trickster among wolves, but jawahir could see through him well enough.

a family! all this time and you speak so little of them. but then, you do not allow the fellahin to entertain you either.

it helped to have spies among the fellahin; jawahir knew more than they let on, and in a glance, the glow of their eye might have said as much.

let him play his little game, thought the courtesan — it was a fun thing to watch and helped to enliven akashingo. this man was harmless, for the time being.

out of the earth came a circlet of thorns.