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Borduke crawled up to Joyful Union and ca, his face almost inside the small box Since that draped the htly ‘I should know about scorpions, shouldn’t I? But all I ever do is stamp on them-like any sane man would do Sure, I knehore once who kept one on a thong about her neck, as golden as the skin of her breasts-tender nipples, you see, and she didn’t like them manhandled-’

‘Get on with it,’ Gesler snapped

‘Don’t rush ht, I won’t rush you Just swear your damned vow before my heart flies out to fill my breeches’

‘I, Borduke of the 6th squad in the 9th Coion, swear on the downy belly of the Queen of Dreams that the creature before me is a natural, unaltered Birdshit scorpion, and host remain in its toht? Dead ht? It had better, because if it doesn’t, then I’ for the rest of my days’

‘The worst kind,’ Lutes muttered

‘Another word fro back into the circle, ‘and I’ll ht’

‘Besides,’ Balgrid said, ‘it ain’t the worst kind Maternal haunting-now that’s a killer How long can aseven years old?’

‘Will you two be quiet!’ Borduke snarled, his large-knuckled fingers clutching as if squeezing invisible throats

‘We ready?’ Fiddler quietly asked

‘She’ll hide, won’t she?’ Gesler demanded ‘Wait till the other two have chopped and stabbed each other up before pouncing on the led survivor! That’s it, isn’t it? Her jelly brains are purer than theirs, purer and sed ‘Wouldn’t know about that, Gesler Are you done?’

The bronzed-hued

‘How’s the word-line, Cuttle?’

‘Been repeating every word since we first settled, Fid,’ the sapper replied