Chapter 20: The War God Laid Down His Armor

The little girl looked six or seven, dressed in patched, ragged clothes. Her hair tangled like a thicket, her shirt grimy, one small foot bare. Through a ripped seam, he could see bruises blotched across her skin and a red handprint burning on her cheek. One glance, and he knew her. The daughter he'd forgotten for three years. She'd been through so much, but the little girl didn't cry or make a fuss. She held herself with the same iron grit as Elijah Quinny. "Jolie!" Elijah bared his teeth at...