Paks--chapter 27

Book news, my lovely book-readers: First round of edits are done. I'll be doing a second read-through and edit today and tomorrow, and will be shooting for an early may release.

Also: COMPUTER IS BACK. ART SHALL SOON COMMENCE.

Now, on to Paks

Given that Paks has collapsed twice, has a severe concussion, and has mysterious god-things happening around her, everybody decided the best thing she could do while the Company is marching is get in a wagon and not get out of it until it stops for the night. One of her "newbies", who aren't really newbies anymore, drops by to tell her what happened while she was unconscious. We find out that the Honeycat's favorite color is gold, and that he put the stuff everywhere inside his place. He also tattooed his servants so they couldn't run away. Nice piece of work, that.

The Duke, meanwhile, has his hands full keeping some of his allies from setting everything they come across on fire. EVERYTHING. Paks is utterly horrified when she's told some of them are chopping down orchards so they can torch the wood. Again: This is why you don't be a shit-head during war. When your enemies finally catch up they do shit like this. The Duke tells them firmly to knock it the fuck off. Allies state that these are only peasants--and that's about as far as they get before the Duke and his commanders collectively dog-pile the morons and explain that you do not do this shit to people.

We also meet yet another mercenary company commander, Alured the Black. He feeds people while they're in his woods but doesn't seem committed to doing much else.

Then some of Paks's friends and some of the allied commanders start disappearing. A handful get dismissed as deserters by the same idiotic allies who were raiding, but Paks knows these people. They wouldn't disappear. The Duke finally summons her and a few others and tells them they're gonna go on a secret mission to save the captured. They don't have to go in the camp--there's already agents there--but they have to drag the wounded back. And they have to do it quietly.

Paks and her cohorts go out in a boat. She spends most of the ride worried about what's going to happen when they make it to their destination. But they're only met by somebody with a very, very, very wounded man. It's the surviving eldest son of one of the Duke's primary allies. She and another soldier help get the injured party to a boat.

End of chapter.