I lost the rest of that argument. A knee-high, tentacled mass suddenly scuttled across my boots and ducked through a tent flap, closely pursued by two very frustrated-looking Deveels.
I ignored the chase and the following screams, hurrying to catch up with Aahz and Tanda again. Apparently they were discussing mercenaries, and I wanted to hear as much as possible, both to further my education, and because I might have to lead them into battle eventually.
“. . . find them?” Tanda was asking. “All we have is a general area.”
“… easy,” Aahz replied confidently. “Just listen for the singing.”
“Singing?” Tanda was skeptical.
“It’s their trademark,” Aahz pronounced. “It also lands them in most of their…”
A Deveel stepped in front of me, proudly displaying a handful of seeds. He threw them on the ground with a flourish, and a dense black thornbush sprang up to block my path. Terrific. Normally, I would have been fascinated, but at the moment I was in a hurry.
Without even pausing to upbraid the Deveel, I took to the air, desperation giving wings to my feet . . . desperation assisted by a little levitation. I cleared the thornbush easily, touched down lightly on the far side, and was practically trampled by Gleep as he burst through the barrier.
“Gleep?” he said, cocking his head at me curiously.
I picked myself up from the dust where I had been knocked by his enthusiasm and cuffed him.
“Watch where you’re going next time,” I ordered angrily.
He responded by snaking out his long tongue and licking my face. His breath was devastating and his tongue left a trail of slime. Obviously my admonishment had terrified him.