Beside him, Leila was peering intently at the enemy soldiers, fascinated by something only she could see. As the truth suddenly dawned in her mind, her face went pale with fear. “Blessed Ashath!” she exclaimed. “Those aren’t living men out there!”
And indeed this truth was beginning to dawn on the rest of the Buryani as well. A chance breeze blew across the field, carrying the scent of the decomposing bodies that made up Kharouf’s army. The Buryani soldiers began gagging at the nauseating stench, while across the field Kharouf’s troops stood rigidly at attention, staring straight ahead, attuned solely to the will of the yatu. They would stand, they would march, and they would fight with passionless determination.
The seconds dragged on interminably as the two sides stared at one another
