She laughs at that. High and bright, almost childlike.
Skinpainter smiles. ‘Thank goodness. I thought you were as dry as your father.’
Sudden pressure. The threads on her hands lifting slightly. The briefest flicker of feathers. The coals flare. Ears pop. Skinpainter waves a hand soothingly. ‘It’s OK. I have no interest in sharing that further. Although more people know than you’d think. Just because you were too young to remember it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.’
She frowns. ‘You know about me, and you know him. Yet you still stand with him?’
Skinpainter reaches into their pockets, subtly readjusting the press of their robes. They lean back. A hand cracks a walnut, dancing the shell over quick knuckles. ‘You want some?’
She shakes her head. ‘You didn’t answer my question.’
They smile as they roll the nut between their palms.
‘You’re a terse girl, as terse as your father. Even if you knowhow to laugh. And no, I didn’t. That’s because I don’t owe you anything.’ The shell is caught, crushed.
‘Did you expect something different?’
Crowkisser shrugs, refocuses on their hands as they dust themselves clean.
‘You know this is going to lead to battle, don’t you?’
She nods.
Skinpainter sighs. ‘I knew as much once Quickfish arrived. Too good an opportunity to pass up, wasn’t it? A brave boy trying to save his dying mother.’
She flashes them a smile. ‘I don’t owe you anything.’
They nod, drumming on the floor with a foot. ‘You’re learning.’
The stone suddenly feels sharp and cold under them, despite the brazier. They shift uncomfortably, rags fluttering. ‘You must understand. There are many people I love dearly within this mountain. Now, I have never been a fan of the gods. Or the dead. Or anything that wants us for their own.’ They hold Crowkisser’s wrist, voice low. ‘So, I’m not without sympathy for your actions.’
For a second, she smiles, before they grip tighter, pulling her close into their hood, their lips rough and harsh, clove oil on the skin. ‘But, let me repeat. There are many people I love dearly within this mountain. And if it’s them or you, it’ll be you.’
She flicks her eyes hastily over their shoulder, to the deeper shadows.
Skinpainter smiles ruefully as they let her go. ‘Is he here? Slickwalker?’
She shakes her head, laughs, then looks at Skinpainter coolly. ‘No. But he will be, soon enough.’ Her voice is rougher than expected, husked by the cold and the night.
The back of Skinpainter’s neck itches. The air briefly acrid and sharp. They clear their throat. ‘Changes nothing. You’re a fool if you think I haven’t dealt with worse. Permanently.’ Their brows are heavy in the shadow of their hood. Keeping the sorrow from their voice is a challenge, even with the softening smoke.
‘I understand loss, Crowkisser. More than that. I’m tired of it. I’ve had my fill. I am sick to my heart of death.’
Their next words are hushed with longing. ‘I’d hoped you were too. I don’t think either of us wants people to die. Especially not here.’
She’s silent for a long time. Long enough for Skinpainter to watch the shadows play over her face, to watch the slight twists and tics she must think hidden, to watch her thoughts running riot over her skin.
Before she even speaks, Skinpainter knows that this only ends in war.
The lie when it comes is obvious, bland. Skinpainter dealt with better in the days of the old Empire, when the only real truths could be communicated by touch, tapped out on skin. Hidden from the ears of the Emperor’s spies.
Crowkisser needs a few more decades under her belt before she can sell this one. She tries it anyway. ‘What’s your suggestion then?’
They pretend to chew thoughtfully. ‘Give me time with Shroudweaver. If I can get him out of the walls, away from Kinghammer, we could end this without bloodshed.’
All Skinpainter really needs is time. Time to get Thell’s army out from the mountain, away from the Barrows. Safely marching south where they can scour this girl and her madness from the earth.
Skinpainter knows the last thing Crowkisser has is time. Years starving in the south, relying on personality alone to hold her people together. They know from experience how hard that is. If they’re going to stay here any longer, they need to keep her on the hook.
