‘ “Who speaks little says a lot,” ’ Faradan Sort said, presumably quoting someone.
Kindly collected his reins. ‘It’s decided, then. Draw in the sergeants. Get them to straighten out their squads-Hood knows what Brys must be thinking right now, but I’m damned sure it’s not complimentary.’
As Kindly and the others rode away, Skanarow angled her mount in front of Ruthan’s, forcing him to halt. He squinted at her.
She surprised him with a grin and it transformed her face. ‘The old ones among my people say that sometimes you find a person with the roar of a sea squall in their eyes, and those ones, they say, have swum the deepest waters. In you, Ruthan Gudd, I now understand what they meant. But in you I see not a squall. I see a damned typhoon.’
He quickly looked away, ran fingers through his beard. ‘Just a spell of gas, Skanarow.’
She barked a laugh. ‘Have it your way, then. Avoid raw vegetables, Captain.’
He watched her ride off. Fisherfolk. You, Skanarow with the lovely smile, I need to avoid. Too bad.
Greymane, you always said that between the two of us I was the luckier one. Wrong, and if your ghost hearkens to its name, spare me any echo of laughter.
He paused, but all he could hear was the wind, and there was no humour in that moan.
‘Walk on, horse.’
Koryk looked a mess, trembling and wild-eyed, as he tottered back to the squad camp. Tarr frowned. ‘You remind me of a pathetic d’bayang addict, soldier.’
‘If paranoia comes with them shakes,’ said Cuttle, ‘he might as well be just that. Sit down, Koryk. There’s room in the wagon for ya come tomorrow.’
‘I was just sick,’ Koryk said in a weak growl. ‘I seen d’bayang addicts at the trader forts and I don’t like being compared to them. I made a vow, long ago, to never be that stupid. I was just sick. Give me a few days and I’ll be right enough to stick my fist in the next face gabbling about d’bayang.’
‘That sounds better,’ said Smiles. ‘Welcome back.’
Corabb appeared from a tent carrying Koryk’s weapon belt. ‘Honed and oiled your blade, Koryk. But it looks like the belt will need another notch. You need to get some meat back on your bones.’
‘Thanks, Mother, just don’t offer me a tit, all right?’ Sitting down on an old munitions box, he stared at the fire. The walk, Tarr judged, had exhausted the man. That boded ill for all the other soldiers who’d come down with the same thing. The tart water had worked, but the victims who’d recovered were wasted one and all, with a haunted look in their eyes.
‘Where’s Fid?’ Koryk asked.
Bottle stirred from where he had been lying, head on a bedroll and a cloth over his eyes. Blinking in the afternoon light he said, ‘Fid’s been listing all our faults. One of those secret meetings of all the sergeants.’
Tarr grunted. ‘Glad to hear it’s secret.’
‘We ain’t got any faults,’ said Smiles. ‘Except for you, Corporal. Hey Bottle, what else were they talking about?’
‘Nothing.’
That snatched everyone’s attention. Even Corabb looked up from the new hole he was driving through the thick leather belt-he’d jammed the awl into the palm of his left hand but didn’t seem to have noticed yet.
‘Hood knows you’re the worst liar I ever heard,’ said Cuttle.
‘Fid’s expecting a fight, and maybe soon. He’s tightening the squads. All right? There. Chew on that for a while.’
‘How hard is he working on that?’ the sapper asked, eyes narrowed down to slits.
Bottle looked ready to spit out something foul. ‘Hard.’
‘Shit,’ said Koryk. ‘Look at me. Shit.’
‘Take the wagon bed tomorrow and maybe the next day,’ said Tarr. ‘And then spell yourself for a few days after that. We’ve that long at least until we’re into possibly hostile territory. And eat, Koryk. A lot.’
‘Ow,’ said Corabb, lifting the hand with the awl dangling from the palm.
‘Pull it and see if you bleed,’ said Smiles. ‘If you don’t, go see a healer quick.’ Noticing the others looking at her she scowled. ‘Fish hooks. The, uh, fisherfolk who used to work for my family-well, I’ve seen it go bad, is all. Punctures that don’t bleed, I mean. Oh, piss off, then.’
‘I’m going for a walk,’ said Bottle.
Tarr watched the mage wander off, and then glanced over and found Cuttle staring at him. Aye, it’s looking bad.