Warprize
brought me back here last night, and I only heard this morning. Is it true? Did Iften challenge?”
Joden snorted. Gils guided me to a cot close to Atira and started to help me pull off my tunic. Joden pulled up a stool next to Atira’s cot. “He did challenge. Would you hear my words?”
Atira’s eyes widened. “Please, Joden.”
Joden started speaking in his warm voice as Gils unwrapped my arm. He spoke plainly, with no embellishments, but his tone of voice left no doubt as to his opinion. Gils worked as Joden spoke, although he seemed flustered by the fact that I kept the tunic on and kept myself covered as best I could. Keir’s people may be casual with their bodies, but I was more comfortable with my own ways. I looked around, but everything had been cleaned up and set right. You couldn’t tell that there’d been an attack in this tent at all, other than the new exit at the rear of the tent where Simus had cut his way in. It had been finished off and was now tied shut.
Gils sat back, examining the exposed wounds. They looked good, but I stared at them and scowled. It would scar, I was sure of it. Two puckered parallel lines on my upper arm. Gils re-wrapped and tied off the bandage, as Joden concluded his tale.
Atira exclaimed, and I focused back on their conversation. “It’s only field discipline that saved his life.”
Joden nodded. “Aye, he’d be dead otherwise.”
“Field discipline?” I asked, struggling back into my tunic.
“All’s well?” Joden asked, looking at my arm.
“On campaign, we are under a different rule than on the plains,” Atira explained. “The Warlord was generous. Maybe overly so.”
“The elements will judge.” Joden eyed Atira, and she subsided, but I had the distinct impression that she had her own opinion in the matter. Which reminded me of something I’d meant to ask.
“Marcus said something to me last night. Something about offending the skies.” I bent to check the leather on Atira’s leg, so it took a moment for me to realize that there had been no response. I looked up into puzzled faces.
“He’d offend the skies, Warprize, to show his disfigurement,” Joden responded. Gils and Atira nodded.
“But—” I suddenly understood why Marcus stayed in the tent almost all the time. “Those are honorable scars—”
I stopped when Atira shook her head. “No. There is a difference between an honorable scar and being no longer whole.”
“So everyone who is crippled or severely injured goes cloaked?”
Joden’s face was grim. “No. They ask for mercy.”
There was no answer to that. I checked Atira’s leg. The swelling had gone down, and the leather was loose. With all of them watching closely 1 checked the placement of the leg, but it was still set and straight. I sat back on my heels, and considered. “New leather, I think. It needs to be tighter, to allow the stones to work.”
Gils shifted his weight nervously. “I’s want to help, Warprize but I’s due at weapons practice.”
“Go.” I stood up and arranged Atira’s bedding. “We’ll do it after the nooning, when you can return.”
“So Joden and I can talk now?” Atira asked.
“When one talks to a Singer, it’s usual to be private,” Joden explained. “So that the singer can focus on your words alone, and no one can influence your words.”
“That’s fine.” I smiled. “I’ve work to do in the other tent.”
Epor and Isdra rose and followed as Gils walked out with me. “Warprize, I’s be upset when I looked for things to tend you with. The stilltent isn’t as neat as you left it.” The red of his cheeks matched his red hair.
I glared at him. “How bad is it?”
He gulped. “I’s be happy to stay and help.”
“And miss practice and get us both in trouble? I think not.” I waved him off.
“You’ll be careful of the arm?”
I rolled my eyes, and he laughed as he sprinted off toward the practice grounds. Standing in the center of the stilltent, it was easy to assess the damages. It wasn’t that bad, really, just some mess from where Gils had rifled through stuff, looking for supplies. While I got things back where I liked them, I organized my head for what I wanted to accomplish. A few jugs of liniment might be helpful. I liked having a few bottles of that available, and it would aid the bruising on my own neck. I also had the ingredients for a potion that worked well with the flux. Have one case of flux, and there’d be ten cases of flux. I
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