disappeared down the corridor.
"No idea. Tell the men to look sharp, and make sure one of the Rangers is on duty with the night guards." Aris shook his head before cursing spawn in general, and then cursing the one who'd made them.
* * *
The news was all over the post by the next day and even the five women who came to pick up breakfast for the pink wing (that's what Stef and the others called it) asked Widnal and me about the dusting. Widnal answered their questions; I busied myself with kneading dough for fresh loaves of bread. Stef was still bemoaning the fact that he didn't get to see—he'd had the day off. Widnal eventually sent the women on their way; he and I were working the breakfast shift so we'd get off earlier.
An early night was welcome; I wanted to explore the hot baths the post had. Anyone was welcome to go and make use of the large, heated pools. I'd only heard of them and hadn't yet gone exploring. Widnal promised to show me where the pools were on his way back to the common barracks.
The post was quite large and might have taken at least half a click to walk from one end to the other. I saw the transports that had arrived earlier in the day—more troops had come in, bringing our numbers to five hundreds. Two additional cooks had been sent and would begin their shifts in the morning. Widnal and I were scheduled early again, so we would be giving them instructions. I squared my shoulders as I walked beside Widnal. He smiled down at me, a hidden dimple showing in his cheek.
"Don't fret, if any of the new ones gives you trouble, Bel will have their heads," Widnal's smile widened. I had begun a tally in my head, one column for Bel being the voice in my head, one column against . Widnal had just added another check in the for column.
Tall, tropical trees stood here and there on the sand-covered grounds of the post. There wasn't much green growing anywhere except around an old well on the grounds. A stone ring, a few plants and a fence of steel pickets stood around it, "to keep the troops from falling in on dark nights," Widnal teased as we walked past it. The main building on the outpost held two stories, with the barracks separate and much larger than the building that held the officers' quarters, the kitchens and the pink wing.
"They sent another fifteen girls," Widnal's voice was quieter as he gave me that information. "Commander worries that they'll be targets if the demons get organized."
That information sent a shiver through me. Commander Aris had told me only last night that they were placing wards around the property at all times, not just at night. Could those things actually break through, though? I was afraid to ask Widnal, as I was too terrified to hear what his answer might be.
"Here we be," Widnal said, stopping at a single-story building between the main building and barracks. He made a shooing gesture with his hands—he wasn't coming inside with me. Honestly, I didn't know if I wanted to go in either. If there were people inside enjoying the bath, I might be too embarrassed to climb into the hot water naked. That was the rule—no clothing of any kind allowed in the water. Other things weren't allowed either, but some of those rules were blatantly ignored if you believed some of the troops. Taking a deep breath, I reached out and grasped the metal door handle with my hand.
* * *
Steam wisped off the surface of the large, hot pool as I walked inside. The water was heated with solar power, just as the outpost was powered in that way. I hadn't seen any clouds since coming to this portion of Mandil, so there was plenty of power to be had here. I was grateful that it was too early for anyone else to be there—except for the perimeter guards, they were all at dinner. We'd sent the trays out just before Widnal and I had left the kitchens.
Towels were stacked on a carved wood table off to the side and a low bench with hooks and pegs above it lined the walls beside the table. Clothing would
"No idea. Tell the men to look sharp, and make sure one of the Rangers is on duty with the night guards." Aris shook his head before cursing spawn in general, and then cursing the one who'd made them.
* * *
The news was all over the post by the next day and even the five women who came to pick up breakfast for the pink wing (that's what Stef and the others called it) asked Widnal and me about the dusting. Widnal answered their questions; I busied myself with kneading dough for fresh loaves of bread. Stef was still bemoaning the fact that he didn't get to see—he'd had the day off. Widnal eventually sent the women on their way; he and I were working the breakfast shift so we'd get off earlier.
An early night was welcome; I wanted to explore the hot baths the post had. Anyone was welcome to go and make use of the large, heated pools. I'd only heard of them and hadn't yet gone exploring. Widnal promised to show me where the pools were on his way back to the common barracks.
The post was quite large and might have taken at least half a click to walk from one end to the other. I saw the transports that had arrived earlier in the day—more troops had come in, bringing our numbers to five hundreds. Two additional cooks had been sent and would begin their shifts in the morning. Widnal and I were scheduled early again, so we would be giving them instructions. I squared my shoulders as I walked beside Widnal. He smiled down at me, a hidden dimple showing in his cheek.
"Don't fret, if any of the new ones gives you trouble, Bel will have their heads," Widnal's smile widened. I had begun a tally in my head, one column for Bel being the voice in my head, one column against . Widnal had just added another check in the for column.
Tall, tropical trees stood here and there on the sand-covered grounds of the post. There wasn't much green growing anywhere except around an old well on the grounds. A stone ring, a few plants and a fence of steel pickets stood around it, "to keep the troops from falling in on dark nights," Widnal teased as we walked past it. The main building on the outpost held two stories, with the barracks separate and much larger than the building that held the officers' quarters, the kitchens and the pink wing.
"They sent another fifteen girls," Widnal's voice was quieter as he gave me that information. "Commander worries that they'll be targets if the demons get organized."
That information sent a shiver through me. Commander Aris had told me only last night that they were placing wards around the property at all times, not just at night. Could those things actually break through, though? I was afraid to ask Widnal, as I was too terrified to hear what his answer might be.
"Here we be," Widnal said, stopping at a single-story building between the main building and barracks. He made a shooing gesture with his hands—he wasn't coming inside with me. Honestly, I didn't know if I wanted to go in either. If there were people inside enjoying the bath, I might be too embarrassed to climb into the hot water naked. That was the rule—no clothing of any kind allowed in the water. Other things weren't allowed either, but some of those rules were blatantly ignored if you believed some of the troops. Taking a deep breath, I reached out and grasped the metal door handle with my hand.
* * *
Steam wisped off the surface of the large, hot pool as I walked inside. The water was heated with solar power, just as the outpost was powered in that way. I hadn't seen any clouds since coming to this portion of Mandil, so there was plenty of power to be had here. I was grateful that it was too early for anyone else to be there—except for the perimeter guards, they were all at dinner. We'd sent the trays out just before Widnal and I had left the kitchens.
Towels were stacked on a carved wood table off to the side and a low bench with hooks and pegs above it lined the walls beside the table. Clothing would
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