THOUGH LADA DID NOT know what would happen, she was certain of two things: It would hurt, and she would need to be strong. She dressed in chain mail and the Janissary uniform, except for the cap. She left her hair down, a tangled mass of curls in defiance of both Janissary custom and feminine styles. At her hip was her sword, and on her wrists were her knives. Her spine was steel. Her heart was armor. Her eyes were fire.
