“Hi! Peri! Slow down, you know we can’t all be savants. Which soldier do you mean? Give me a name if it’s safe.” 

Giriel tried not to sigh as they were walking. For one thing, a big sigh meant inhaling a lot of dust from all the raiders on dry mountain roads. The lowlands had a recent storm, but it hadn’t made it up this far, not yet at least. So, the tension in the air wasn’t just from Uusha, but spoke of thunderstorms to come sometime soon. They’d be welcome when they came, a reminder that the fury of the heavens was beyond all these petty squabbles and even the dead paid due respect to such things.

Dealing with Peregrine was a challenge though. She [i]had[/i] eaten her soup at least. She hadn’t noticed who it had come from, of course, or where, but it was right there next to her and other people were eating and that had been enough to get her body going through the motions from muscle memory even if her mind had been elsewhere. It was a blessing that she had said hello at last, and now she’d launched into theory. And while Giriel might be able to understand it, she knew that she couldn’t try to do it at Peregrine’s speed. Plus, one did have to say the safety things very carefully. For all Giriel knew, “that soldier” was a euphemism for some high ranking demon and Peregrine would just drop the name in the middle of a field like it was nothing. Probably not, but one did have to be careful. 

Really, Peregrine and Uusha made the perfect pair. Frustratingly so. A better knight would not have put Peregrine up to such blighted work no matter how good her theories. And a better witch would have talked some sense into Uusha in the first place before she’d gotten all this momentum and convinced herself she was acting for everybody’s good by disturbing their ancestors to engage in mass murder. 

“And Peri” she added, before the other witch could launch into a second run of theory, “why are you raising the dead for this? I heard about signs of demons near here on my way up. If you’ve got a good theory to test with your music, turn your magic on them and help everyone, not on young soldiers trying to make a living.”