“I see,” the troll sez thoughtfully. “Well, what do you think, little sister? You’re the only one here who was along the last time Skeeve stopped this particular army.”
“Not quite. You’re forgetting that Gleep was there . . . and, of course, Big Julie.”
She winks at that notable who responds with a gracious half bow. Gleep, the Boss’s dragon, raises his head and looks around at the mention of his name, then sighs and goes back to sleep.
“‘Course, I was on the other side last time,” Big Julie sez, “but it occurs to me that you got your work cut out for you this time around.”
“How so?”
“Well, last time we was the invaders, you know? The locals didn’t like us, even though they didn’t take much of a hand in the resistance Skeeve organized. This time, though, the army is the home team, and folks in the kingdom are pretty much behind ’em all the way.”
“You mean the kingdomers are in favor of the queen’s new expansion moves?” Tananda frowns.
“That’s right,” Big Julie nods, “and when you think about it, it stands to reason. The bigger the kingdom gets, the more people there are to share the cost, so the taxes get smaller. With their taxes goin’ down with each new conquest, the citizens are positively ecstatic about the way things are going. If that weren’t enough, unemployment is at an all time low what with so many goin’ into the army, so pay scales are sky high.”
“So Hemlock’s running a popular war, eh?” Tananda sez, pursing her lips thoughtfully. “Maybe that’s the route for us to go. What do you think, big brother?”