You two going to stand there congratulating each other all fucking night? he growled, and nodded out across the gathered slave caravan to where the commotion was now general.

We ve got a couple of minutes tops before someone with a sword gets here. Come on.

Gerin followed the gesture, saw the truth of it. Dark figures waded about through the disarrayed coffles, trying to trace the source of the uproar. Most held up torches or brands pulled hurriedly from the campfires. Dim glint of blades unsheathed in their free hands.

The gaunt man set the cutters to the veteran s manacles, broke them apart with no more effort than he d needed before. The veteran jerked his hands impatiently free of the ruined metal, then bent and pulled each foot free of its snapped ankle cuff in turn.

Behind them, a shout split the night.

There! Monkgrave s coffle!

They re Get them! They re loose! Fucking get in there and

Still bent over his ankle cuffs, the veteran twisted his head toward the voices. Gerin saw him grimace and nod to himself. Then he got carefully back to his feet, curled a hand around each freed wrist in turn and breathed in deeply, grunted as if surprised by something.

You d better get out of here, he told the gaunt man.

I, you, but

The veteran took the bolt cutters gently from him. Go on. Take the kid, get up into that tree line quick, while you still can.

And you?

The veteran gestured at the confusion around them, the other men struggling to free themselves in the dark. Friend, if someone doesn t buy us some more time, this is all going to be over quicker than a priest s fuck.

Then I ll stay, too.

You fight in the war? the veteran asked, as gently as he d taken the cutters.