” Smythe turned his head to look Aran in the eyes. “When the swords cross, you leave Berrigan for me.”Aran inclined his head. “As you wish, Sm...the. Now take some sleep, if you want it. I’ll watch for a while.”Smythe accepted the offer and lay down near Kedron, leaving Aran to his thoughts, and the endless night sky.BESHOK – Chief of the Gor’dur Orcs – the Ergar Plain, PalistairA naked Beshok eagerly followed the equally unclothed, statuesque Morgai as she led him away from the war camp and down. "Wait. You'd be willing to be friends?" Why not? I never had anything against you, I was just pissed that youdidn't want to run my article. I'd expect you to react the same way if Iwanted to cut something of yours. And if I did, and it was good enough torun, you'd go over my head and win and we'd run it, and I'd probably beannoyed. But, considering that we're both a little older, and we've bothhad bad experiences with Matt, I suspect that won't happen. At least Ihope not."She stopped to. ”“Well why not?” Carries asks. “It’s good to know for when he becomes available, us other girls know what to expect.”“Who says I’m dumping him?”‘We did. We did,’ Butternuts says bouncing up and down.‘Yeah, we did,’ Banana Slug agrees as he too, bounces up and down.“It’s bound to happen,” Carrie says assuredly as she looks at her manicured fingernails.“I’m going to have to find a table in the light next time,” Anne mumbles.“What was that?”Anne’s face reddens slightly. “I said maybe I’ll do just. Focus Janice, get your head together, it can’t happen like this. Not here. What if his snooping mother is home? She stifled a giggle as his enthusiasm got the better of him. He shoved and kicked at his clinging shorts, lost his footing and toppled with a splash; seconds later his shorts popped to the surface, then sank as his head emerged.“Now that’s what I call raw enthusiasm.”Brandon did not seem to share her amusement. His face loomed before her, flushed and intense. He seemed to be.