Two days later, Mei sat at a table in the garrison's mess hall, alone except for a tankard of beer and an empty plate. Maggie and Dwayne were up in Walcrest at Sir Marcus's official wake, which she hadn't been invited to over Maggie and Dwayne's protests because of her common status. Saundra's heroics had gotten her in though. As for Huan, well...

"Yeah, I saw it." Nathan was on his third beer. "A flash that darkened the sky, and a blast that must have been heard all the way in Bradford." Sir Marcus's former squire took another swig of beer. "That's the power of Souran magic, right?"

Mei's hand tightened around her tankard. Although Nathan had been left with the horses, Mei knew he knew that Maggie and Dwayne had worked together.

She scanned the room and failed to find her brother. Since returning from the jungle, Huan had ducked out early every morning and returned late every night.

She'd only been able to catch up to him once, and she'd only managed to ask him one question. "Where's the mask?"

He'd shrugged. "I lost it, and we were in such a hurry to retreat I didn't have time to find it. Anyway, good riddance to him."

"Him?"

"It." Her brother had smiled. "I meant it."

Mei curled around her beer. Around her, soldiers downed full tankards of beer, feasted on sausages, and made merry in an unofficial celebration of the life and death of Sir Marcus. Thinking about the nice man who'd sacrificed an arm to save Mei and his life to save Huan didn't make her feel any better. Maybe she should just go to bed. She stood up and bumped against a soldier, who ended up spilling beer down his front.

The soldier lurched towards her, angry finger raised. Then his eyes widened. "Axesnapper! Hey, Sasha, she's here!"

Mei peered at the man's unfamiliar white tunic and grey pants, which gave him more than enough time for him to sit her back down and place a full tankard of beer in front of her.

Across from them, a young woman sat down, grinning. "I'm glad you made it."

Mei started. This woman was Spear, and the young man settling down next to Mei was Sword. She dropped her chin to her chest. "I'm sorry. I do not know your names."

Spear guffawed. "You ain't gotta know names when you fight like you do. We don't know your name either, so we've been referring to you as Axesnapper all night."

Sword scowled. "I still think Hatchetbreaker is better."

"I won the arm wrestling and the vote. She needs a good original name. We already have Swordbreaker." Spear leaned in close. "What is your name by the way? Your real name?"

"Mei Li."

"Ooo, nice and short. I like it. My name is Sasha Lenox." She pointed at Sword. "The sloshed oaf next to you is Ashley White. We have to thank you for saving our hides out there. Webb and Jerry are still in the infirmary, but they send thanks."

Mei stared down into her tankard. "I just didn't want anyone else to die."

Ashley thumped his tankard on the table. "Here here!"

"You make a better sergeant than half we've served under and that's no mistake," said Sasha. "Oi, you. More sausages here."

A soldier glared at her. "You ain't my boss."

Sasha stood up. "They ain't for me. They're for Axesnapper here."

The soldier's eyes widened. "Bullshit." He looked Mei over. "Oh, wait, I heard you took out a giant's eye from a hundred wir away."

Mei felt unmoored. "No, it was just ten wir."

"She fought one by herself practically," said Sasha. "She has moves, this girl."

The soldier nodded. "And she fought off like a dozen of them things with Saundra, right? What kind of sausages you want?"

"Just bring them all," answered Sasha.

"All it is!"

The soldier disappeared into the crowd.

Mei's face felt hot. "It wasn't twenty."

Sasha grinned. "It'll be thirty by tomorrow."

Ashley thumped the table. "And fifty by the end of the week, I swear."

"Here you go." A plate of sausages and cabbage landed in front of Mei.

She goggled at the rich food. "This is a lot."

"We can't thank you enough so we're going to fatten you up instead," said Sasha.

"Are you going to stick around?" asked Ashley.

"No." Mei poked at one of the sausages and watched the fat slide off it. "I have to stick with Maggie."

Sasha looked at Ashley. "Who's Maggie?"

"Maggie, Maggie, wait, you mean Magdala, the Water Sage's kid?" Ashley goggled at Mei. "Who are you?"

"Who cares? You can't leave now," said Sasha. "Who the hell is going to teach us how to fight?"

Mei took a knife and cut off a piece of sausage. "Saundra will still be here."

"No, that one's going places," said Ashley. "I mean she impressed Lord Gallus of all people. I bet they're up there in that fancy estate fitting her for knight's armor right now."

"Besides, she's good with a sword and we want to learn axework," said Sasha.

Mei put the sausage in her mouth and reveled in the rich flavors. The sausage's meat was unknown, but it had been roasted just right, and the fat made it slide easy down her throat. She cut off another piece. "I don't know much about fighting with an axe, but..." Sir Marcus's last words to her echoed in her ears. "Sir Marcus knew I'd be able to pull it off." She dropped her knife and raised her tankard. "To Sir Marcus."

Sasha and Ashley raised their tankards. "To Sir Marcus!"

The room shook with the call. "To Sir Marcus!"

Mei finally drank from her beer and put it down. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her brothser, who slipped out of the room.

"What's wrong?" asked Ashley.

Mei turned to her new friends, her expression blank. "Nothing."