“Enough—she gets the idea,” said Dag, but he smiled. Fawn wondered if it was in memory. “Could happen, but I guarantee it won’t be till Mari thinks the cleanup is all done. Or as done as it ever gets.” His eye was caught by something over Fawn’s shoulder. “I feel prophetic. I predict chores before cheer.”

“Dag, you’re such a morbid crow—” Razi began.

“Well, gentlemen,” said Mari’s voice. “Do your feet hurt?”

Fawn turned her head and smiled diffidently at the patrol leader, who had drifted up to their table.

Razi opened his mouth, but Dag cut in, “Don’t answer that, Razi. It’s a trick question. The safe response is, ‘I can’t say, Mari, but why do you ask?’”

Mari’s lips twitched, and she returned in a sugary voice, “I’m so glad you asked that question, Dag!”

“Maybe not so safe,” murmured Utau, grinning.

“How’s the arm-harness repair coming?” Mari continued to Dag.

Dag grimaced. “Done tomorrow afternoon, maybe. I had to stop at two places before I found one that would do it for free. Or rather, in exchange for us saving his life, family, town, territory, and everyone in it.”

Utau said dryly, “Naturally, you forgot to mention it was you personally who took their malice down.”

Dag shrugged this off in irritation. “Firstly, that wasn’t so. Secondly, none of us could do the job without the rest of us, so all are owed. I shouldn’t…none of us should have to beg.”

“It so happens,” said Mari, letting this slide by, “that I have a sitting-down job for a one-handed man tomorrow morning. In the storeroom here is a trunkful of patrol logs and maps for this region that need a good going-over. The usual. I want someone with an eye for it to see if we can figure how this malice slipped through, and stop up the crack in future. Also, I want a listing of the nearby sectors that have been especially neglected. We’re going to stay here a few extra days while the injured recover, and to repair gear and furbish up.”

Utau and Razi both brightened at this news.

“We’ll do some local search-pattern catch-up at the same time,” Mari continued. “And let the Glassforge folk see us doing so,” she added, with dour emphasis and a nod at Dag. “Give ’em a show.”

Dag snorted. “Better we should offer them double their blight bogles back if they’re not happy with our work.”

Razi choked on the beer he was just swallowing, and Utau kindly if unhelpfully thumped his back. “Oh, how I wish we could!” Razi wheezed when he’d caught his breath again. “Love to see the looks on their stupid farmer faces, just once!”

Fawn congealed, her beginning ease and enjoyment of the patrollers’ banter abruptly quenched. Dag stiffened.