Tethered To His Shadow
a coarse voice roared over the wind.
A dozen warriors leaped from the high rocks, clad in mismatched armor, bear furs, and marked with the branded scars of outcasts, deserters, and former Syndicate mercenaries. They moved with brutal, dirty efficiency, hacking through the remaining stalkers with iron axes and heavy cleavers until the snow was stained with black pitch and red blood.
Kira stood her ground, blade raised, her eyes narrowed as the leader of the ambushers stepped forward.
He was a hulking, scarred warrior with a missing left ear—Gunnar, a notorious mercenary commander who had fled the Southern Syndicate years ago.