No masons were spared. Birds scavenged from their corpses. Our loggers were shaken.
"Gather the bodies for burning," I ordered. The loggers froze. Someone grumbled, "...as if they were only firewood..."
The foreigner approached. "This ground is too hard for burial." Turning, he said, "The quarry is useless now. Let us burn the bodies and leave."
"Abubakarian," I said, "you are only half correct. Not just these people, but also many from where we came have too much skin in this to abandon yet." I looked at everyone. "We engage our enemy face-to-face, or we do not leave."
"Gather the bodies for burning," I ordered. The loggers froze. Someone grumbled, "...as if they were only firewood..."
The foreigner approached. "This ground is too hard for burial." Turning, he said, "The quarry is useless now. Let us burn the bodies and leave."
"Abubakarian," I said, "you are only half correct. Not just these people, but also many from where we came have too much skin in this to abandon yet." I looked at everyone. "We engage our enemy face-to-face, or we do not leave."
