She bridled. ‘Why me?’
Because you cut people out of boredom. ‘Just get out of my sight. Now.’
‘Ain’t you the friendly one,’ she muttered, setting off.
Tarr set down his tools. ‘Letherii? Well, Corabb, let’s see the thing, shall we?’
And the man’s eyes lit up.
They had days before the official mustering for the march. Tarr’s orders were premature. And if she was corporal, she’d have known that and not made her go off for no good reason. Why, if she was corporal, she’d dump stupid tasks all over Tarr every time he irritated her, which would probably be all the time. Anyway, she decided she’d let herself be distracted, maybe until late tonight. Tarr was in the habit of bedding down early.
If Koryk weren’t sweating like a fish-trader in a soak-hole, she’d have some decent company right now. Instead, she wandered towards a huddle of heavies gathered round some sort of game. The usual crowd, she saw. Mayfly and Tulip, Flashwit, Shortnose, Saltlick, and some from a different company that she remembered from that village scrap-Drawfirst, Lookback and Vastly Blank. Threading through the smelly press, she made her way to the edge of the ring.
No game. A huge bootprint in the dust. ‘What’s going on?’ Smiles demanded. ‘It’s a footprint, for Hood’s sake!’
Huge faces peered at her from all sides, and then Mayfly said, in a tone of stunned reverence, ‘It’s from him. ’
‘Who?’
‘Him, like she said,’ said Shortnose.
Smiles looked back down at the print. ‘Really? Not a chance. How can you tell?’
Flashwit wiped at her nose-which had been dripping ever since they arrived on this continent. ‘It ain’t none of ours. See that heel? That’s a marine heel, them iron studs in a half ring like that.’
Smiles snorted. ‘You idiots. Half the army wears those!’ She looked round. ‘Gods below, you’re all wearing those!’
‘Exactly,’ said Flashwit.
And everyone nodded.
‘So, let’s just follow the tracks and get a real good look at him, then.’
‘We thought of that,’ said Shortnose. ‘Only there’s only the one, see?’
‘What do you mean? One print? Just one? But that’s ridiculous! You must’ve scuffed up the others-’
‘No,’ said Lookback, thick fingers twisting greasy hair beside a cabbage ear. ‘I was the first to come on it, right, and it was all alone. Just like that. All alone. Who else coulda done something like that, but him ?’
‘You’re all idiots. I don’t think Nefarias Bredd even exists.’
‘That’s because you’re stupid!’ shouted Vastly Blank. ‘You’re a stupid, a stupid, uh, a stupid, you’re just stupid. And I don’t like you. Drawfirst, that’s right, isn’t it? I don’t like her, do I? Do I?’
‘Do you know her, Vastly? Know who she is?’
‘No, Drawfirst. I don’t. Not even that.’
‘Well, then it’s got to be you don’t like her, then. It’s got to be. You’re right, Vastly.’
‘I knew it.’
‘Listen,’ said Smiles, ‘who wants to play bones?’
‘With what?’ Mayfly asked.
‘With bones, of course!’
‘We ain’t got none.’
‘But I do.’
‘You do what?’
Smiles gave everyone a bright, happy smile, and even that made her face hurt. She drew out a small leather pouch. ‘Lay your bets down, soldiers, and let’s have us a game. Now listen carefully while I explain the rules-’
‘We know the rules,’ said Shortnose.
‘Not my rules you don’t. Mine are different.’ She scanned the suddenly interested faces and all those tiny eyes fixed on her. ‘Listen now, and listen carefully, because they’re kind of complicated. Vastly, you come stand beside me, right here, the way best friends do, right?’
Vastly Blank nodded. ‘Right!’ And, chest swelling, he pushed through the others.
‘A word with you, Lieutenant.’
Pores snapped to his feet. ‘Aye, sir!’
‘Follow me.’ Captain Kindly walked sharply out from the headquarters, and soldiers busy packing equipment ducked desperately out of the man’s path, furtive as cats underfoot. There was a certain carelessness when it came to getting out of Lieutenant Pores’s way, however, forcing him to kick a few shins as he hastened after the captain.
