Greywolf

  The headless body of the dead man rose to his feet, his hands moving towards the place where its head used to be. Then he waved them around as he stumbled about like a blind drunkard looking for a jug of wine. Or in this case, his head. Take a breath, you've got to show them you know what you're doing. "Karl, tell War-leader Kula I'll take care of this."

  "You better, because I'm not going near that thing."

  Greywolf really wanted Karl beside him, and gave the mercenary a sour look. "Coward."

  Karl began clucking like a chicken, which made Greywolf snort in laughter as his fear subsided. But then it returned as he sheathed his sword and began trotting towards the frightened men. Not Tengri's Chosen, though, for as he passed them, a good number made a fist and raised it over their heads in a sign of respect. Greywolf gave them back the best bow he could while running and kept going. Remember the lessons papa taught you about leading men through the Grey. Respect's got to be earned and you're doing it, so don't turn milk tea into slop by losing your nerve.

  Reaching the soldiers of Xian, Greywolf grabbed the closest one by the shoulder. "Where head?" he asked in what he knew of their language, which wasn't a lot. The clean shaven man stared at him in fear and Greywolf shook him. "Where... head?"

  A younger one nearby began to point. "There－ gibberish- gibberish. Head there."

  Greywolf raced towards the dead man's head and stopped, kneeling down. Nothing, not even Shadow creatures bled in the Grey, and the torn vessels trailing out of the ragged skin hanging from his neck were still full of blood, with his neck bones dangling down even farther. Taking a deep breath to calm nerves growing ragged, Greywolf picked up the head with both hands. The helm was dented, with tooth marks in the metal from the Shadow Raptor's teeth, but otherwise the skull seemed to be in pretty good shape－

  The eyes opened.

  Shite, shite! Wotan's blood, don't drop it, whatever you do. Breathe, in and out. Everyone's watching. Better, the trembling isn't so bad. Breathe, in and out. You can do this. "If you hear me, blink one blink." Greywolf made his eyes do a slow, deliberate blink. The head's not doing anything, just staring.

  The eyes blinked one time, then continued to stare. Greywolf took another deep breath. Several yards away, the body stopped moving and was facing him with its arms out as he said, "Okay, one blink yes, two blink no. Okay?" The head blinked once. Another deep breath. "Okay, you dead." The head blinked twice and Greywolf sighed, wishing he understood their language better as he moved the head so its eyes were facing the headless body. "You. You dead."

  The body dropped to the ground and curled up into a ball as the mouth opened wide. If it had been making any noise, Greywolf would’ve sworn it was screaming. His papa had told him once that, if this ever happened to a person, Greywolf had to make the dead man accept that he was dead, so he moved the mercenary’s face in front of his own once more. "Important, listen. You dead." The eyes closed and Greywolf shook the head. "You dead." Tears glistened within the lashes but didn't fall.

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  "Walker-in-the-shadows." Greywolf looked up. The mercenary commander, Captain Tang, older than anyone else on the raid and completely bald, was frowning down at him. "You are too harsh," he said, speaking in Greco. "If he can blink, then he's alive. Can the head be reattached?"

  "He's already a ghost in the Grey. The moment he reenters the real world, he'll bleed out as he would've already, but if he remains in the Shadowlands, he'll be pursued by Shadow creatures and torn apart, again and again as the Grey heals him. He needs to remain near the ruined temple, because soon after we leave this area, the real world will push back against the Grey and everything will become normal again."

  Captain Tang's eyes narrowed, and Greywolf struggled to keep the frustration out of his voice. "Papa spends a good deal of time releasing spirits from their torment here. I don't want to add another one."

  The captain's face was inscrutable. "Give him to me, and I will handle it."

  Greywolf was more than happy to do so, giving him the head, whose eyes had reopened, as the Shadow-walker got to his feet. "Put him just inside the ruined temple, but no closer. The area around the grey tree is twilight space, and he could still be trapped."

  The mercenary commander nodded brusquely and carried the head over to where the headless body was now sitting up. Greywolf left them, trotting over to where Kula had the Khanda swordsmen arranged in a Hollow Box formation with the Chosen on the inside, scanning the skies for more Shadow Raptors. As he got close, the warriors stepped aside to let him in, then closed the gap again.

  War-leader Kula was a big man with coarse features, wearing Artifact armor with plates pitted and cracked from heavy fighting. Prince Timur stopped the conversation he'd been having with Kula and gave Greywolf a hard stare as he gave them a short description of the encounters with both the Shadow Raptor and the dead man, including Captain Chou's comment that he was being too harsh.

  Greywolf finished and Prince Timur sneered, "You wounded the creature instead of killing it, then coddled a dead man by bringing him his head like a dog-slave. Too harsh?" He spat on the ground. "I’d say you're too soft."

  Keep your temper. Titan, standing behind them, had told Greywolf that Prince Timur had everyone thinking he was a spoiled child, and that the only way to shake the perception was by not rising to his bait. But it was all Greywolf could do not to snap back at Timur as Kula regarded him. "Greywolf," he said in his deep, gravely voice, "instead of killing the creature, you spared it, forcing the other creatures to leave us alone." He turned and looked down at the young boy beside him. "Remember this lesson: Glory in battle means nothing if the battle is lost, and the needless death of even a few men can change a general's fortune for the worse. Greywolf sacrificed glory for a better chance of victory."

  Still wearing his full faced helm, the boy nodded, and Kula said, "Remember this lesson as well: all men die, and in the face of death, they need to accept it with a stout heart." He glanced at Greywolf, then back again. "I would've trussed the headless man up and left him behind so he wouldn't try to follow us like a lost puppy, but that's on Captain Tang's head now. If a man won't accept his death with honor, don't waste your time." The boy nodded again and the War-leader said, "Greywolf, you are still a green warrior. But your actions give me hope."

  Greywolf held himself straight as an iron rod, his heart singing like a man drinking strong spirits at the praise as he kept his face impassive. "Yes sir. Permission to lead us onward?"

  Prince Timur, who was looking past him, grunted. "That's the signal."

  Glancing back, Captain Tang's aide was waving their red flag. "Go ahead, but keep Karl and a few of the Chosen with you in case there's another attack."

  Greywolf nodded, Kula ordering several of his Chosen to follow the Shadow-walker as he left the column with Karl and Lys, and headed towards the front. Prince Timur resumed his conversation with Kula as Greywolf felt eyes upon him and glanced back. The headless soldier was now sitting on a fallen pillar with his head in his lap, the expression on his face that of a man condemned to death.

  Greywolf turned away and continued walking.