“Who did it?” Shae was genuinely curious, almost bitterly admiring. Decades of murderous hatred between No Peak and the Mountain, and someone else had plunged a knife into Ayt’s neck. “I did,” Ayt answered. She smiled again at Shae’s uncomprehending silence. “I executed Ven Sando and his sons for treason ten years ago. But I let his wife and daughters live.” Ayt’s voice was a slurred, dry, acidic whisper. “It wasn’t enough for Ven’s daughter that I die in the bombing. She wanted me to know it was her. I made the error of underestimating another woman.” The Pillar wetted her lips and fixed her
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