Land and Overland - Omnibus Read Online Free PDF Page B

plume-and-sword symbol on the side of the gondola. He frowned as he tried to imagine what circumstance was bringing one of his father’s messengers to such an outlying region.
    “The men are ready for breakfast,” Nothnalp said, removing his orange-crested helmet so that he could wipe perspiration from his neck. “A couple of extra strips of salt pork wouldn’t do any harm in this heat.”
    Leddravohr nodded. “I suppose they’ve earned that much.”
    “They’d also like to start on the women.”
    “Not until we secure the area. Make sure it is fully patrolled, and get the slimers brought forward immediately—I want those trees on the ground fast.” Leddravohr moved away from the lieutenants and began a circuit of the clearing. The predominant sound was now that of the Gethan women screaming abuse in their barbaric tongue, but cooking fires were beginning to crackle and he could hear Railo shouting orders at the platoon leaders who were going on patrol.
    Near the base of one of the brakka trees was a low wooden platform heavily daubed in green and yellow with the matt pigments used by the Gethans. The naked body of a white-bearded man lay across the platform, his torso displaying several stab wounds. Leddravohr guessed the dead man was the priest who had been conducting the ceremony of sacrifice. His guess was confirmed when he noticed high-sergeant Reeff and a line soldier in conversation close to the primitive structure. The two men’s voices were inaudible, but they were speaking with the peculiar intensity which soldiers reserved for the subject of money, and Leddravohr knew a bargain was being struck. He unstrapped his cuirass and sat down on a stump, waiting to see if Reeff was capable of any degree of subtlety. A moment later Reeff put his arm around the other man’s shoulders and brought him forward.
    “This is Soo Eggezo,” Reeff said. “A good soldier. He’s the one who silenced the priest.”
    “Useful work, Eggezo.” Leddravohr gazed blandly at the young soldier, who was tongue-tied and obviously overawed by his presence, and made no other response. There was an awkward silence.
    “Sir, you generously offered a reward of ten nobles for killing the priest.” Reeff’s voice assumed a throaty sincerity. “Eggezo supports his mother and father in Ro-Atabri. The extra money would mean a great deal to them.”
    “Of course.” Leddravohr opened his pouch and took out a ten-noble note and extended it to Eggezo. He waited until the soldier’s fingers had almost closed on the blue square of woven glass, then he quickly returned it to his pouch. Eggezo glanced uneasily at the sergeant.

    “On second thoughts,” Leddravohr said, “these might be more … convenient. “He replaced the first note with two green squares of the five-noble denomination and handed them to Eggezo. He pretended to lose interest as the two men thanked him and hurried away. They went barely twenty paces before stopping for another whispered conversation, and when they parted Reeff was tucking something into a pocket. Leddravohr smiled as he committed Reeff s name to long-term memory. The sergeant was the sort of man he occasionally had use for—greedy, stupid and highly predictable. A few seconds later his interest in Reeff was pushed into the hinterland of his consciousness as a howl of jovial protest from many Kolcorronian throats told him the slimers had arrived to deal with the stand of brakka trees.
    Leddravohr rose to his feet, as anxious as anybody to avoid getting downwind of the slimers, and watched the four semi-nude men emerge from the surrounding forest. They were carrying large gourds slung from padded yokes and they also bore spades and other kinds of digging implements. Their limbs were streaked with the living slime which was the principal tool of their trade. Every artifact they carried was made from glass, stone or ceramic because the slime would quickly have devoured all other materials, especially