Ayt shifted painfully. “I congratulate you, Kaul-jen. By tonight, you might be the only Pillar left standing in Kekon. I don’t envy you.” The scornful smile was gone from her face. She sounded weary and angry. “A word of advice: Don’t ever make the mistake that I did. Don’t show mercy.” Shae stilled. Ayt’s words, filled with grim portent, seemed to add weight to the knife in her hand. You might be the only Pillar left.
