Next we passed around pots of woad to paint one another’s skin. Many of the men simply slapped on stripes with their fingertips, but Kiara and I were more artistic, drawing spirals and knots and adding a few sigils for protection and courage.
Then we dressed for battle in the garb of our tribal animals—the horse, the wolf, the raven, and the stag—tunics and braccae made of their skins, their fur slung around our shoulders, skulls attached to our heads as helmets, and teeth and bones worn as jewelry.
Finally, we moved single-file past a large cauldron, into which Morgan and some of the other camp women were dipping wooden mugs. Each man took a cup and retreated to a place of his choosing to consume the sacred drink. When I was but three people from the front of the line, the henbane’s n
