Tinker's War (The Tinkerer's Daughter Book 2) by Jamie Sedgwick Page A

question, but rather a statement.
    “Yes, our queen ordered me to follow you in secret. I was to learn the fate of Anora and the southern cities, and then report back to her.”
    “Why?” I said. “Why didn’t you just come with us in the first place?”
    “Because then he would have been obligated to us,” Robie said. “This way he could just let us all die and walk away if he wanted to, and nobody could blame the Tal’mar.”
    “I don’t think you’re in a position to judge that,” Tam said sarcastically, “considering I just saved both of your lives.”
    “Why do I have a feeling we’ll regret that, later?” Robie said, spitting on the ground.
    “I already do,” Tam said angrily.
    I saw them bristling and stepped between them. “Enough!” I said. I gave them each a push, hard enough to let them know that if they wanted a fight, they’d be fighting me. “There will be more Vangars coming this way. Those were just scouts. I can already see the warship.”
    Robie followed my gaze and his jaw dropped open. He hadn’t seen the enormous vehicle yet. The massive shadowy figure lumbered across the land like a giant beast, tilting from side to side as it crested one hill after another. The sails billowed out wildly, tattered from their long journey. A column of smoke rose into the sky behind it.
    “What is it?” Robie said.
    “It’s a dragon ship,” I answered. “They’ve converted it to ride on wheels.” 
    “It is for captives,” Tam said. “I’ve already observed them leading captured farmers into the ship. They are scouring the countryside, collecting citizens. This way, they will prevent an insurgency later.”
    “Insurgency?” I said. “They think that farmers are a threat?”
    “They’re right,” Robie said. “After what’s happened in the last two days, I’m willing to bet every citizen able to carry a weapon would be willing to fight.”
    Tam nodded. “Gather what you can carry. We must abandon the Borderlands and go into the mountains if you still wish to reach Anora.”
    “That’ll take days,” Robie said. “We should just continue on this path. We’ll slip past the scouts in the darkness.”
    “Like you slipped past these?” Tam said, pointing at the fallen Vangars. “Don’t be a fool.”
    I saw Robie tensing up again. I put a hand on his shoulder and forced him to look me in the eyes. “Tam is right,” I said. “We can’t risk running into them like this again. Even if it takes longer, at least we’ll get there alive.”
    Robie took a deep breath and I saw him visibly relax. “Fine,” he said. He turned away and started searching for the general’s revolver. I looked at Tam, wondering what was going through his mind. I was grateful for the fact that he had saved us, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d been following us secretly ever since we left the queen. I couldn’t decide whether I should trust him or not.
     
     

 
     
     
    Chapter 10
     
     
    As much as it pained us, we didn’t take the time to bury general Corsan. It would have taken hours to dig a proper grave in that soil, and without shovels, we would have been forced to use swords and axes to break the hard ground. The Tal’mar custom is to burn the bodies of the dead on a pyre, but we didn’t dare try that either, for fear of attracting more Vangars to the area. In the end, we said our peace and covered his body with an old wool blanket. Before we left, Robie and I swore to return and give him a proper burial when we could.
    Before leaving, we attempted to track down the Vangars’ horses. It seemed a logical thing to do, since the steamwagon had been utterly destroyed and we were bound to travel faster by horse than on foot for the rest of the journey. Tam and I had never ridden before, and we would have much preferred to travel through the treetops, but with Robie as our companion that option simply wasn’t practical. Robie wouldn’t have been able to keep up with us on foot,