Shanvah returned her father’s look. Jardir could see in the emotions connecting them that she barely knew the man – ignored by him in favour of her brothers and taken from his household early to train in the Dama’ting Palace. Until now, she had felt little for Shanjat, but with his words, a thread of love went out to him in return.

Jardir nodded, considering.

Inevera cleared her throat. ‘Husband, with respect, you have consulted your clerics and counsellors. You have consulted the fathers, you have consulted the mothers. You have consulted the husbands, you have consulted the brothers. You have even consulted the alagai hora. You have consulted everyone and everything, save the women themselves.’

Jardir nodded, beckoning the would-be Sharum’ting forth. ‘My beloved nieces,’ he said as they knelt before him, ‘know that like Shanjat, your honour is boundless in my eyes. But I cannot deny I fear the idea of you out in the night. If you wished to prove something to me, you have proven it. If you wished to honour me, and your bloodline, you have done so. Nothing more is needed for my esteem, and I would not see you pushed into this life by some,’ he glanced at Inevera, ‘or fleeing to it from others.’ His eyes flicked to Asome. ‘And so I ask, is this truly what you want?’

Both women nodded immediately. ‘It is, Uncle.’

‘Think well on this,’ Jardir said. ‘Your lives will change forever if you take the spear. You may look upon the Sharum and see only the excesses they are allowed, but those excesses come at a heavy price. There is glory in the night, but there is also pain and loss. Blood and sacrifice. You will see horrors to haunt you, awake and asleep.’

The women nodded, but he went on. ‘It will be even harder on you than on men. The male Sharum will expect you to be weak, and will not wish to heed your commands. You will be challenged, and have to be twice the fighters your male zahven are until you have their respect. This will not be easy, and I cannot help you there. If men fear to strike you only because they fear me, they will not respect you.’

Ashia looked up at him. ‘I have always known Everam had a different path for me than He did your daughters. Now, having stood in the night, I know. If I shame my husband, then dissolve our union that he may find a worthier Jiwah Ka. I was meant to die on alagai talons.’

Shanvah nodded, taking Ashia’s hand as the morning’s first sunbeam came in through the windows. ‘On alagai talons.’

You will gain warriors in the night, Inevera had said, but lose others on the morrow. But what did it mean? Did it mean he would refuse them? Or that his men would rebel at the thought of fighting alongside women?

He shook his head. They said the same thing when he made the kha’Sharum. Now those men served him with honour. He would not lose warriors by choice. He’d hated the shameful way his mother was treated when he was a child, with no man to speak for her. He had been terrified that he would die, too, and his sisters be claimed by the local dama and sold as jiwah’Sharum.

Jardir cast his gaze over the court. ‘I do not wish to make women fight, but Sharak Ka is nigh, and I will not turn away those who choose to. Kaji may have forbidden women the spear, but the first Deliverer had an army of millions. I do not, but must fight the same war.’ He pointed to the kneeling young women with the Spear of Kaji. ‘I name you kai’Sharum’ting.’

Kajivah wailed.

‘Holy Father,’ Asome said. ‘If my jiwah thinks nothing of her vows to me, then I ask you divorce us now, as she suggests.’

Ashan looked at Asome sharply. The union between Ashan’s daughter and Ahmann’s son strengthened the ties between their families, and it would be a loss of face for them to be severed.

‘No,’ Jardir said. ‘You and my niece declared your vows before Everam, and I will not let you go back on them. She remains your Jiwah Ka, and you will not deny her time with young Kaji. A son needs his mother.’

‘So now my granddaughters go to alagai’sharak each night?’ Kajivah demanded.

‘It need not be so,’ Inevera offered.

Kajivah stared at her in shock. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Many of the dama have personal guards, Sharum only called to alagai’sharak on Wanings,’ Inevera said. ‘If it pleases my honoured husband, I will take them as such.’ Jardir gave her a slight nod, and did not need to see her aura to know the sense of satisfaction had returned to his wife.

‘Even on Wanings, it will be a mistake to let them join the front lines,’ Asome said. ‘They will distract men whose attention needs to be in front of them.’

‘My warriors will learn to adapt,’ Jardir said, though he knew it was not quite so simple.

Asome nodded. ‘Perhaps. But is it a lesson you wish to begin while Alagai Ka stalks the land?’

Jardir pursed his lips. ‘No,’ he said at last. ‘I do not know what is coming with the new moon, and it is not the time to force change.’

Asome smirked at the small victory. ‘But that goes for the dama, as well,’ Jardir said.

Asome’s eyes widened just slightly. ‘Eh?’

‘Everam’s Bounty would fall into chaos without the dama,’ Jardir said. ‘And so I will not risk you on Waning until I know what we are facing each month. You may join your mother and wife in the underpalace come the new moon.’

Jayan stifled his laugh, but not enough for it to escape his brother’s ears.

Be careful, husband, Inevera thought as she watched Ahmann and Asome face off. He is still your son, and he has his pride.

Thankfully, their staring was broken by a commotion at the door. Inevera saw a lone Sharum striding into the hall. He looked thin and haggard, his blacks filthy with mud, and he stank. She could smell him from across the room.

The warrior planted his spear and fell to one knee before the Skull Throne. ‘Shar’Dama Ka, I bring urgent missive from your first daughter, holy Amanvah.’

Ahmann nodded. ‘Ghilan asu Fahkin, is it not? You were sent north to guard Mistress Leesha’s caravan. What has happened? Are my daughter and intended safe?’

Intended. The word cut at Inevera, even now.

‘Both were safe when I left them, Deliverer,’ the warrior said, ‘but they appeared to have had a … conflict.’

‘What kind of conflict?’ Ahmann demanded.

Ghilan shook his head. ‘I do not know, but I believe the holy daughter’s letter will say.’ He held up a small scroll, sealed in wax.

Ahmann nodded and motioned for Shanjat to take the letter. Shanjat was Ghilan’s kai, but still the warrior leapt to his feet, backing away.

‘What is the meaning of this?’ Ahmann said.

‘The holy daughter made me take an oath, Shar’Dama Ka, to put the letter into your hand and no other,’ Ghilan said.

Ahmann nodded, motioning the man forward. Ghilan sprinted up the steps, falling to one knee again when he was in reach. He kept his eyes down as he handed Ahmann the letter. His voice was low, so only Ahmann and Inevera could hear. ‘I will say this, Deliverer. By her own admission, Mistress Leesha poisoned me to prevent my reaching you.’

‘She was bluffing,’ Ahmann said.

The young Sharum shook his head. ‘Your pardon, Deliverer, but she was not. After two days I began to weaken. On the third, I fell from my horse and lay for hours, waiting for death.’