“It’s the first time I have ever traveled with so large a caravan,” Sorak said, glancing down the line of huge, restive black beetles. Kieran had insisted that they ride together, and he rode at the front, mounted on a crodlu, just behind the handlers who rode point. “Does it present many problems on the trail?”
“It actually presents fewer problems than with smaller caravans,” said Kieran. He turned and pointed. “To keep things organized, the captain has the formation drawn up five abreast, with the cargo kanks positioned single file in the center, a file of passenger-bearing kanks to either side and the two outer ranks of kanks bearing mercenaries and roustabouts.
“This way,” he continued, “the formation is kept closely grouped, except for the mercenary outriders, who range out ahead and to the rear, as well as scouting to the left and right for a mile or more, always within sight of the caravan. They ride the faster crodlu, of course, so they can quickly return to the main body and give warning in case they spot any raiders or natural hazards such as dust storms or rampaging antloids.”
Ryana frowned. “But the instincts of the kanks, even domesticated ones that have been raised by herdsmen, are to organize into hives, with a hierarchy of soldiers, food producers, and brood queens. Unless they’re separated, as in the case of kanks used as individual mounts or to draw light carriages, large groups of kank beetles that remain together for any length of time tend to fall into the organization of a hive.”
“You are quite correct, my lady,” Kieran replied, inclining his head toward her, “which is why food producers and brood queens are invariably used as cargo bearers, with young soldier kanks used as mounts for the mercenaries and older ones for passengers. Since the natural instinct of the soldier kanks is to protect their brood queens, that means they will never stray far from the cargo and will fiercely fight away predators or raiders.”
“That makes good sense,” said Ryana, “but what prevents the brood queens from nesting?”
“The interruption of their cycle,” Kieran said. “Brood queens used as cargo bearers are sterilized. It does not cause them any harm, and actually increases their life span and renders them more manageable. The food producers and soldiers cannot tell the difference, and so they continue to react the same way to the sterile queens as they do to fertile ones.” He saw the caravan captain ride out to the side of the formation, giving it one last check. “Ah, it seems we are about to get under way.”
The captain raised his baton, from which several bright red streamers waved, symbolizing the House of Jhamri. “Out-ri-ders!” he called, stretching it out into three syllables. “Move out!”
The mercenaries taking the first shift of outrider duty prodded their crodlu into a fast trot and moved out to take their posts on the flanks, while the forward scouts rushed to the head of the main caravan. Sorak noted that all the mercenaries in service to the House of Jhamri wore red turbans, except Kieran, perhaps because he had not yet officially assumed his duties.
The caravan captain raised his baton once more. “Car-rak-vannnn…” he called out loudly in a sing-song voice, “…ho-ohhhhh!” He circled the baton over his head and wheeled his kank as the point riders urged their mounts forward and the caravan moved out.
They started down the trail, leaving the campsite and South Ledopolus behind, and gradually picked up speed. The caravan captain, mounted on a crodlu, rode out along the flanks, keeping an eye on things and making sure the formation did not string out. Ryana looked behind her to see how far the caravan was stretching out and spotted Cricket some distance back, sitting astride one of the passenger kanks, behind the elf they had seen in the Desert Damsel.
Ryana glanced over at Kieran. Riding at the very front, behind the two point riders, they had no cargo kanks between them, so they could converse easily. “I see your dancer friend made good her threat to leave.”
“Yes, surprisingly,” said Kieran.
“Why surprisingly?” Ryana asked.
“I did not really expect to see her,” Kieran said. “Despite whatever resolutions these girls may make, they rarely leave such places as the Desert Damsel. And Cricket was the star attraction, after all.”
Ryana frowned. “But if the conditions were unpleasant…”
“The money usually is not,” Kieran replied. “A dancer in a busy pleasure house may easily make in one night what it would take me a month to earn. They become seduced by the money. They may tell themselves they will only do it until they can get out of debt or put enough aside to move on to a better life, but it rarely happens.”
“Why?” Ryana asked.
“Because they don’t save their money,” Kieran said. “They spend it on expensive jewels and costumes, trying to outdo one another in competing for the attention of the customers, or else they start treating themselves to luxuries they could not afford before, better housing, better clothing, more expensive meals, some drugs to induce short-lived euphoria… They tell themselves they deserve it, because they work hard and besides, they’re making plenty of money. Before they know it, they’re spending everything they make and become caught up in the life. And it is not much of a life.”
“It does not seem so difficult,” said Sorak.
“No, the job itself is not so difficult,” Kieran agreed, “but the longer they remain, the more it wears them down. They come to think less and less of men, because they always see them at their worst, and because they expect men to behave badly, they often wind up with men who take advantage of them… or
