Mace nodded. “Back under the trees, the prisoners would have scattered. Some might have escaped as you say. He’s expecting us to scatter, just as you did. From his point of view, it’s the obvious move: let some die to save the rest. That’s why I expected Kar to try this, instead: find a place where he could trap everyone. Because Kar and I have this in common: with these people, it’s all or nothing. He wants to give them all to the jungle. I want to send them all home.” Muscle bunched along Mace’s jaw. “I am not willing to purchase life with death, unless that death is my own.”

Nick looked impressed. “Kar’s not an easy man to lie to. He’s so hooked into pelekotan that lying’s a tricky business; I once saw him yank out a guy’s tongue—”

Mace gave him a sidelong look. “Who lied? I told him that he and Depa would be able to find me at the steamcrawler track this afternoon. The lie is in what he assumed I meant, not in what I said.”

“And you had me lead, because you figured he’d be able to guess what route I’d take—and you brought the Akk Guards along so that he’d be able to track us …”

Mace nodded.


- Shatterpoint, Chapter 10