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*9*

Malina looked at the dirt etched into her cuticles. She refused to look up from her hands even as she heard the soldiers cheer. The wind whipped her black hair obscuring her view of her hands for a moment. After the wind died down she was able to see the muddy U's for a moment before a rough hand pulled for forward.

The pull on her shoulder had taken her by surprise and she stumbled forward in the direction she had been pulled.

"Look at your men Empress," Teiuc's voice whispered in her ear. His breath was hot and carried the sharp burn of hard alcohol. "they are proud on this day. We have arrived on the shores of our pre-ancestral home and our victory on this day is complete. The Toltecs are home Empress," The word 'Empress' hissed off of his tongue dripping with derision, "we are home."