The soles of her boots crunched against the bones beneath. White and scraped or licked clean the bones littered the ground, as well as the ornament nestled in her red curls.

"Your crown is made of the people's bones and hunger," the lord to her left said.

"None will dare to defy you now," another said. "There's no strength left in them. You've vanquished them all."

"You've supported me through this campaign. Feasted and grown fat on my success." Murmured assent rose behind her. They were bone-lickers, all of them. Eager to please, and eager to betray. There were so much power in bones.

She bent down and picked up a small bone. By some miracle it was whole. Looked to have been a finger bone. Those could be quite tasty, but that wasn't at the fore of her mind then.

Twirling the little bone between her fingers, she turned to those following. Wary eyes tracked the little bone in her hand. They knew what she could do. Had seen her do it many times. She said, "I have yet to be sated."

The nearest one trembled. Smart guy. The one at the back turned and left. Smarter guy.

She lifted the little bone up before her eyes. It began to spin. Fast and faster. Eyes followed it, waiting for the inevitable. She would not have bone-lickers in her ranks. It was time to clean.

The tiny bone moved.

One bone-licker collapsed to the floor. Then another. And-

"Wait," the third said.

The bone spun towards him.

"I know where they put her."

The bone stopped, partially embedded in the tender flesh beneath his rib cage.

"Speak." She'd suffer no fool. She'd suffered many fools in her quest.

"They buried her." The bone started to inch upward. Sweat pipled on his brows, and pain laced a grimace to his features. "She lived. Still got her bones."

"They'd never let her power go to waste."

He licked his lips."There were troubles with extracting. Casualties. She's strong."

"Yes, she is." The woman they spoke of was no bone-licker. No, she was a formidable bone-wielder whom Cha'Tal wanted by her side. Captured and buried in the early days, Cha'Tal had spent all her resources trying to find her. For her troubles, all she'd gotten was a crunchy carpet and a crown of bones. The next word almost seared her throat, "Where?"

"I can take you," he bowed to the floor before her, the little fingerbone still embedded in his chest. She released its pressure, but did not remove it. That bit might come later. For now, this bone-licker would live a little longer.