“Don’t you hush me, Hunter,” Dru snapped. “I won’t have it. I’ll argue and cuss you all I want, Quamdammit.”
“Then cuss,” Hunter said. “But only Chekwe and I are going after Marna. We cannot let an enemy regiment get between you and Leadfort. You’ll be wiped out. Quam, how many times do I have to say that?”
“He’s right,” Georg groaned. He sat by the fire, his head between his knees, his arms wrapped around his belly. “You can’t cuss the Chieftain in camp. The men, er, the soldiers will hear it and they’ll get spooked. Better to be in the wrong place with confident men, er, soldiers, than to make the right move with spooked troops. I should know. Spooked troops left me for the Orgooth. Ohhhh…”
Hunter stared across the fire at Dru. They were in a fir grove, not far from the ashes of the w
