Free Demontech: Rally Point: 2 (Demontech Book 2) by David Sherman Page B

any similar number of soldiers with whom they’d ever traveled in the past. Some of them grudgingly admitted there might be something to what Lord Gunny Says had to say about making camp in the field.
    The camp followers, mostly women and children, had grown to outnumber the men. Another peddler, too old and feeble to be of use as a soldier, had recently joined the company. He and the peddler who had been with the group guarded by the Royal Lancers were quite willing to trade some of the goods in their laden carts for food and protection—and the occasional copper or silver coin. Most of the people who joined them since the group guarded by the Royal Lancers were individual families: grandparents with their grandchildren, mothers with their many offspring and few husbands. Four unmarried women with their own brightly painted wagon had attached themselves to the company during the previous week. There were still more men without wives than women without husbands in the company, and the four women were glad to provide various wifely services to unwed soldiers in exchange for the protection the company provided. The wives were divided in their reaction to those four women—half were offended, half were glad their presence kept the unmarried soldiers from bothering them.
    In short, the company was increasingly self-sufficient, at least for the time. Eventually, they’d need to find a village or town where they could replenish the few items that they couldn’t make or repair themselves. They weren’t at that point yet—not quite.
    It wasn’t long before the scent of roasting meat wafted through the campsite, while edible leaves, florets, and mushrooms simmered in pots, and tubers wrapped in wet leaves roasted in coals. The sun was down by the time the feast was ready to eat.
    Pairs of older children were dispatched to the listening posts, one child with a brand to light the way, the other with a trencher piled with hot food for the soldiers on duty. Wolf rejoined the company as they began to feast and made his way from one group of diners to another, gleefully gobbling the chunks of meat they tossed to him.
    At length everyone’s hunger was sated; there was no rationing on this night. Fletcher and the Zobran Border Warders then set about jerking the remaining meat to carry with them on the morrow. Zweepee and Doli saw to the equitable division of the remaining food among all of the people. Then members of the company sat about the dying embers and told stories, or talked of what else they might find in the forest. When time came, Spinner and Haft sent soldiers to relieve those on watch. The fires burned down to little more than embers and the camp began to settle for the night, people drifting off to whatever bedding they had.
    Spinner and Haft, and their original group of Alyline, Doli, Fletcher, Zweepee, Silent, and Xundoe—and Wolf—were the last still up, sitting at ease in the warm glow of a fire’s embers.
    “We’ve come far,” Zweepee said from her comfortable place, tucked under her husband’s protective arm.
    “We have farther to go,” Haft said.
    “Maybe so, but now we’re not just a few frightened, fleeing refugees; now we’re with all these people.”
    “People who slow us down,” Alyline said a bit sourly.
    “People who we have responsibility for,” Spinner said gently.
    “It’s nice to have all these people with us,” Doli said. “All those men .” Her eyes flashed at Spinner in hope that he would take the hint. He ignored her, she stuck her tongue out at him.
    “They’re on their own once we find a port,” Haft said. He glanced at Doli from the corner of his eye. “Unless they want to board ship and go to Frangeria with us.” She ignored him, but he hadn’t expected any more positive response from her than she ever got from Spinner.
    Zweepee shook her head and Fletcher gently squeezed her to warn her against saying anything. She smiled up at him and kept her peace.
    Wolf tucked his