Demontech: Gulf Run by David Sherman Page B

aside and made comfortable during the short time they had left before they died. The lesser wounded were tended to and bound to prevent them from running away or causing mischief.
    Meanwhile, older children collected dry wood and women got the cookfires burning. Middle-size children ran gaily to a nearby rill with buckets, struggling back just as gaily with water for the wounded and cooking. Haft busied himself setting quartets of soldiers in a sentry line south of the battleground and other watchers in the tops of high trees. Spinner tried to look like he was putting order to the camp while staying out of the way of Fletcher and Zweepee, who were really doing that job.
    Soon water was boiling in pots into which chunks of meat, vegetables, and tubers were tossed, along with salt and what other spices were available. Cooking aromas began wafting under the trees.
    Silent, the giant nomad from the steppes, came in more than an hour before sunset—he’d expected to arrive at dusk but the caravan had stopped early. The six Skragland Borderers who, like Silent, had been on distant patrols looking for a Jokapcul army that might be following, returned about the same time. Wolf greeted Silent with a yip and a bound to his chest. The giant ruffled the fur on Wolf’s shoulders. Wolf then padded at the giant’s side, brushing against his leg, occasionally lifting his head to be petted by the giant’s dangling fingertips.
    Silent, for a wonder, lived up to his name as he examined the battleground and looked at the wounded from both sides, seeing the extent of the graves.
    Spinner, feeling mostly useless, finally stopped pretending to oversee the camp and joined him.
    “I was too far from the road,” Silent said quietly, “looking for bandits in the forest. I didn’t see the Jokap sign until I checked the road before coming back. Then I saw a troop had passed. I followed fast to catch them, then to come ahead and warn you. I found the place where the rear guard ambushed the patrol trailing us. The lancer troop spent a short time there, then continued at speed. I didn’t stop and try to question any of the wounded still alive, instead I got here as fast as I could. But the fight was already over.” He shook his shaggy head. “If I’d been near the road all along I could have given you warning.”
    “No you couldn’t,” Spinner replied. “They were at a canter, you couldn’t beat them, they would have reached us first no matter where you were.”
    Silent grunted. He thought he might have been able to reach the caravan in time if he’d seen the lancer troop. “How many did we lose?” He didn’t need an answer, he knew within one or two how many were lost just from the length of the common grave.
    “Three of ours dead, two seriously enough wounded they might not live. Seven of the others are dead and four more very badly wounded. I’m not sure how many wounded all told.”
    Silent looked toward the hospital pavilion. “They’re bandits, you know.”
    Spinner nodded slowly. “Yes. But they’re fleeing the Jokapcul, the same as us.”
    Silent’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Veduci’s wounded. “Can the snow leopard change its spots?”
    “They fought alongside us, many of them died in the fight.”
    “I saw no other bandits,” Silent said briskly, turning from the pavilion, but Spinner noticed the
other
. “There was a sign of bandits moving north, though. None of them coming to this road, it was like they wanted to keep to the deep forest. Like they think the Jokapcul can’t follow them into the forest.” He hawked into a bush that had been broken in the fight. “I think we’ll be safe from bandits for a while, anyway.” He glanced back at the pavilion. “At least until those are well enough. How many of them are left?”
    “Twelve men, nearly all wounded.”
    Silent grunted again. He sniffed the air. “Something smells good, and I’m hungry.” He turned and strode from the battlefield toward the