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The dogs abandoned him a few hundred paces beyond Waytown and the captain found himself alone on the road The trader track would fade before long, he recalled, the dyke on his right dwindling, the road itself beco a sandy swath humped with ant nests, bone-white driftwood and yellow knots of grass, with floods wiping the ruts away every spring There was no chance of getting lost, of course, so long as one kept Catlin River within sight to the south

He cahway fro their victi hadn’t helped, it seemed Two or three days old at the most, bloated and almost black under the sun, their bodies were scattered to both sides of the track Swords, lance-heads, buckles and anything else that wasand leather bindings were unmarked A number of the bandits wore spurs, and indeed there would have been no way of getting out this far without horses, but of the beasts there was no sign

Dis the dead, Gruntle noted that the tracks of Keruli’s carriage -- they too had stopped to exa another set A wider, heavier carriage, drawn by oxen

There were no visible wounds on the corpses

I doubt Buke had to even so much as draw his blade

The captain climbed back into his saddle and resuht of his coside the carriage a short while later

Harllo gave him a nod ’A fine day, wouldn’t you say, Gruntle?’

’Not a cloud in the sky Where’s Stonny?’

’Took one of the horses ahead Should be back soon’

’Why did she do that?’

’Just wanted to make certain the wayside camp was … uh, unoccupied Ah, here she coreeted her with a scowl as she reined in before the to do, woman’

’This whole journey’s stupid if you ask hast at the wayside camp -- and no, they ain’t roasted any bandits lately Anyway, Capustan’s bare days away froe -- maybe we make the walls in time, in which case we’ll be stuck there with the whole Pannion army between us and the open road, or we don’t make it in time and those damned Tenescowri have fun with us’

Gruntle’s scowl deepened ’Where are those Barghast headed, then?’

’They ca the sas closer to Capustan and don’t ask hast, ain’t they? Brains the size of walnuts We got to talk with theopen and Keruli cli is fine Three Barghast, you said Which clan?’