Dust of Dreams

Shortnose—you know, the guy missing most of his nose? Was married to Hanno who died.’
    The three cousins exchanged glances. Drawfirst shrugged, wiped sweat from her forehead and said, ‘Him, yeah. Following Flashwit around these days—’
    ‘That’s the biggest woman I ever seen,’ said Shoaly, licking his lips.
    Lookback nodded. ‘It’s her green eyes—’
    ‘No it ain’t, Lookie,’ retorted Shoaly. ‘It’s her big everything else.’
    Drawfirst snorted. ‘You want big ’uns, look at me, Shoaly. On second thoughts, don’t. I know you too good, don’t I?’
    Reliko scowled. ‘I was talking about Shortnose, remember? Anyway, I seem to recall he only had one ear that time he got into that scrap and got his other ear bitten off.’
    ‘Yeah,’ said Drawfirst. ‘What about it?’
    ‘You look at him lately? He’s still got one ear. So what happened? Did it grow back?’
    The three soldiers said nothing, their expressions blank. After a moment they returned to readying their kits.
    Muttering under his breath, Reliko stomped off. This army had secrets, that it did. Shortnose and his damned ear. Nefarias Bredd and his one giant foot. That squad mage and his pet rats. Vastly Blank who had no brain at all but could fight like a demon. Lieutenant Pores and his evil, now dead, twin. Bald Kindly and his comb collection—in fact, Reliko decided as he returned to his squad, just about everyone here, barring maybe himself and his sergeant, was completely mad.
    It’s what no one outside an army understood. They just saw the uniforms and weapons, the helms and visors, the marching in time. And if they ever did realize the truth, why, they’d be even more scared. They’d run screaming.
    ‘Ee cham penuttle, Erlko.’
    ‘Shut up, Nep. Where’s Badan?’
    ‘Ee’n ere, y’poffle floob!’
    ‘I can see that—so where did he go is what I want to know?’
    The mage’s wrinkled prune of a face puckered into something indescribable. ‘Anay, ijit.’
    ‘Ruffle! You seen the sergeant?’
    The squad corporal sat leaning against a wagon wheel, one of those fat rustleaf rollers jammed between her fat lips, smoke puffing out from everywhere, maybe even her ears.
    ‘Doo sheen see inny ting tru at smick!’ barked Nep Furrow.
    Despite himself Reliko grunted a laugh. ‘Y’got that one right, Nep—Ruffle, you got something wrong with air?’
    She lifted one hand languidly and plucked the thing from her mouth. ‘You fool. This is keeping those nasty mosquitoes away.’
    ‘Hey, now that’s clever—where can I get me some?’
    ‘I brought about a thousand of ’em. But I warn you, Reliko, they’ll make you green the first few days. But pretty soon you start sweating it outa your pores and not a bug will want you.’
    ‘Huh. Anyway, where’s Badan?’
    ‘Having a chat with some other sergeants, Fiddler and them.’ Ruffle puffed some more, and then added, ‘I think Badan’s decided we should stick with them—we all worked good enough before.’
    ‘I suppose.’ But Reliko didn’t like the idea. Those squads were lodestones to trouble. ‘What’s Sinter say about that?’
    ‘Seems all right with it, I guess.’
    ‘Hey, where’s our useless recruits?’
    ‘Some Letherii came by and scooped them up.’
    ‘Who said he could do that?’
    Ruffle shrugged. ‘Didn’t ask.’
    Reliko rubbed the back of his neck—not much to rub, he didn’t have much of a neck, but he liked rubbing it, especially along the ridge of calluses where his helm’s flare usually rested. He saw Skim’s booted feet sticking out from under the wagon, wondered if she was dead. ‘I’m going to get Vastly. Squad should be together for when Badan gets back.’
    ‘Aye, good idea,’ said Ruffle.
    ‘You’re the laziest damned corporal I ever seen.’
    ‘Privilege of rank,’ she said around her roller.
    ‘You won’t last a day on the march,’ observed Reliko. ‘You’re fatter than the last time I seen you.’
    ‘No I’m not. In fact, I’m losing weight. I can feel it.’
    ‘Kennai felp too?’
    ‘Don’t even think it, Nep, you dried-up toad,’ drawled Ruffle.
    Reliko set off to find Vastly Blank. Him and Badan and that was it. The rest . . . not even close.
     
    Fiddler tugged free the stopper on the jug and then paused to survey the others. Gesler had caught a lizard by the tail and was letting it bite his thumb. Balm sat crosslegged, frowning at the furious lizard. Cord stood leaning against the bole of a