Loping along the muddy levee top, the Bandit quickly settled into the same ground-eating pace. He guessed that the time was near midnight and that he'd arrive at the nearly empty fortress after dawn. The Bandit hoped Slithering Snake would wait for him at the fortress, instead of coming across the border to look for him.
Five years ago, the Tiger Fortress had housed fifteen thousand bandits. Now, the upper levels sealed, silk and clothing factories occupied the three levels still in use, the only warriors a small border outpost of a thousand. The heyday of the Tiger Fortress was past. Soon after mating Purring Tiger, Seeking Sword had declared raids across the border illegal and begun to move the center of government to Seat.
Since mating five years ago, he and Purring Tiger had both wor
