count?”
“Sir, this is just the runt sir. He had no choice but to move up to solid foods.”
I held up the little dog and he stood on Major Bloodaxe’s open hand cooing up at him.
“These runts are worth the most you know?”
“Is that right, sir? Because they have to grow up faster?”
“No! The harlot’s just like their lap dogs is all. Aint that right, boy-o? You gonna get spoiled rotten and sleep on pillows, aren’t you? What’s that you say? I’m cruel? You like gruel?”
“He says his name is Kru sir.”
“Are you finished with those yet? Lazarus, show him where to tuck the dishes in the cart.”
Major Bloodaxe stood there petting the dog for a moment and cooed back at him.
“Yea, your name’s Kru. Yea, I know. He rolls his tongue like a Swillian, doesn’t he? Good, he will fetch a gold or two all on his own.”
To my surprise, he handed the puppy back to me, and nodded to Major Swiftblade.
“Charles.”
“Boy, you’re on fire duty. No noise in the morning. And don’t you let that dog come to harm. You can run, but she will catch you.”
I followed his nod, turning my head right into the big mother dog. She licked her new favorite pup goodnight, and blew her nose in my face as a warning. She skipped back to the cart after Major Bloodaxe, leaving me to settle down with the tiny Kru.
“Psst. Psst. Matthius. Come.”
Senjay and Lazarus were waiving me over to Major Talon’s cart. The steeds pointed their ears in the direction of their whispers so I let Kru go and hammered my shell into the frozen dirt for a moment to break up the silence.
“You can’t seriously be peaking in on her. Are you two moon-mad?”
“She’s in his cart, mate. I know you want to see this cannon.”
I poked my head in beside theirs but the small bit of light from the fire and the moon showed me nothing.
“You turtles moseying about for an early death?”
Major Bloodaxe pulled the flaps of the tent apart and scared us dead silent. He must have thought that Major Talon was in there as well, because, when his eyes adjusted, his mood changed.
“Sir, I’m just curious is all. How do they work without flash powder?”
“That’s right, sir. I should have been covered in spent powder when you…”
He nodded while silently lifting his giant body into the cart. He peeled back the tent cover for more light, and sighed the smell of wine into our faces.
“Firstly, it’s the Swillians that use flash powder. Secondly, it’s the Lantos that designed the Drakkah Gauntlet System. That’s how we beat back the incursion, and that’s how they regained their power. So much for balance- death is what matters to the tall kings.”
“Now their priests control everything that’s copper, silver, and gold.”
“And they spread lies about dragons to hide the truth.”
“And now you boys can carry that secret too. All the way to the grave if you know what’s good for you. Hope you noticed the powders we got are many times more potent.”
The Major stared at us one at a time to show he was serious.
“Sir, what happened to you?”
“You first, boy-o. Start with how you ended up in the clink. Finish with how you survived. And, I know half the boys under that mountain, so don’t bother lying.”
“Well, sir, you know Swillians don’t get sick, and, survival comes naturally. But, I cracked the underpriest in the knee hard enough to cripple him. So, I deserved to starve in the mines. ‘Twas not a bother.”
“You spin a good yarn boy, but I want the down and dirty.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to avoid his stare. The images he wanted flashed across my eyelids, so I simply narrated what was already haunting me so vividly.
“Firstly, sir. Hmm. You understand that south of the highway is technically in the Slorrick State? Even the UNF’s priests must follow the laws of their kings.”
“I know the maps.”
“You know they let you choose sir. Don’t you?”
“Oh no, choose what?”
I
“Sir, this is just the runt sir. He had no choice but to move up to solid foods.”
I held up the little dog and he stood on Major Bloodaxe’s open hand cooing up at him.
“These runts are worth the most you know?”
“Is that right, sir? Because they have to grow up faster?”
“No! The harlot’s just like their lap dogs is all. Aint that right, boy-o? You gonna get spoiled rotten and sleep on pillows, aren’t you? What’s that you say? I’m cruel? You like gruel?”
“He says his name is Kru sir.”
“Are you finished with those yet? Lazarus, show him where to tuck the dishes in the cart.”
Major Bloodaxe stood there petting the dog for a moment and cooed back at him.
“Yea, your name’s Kru. Yea, I know. He rolls his tongue like a Swillian, doesn’t he? Good, he will fetch a gold or two all on his own.”
To my surprise, he handed the puppy back to me, and nodded to Major Swiftblade.
“Charles.”
“Boy, you’re on fire duty. No noise in the morning. And don’t you let that dog come to harm. You can run, but she will catch you.”
I followed his nod, turning my head right into the big mother dog. She licked her new favorite pup goodnight, and blew her nose in my face as a warning. She skipped back to the cart after Major Bloodaxe, leaving me to settle down with the tiny Kru.
“Psst. Psst. Matthius. Come.”
Senjay and Lazarus were waiving me over to Major Talon’s cart. The steeds pointed their ears in the direction of their whispers so I let Kru go and hammered my shell into the frozen dirt for a moment to break up the silence.
“You can’t seriously be peaking in on her. Are you two moon-mad?”
“She’s in his cart, mate. I know you want to see this cannon.”
I poked my head in beside theirs but the small bit of light from the fire and the moon showed me nothing.
“You turtles moseying about for an early death?”
Major Bloodaxe pulled the flaps of the tent apart and scared us dead silent. He must have thought that Major Talon was in there as well, because, when his eyes adjusted, his mood changed.
“Sir, I’m just curious is all. How do they work without flash powder?”
“That’s right, sir. I should have been covered in spent powder when you…”
He nodded while silently lifting his giant body into the cart. He peeled back the tent cover for more light, and sighed the smell of wine into our faces.
“Firstly, it’s the Swillians that use flash powder. Secondly, it’s the Lantos that designed the Drakkah Gauntlet System. That’s how we beat back the incursion, and that’s how they regained their power. So much for balance- death is what matters to the tall kings.”
“Now their priests control everything that’s copper, silver, and gold.”
“And they spread lies about dragons to hide the truth.”
“And now you boys can carry that secret too. All the way to the grave if you know what’s good for you. Hope you noticed the powders we got are many times more potent.”
The Major stared at us one at a time to show he was serious.
“Sir, what happened to you?”
“You first, boy-o. Start with how you ended up in the clink. Finish with how you survived. And, I know half the boys under that mountain, so don’t bother lying.”
“Well, sir, you know Swillians don’t get sick, and, survival comes naturally. But, I cracked the underpriest in the knee hard enough to cripple him. So, I deserved to starve in the mines. ‘Twas not a bother.”
“You spin a good yarn boy, but I want the down and dirty.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to avoid his stare. The images he wanted flashed across my eyelids, so I simply narrated what was already haunting me so vividly.
“Firstly, sir. Hmm. You understand that south of the highway is technically in the Slorrick State? Even the UNF’s priests must follow the laws of their kings.”
“I know the maps.”
“You know they let you choose sir. Don’t you?”
“Oh no, choose what?”
I
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