Ten watched with rapt attention, as tears coursed over Keara's cheeks. It was as he suspected; she was even more beautiful when she cried. It wasn't the way girls normally cried for him though. She did it with a kind of strength, as though she was fighting and allowing the tears, at the same time. He made sure that a few more drops fell into the bowl, before taking up the dagger again and swirling it through the mixture in the bowl.
"Good girl," he said, looking at his slave. He gently touched the side of her face, before getting up and walking to the fire. Again, he walked around the flames three times, continuing to mix the ash as he went.