The Wasteland Soldier, Book 3, Drums Of War (TWS) by Laurence Moore Page B

once more.
    “I’m leaving with the Churchmen convoy in the morning. They’ve put me in charge of the horses. A few measly fucking coins in my pocket.”
    Jeremy waved his hand.
    “Who the fuck are you waving at, boy?” said Brian.
    “It’s Quinn,” he muttered, smiling down at her. “She’s seen me. Wave at her. Act normal.”
    Brian peered toward the cottage. He saw the blocky figure of Quinn and spat.
    “I'm not fucking waving at her. I don’t even like the bitch.”
    He tossed the empty bucket into the well. It hit the water with a loud splash. He tugged at his crotch.
    “You’re wasting your time with her. She ain’t into cock. Have you ever seen her with a fella?”
    Jeremy’s face reddened. “That’s just nasty gossip.”
    Brian snorted. “What’s she doing?”
    “Saddling her horse.”
    He paused, glanced at Brian.
    “The three strangers are inside the Holy House. Make sure you pass the names and descriptions of them to the emissary.”
    “I will. I know that. You don’t need to keep reminding me,”
    “It’s important he knows.”
    “I fucking know all that. Stop going on, Jeremy.” He stamped around. “You know I could easily drown you in the well.”
    “Sure.”
    He swaggered toward Jeremy, bumped foreheads.
    “I could smash your fucking face in until you wet yourself and then take over. You understand me, you little prick?”
    “You don’t scare me, Brian.”
    “I do scare you, Jeremy. Look at you, the big man, shaking like a fucking girl. You got a cunt between your legs or something?”
    A sickly grin covered Jeremy’s lips. “How are you with languages, Brian? Maybe if you could learn their tongue then you could take over. It’s a shame you’re such a fucking inbred retard.”
    The young man lifted his fist, then lowered it and picked at his beard. “Is Quinn going to be a problem?”
    Jeremy swallowed before answering. “She’s meeting with someone to buy a piece of Ancient tech. I don’t know who and I don’t know what it is she’s buying. Then she’s going to Mosscar. She says it can help her survive in there.”
    Brian chuckled. “What the fuck are you doing about it?"
    “I’ve tried stopping her but she’s determined to find out why Clarissa ended up there.”
    Jeremy paused.
    “She shouldn’t have gone in there.”
    Brian trudged back to his wheelbarrow.
    “If you can’t stop her going,” he said. “Then you need to give her a reason to come back.”
    He pulled at his crotch.
    “See, that’s a good idea, ain’t it? Find a reason for her to turn around and come back. Not bad for an inbred retard, right?”
    He looked at Jeremy sternly.
    “You can’t let her get inside Mosscar.”
     
     
     
    “I’m staying,” said the Map Maker. “This is where I belong now.”
    Nuria’s mouth curled.
    “Why?”
    “You know why.”
    “But you hate staying in one place.”
    “I’m not going with you.”
    “We’ll be moving from village to village. You’ll see a lot of new places.”
    “I’ve travelled all my life. This is where I’m going to stop.”
    “Why couldn’t you have picked Dessan as a final place to stay?”
    The Map Maker remained silent.
    “You left behind a woman carrying your unborn child. You might have been happy there. I know Sadie would’ve been.”
    He stared forward at the man on the cross. “Dessan is not here and here is where I need to be.”
    Nuria shook her head. Despite their differences and his increasingly odd ways, she was uncomfortable leaving him behind.
    “Will they look after you?”
    “I can hear her clearly now,” he replied, ignoring the question. “This place has brought clarity to the noise. I never imagined it was a voice. I’d hoped it was but often I thought it was a punishment. Now I know different. Her words are inside me. This is where it begins for me. For all of us.”
    Nuria frowned. “Who can you hear?”
    Stone shrugged and walked away. The enigmatic man had made his decision and another