Editing Chapter 2 (section)

==“It’s so hot!==  

...I’m dying of heat!  Can’t we stop and take a swim, Toruna?”

Wing muttered, “If you’re so hot, why don’t you take off the powered armor?  It must be like an oven in there.”

Yao Ye folded her arms across her chest and set her jaw.  A second later, with a gesture of defiance, she slammed the visor down.  Zhou Wing shook his head.  On one point he could not argue.  The heat had increased over the last week to an unbearable degree.  They no longer rode in the hottest hours of the day for fear of exhausting the horses and themselves.  They had left the grand highways of the Eye of Hiparkes, so they were forced to contend with the billowing clouds of dust kicked up by their horses.  The faintest breeze did not disturb the endless hills of grain, and the team’s nerves were suffering as a result.

“The town should be just another mile or two ahead, according to the sign when we left the main road,” Selara said through clenched teeth.  “We’ll all be happy to throw you in the nearest body of water as soon as we get there.  Now please, give it a rest and maybe we won’t hold you under.”

Toruna pointed.  “It’s over that hill.”

Yao Ye stood up in the cart.  “Where?”

“Sit down!”

She sat down and ducked her head, reaching for her shock pike.  “What’s the matter, are there bandits?”

Zhou Wing lifted his eyes to the hilltop.  “No... or maybe... there are three fresh cairns... no... five on the top of the hill.”

Selara found herself reaching for her own armor.  “But the stones are blackened... no one east of the mountains burns their dead...”  

“...unless there is plague in the village.”

The four amalgams turned to Shu Zhuang, who had remained silent until then.  “It’s true, usually a pile of stone half as high as a man is used this far east of the mountains, but they’ve always made exceptions for contagious diseases.  It’s hard on the families, but the practice has been passed down since the great contagion.”

They continued to stare at him for a moment, then turned as one to the hill as the road bent around it.  Toruna nodded.   “Selara, you and Wing go ahead into the town in the gunzosha armor.  Do not remove your helmets until you are certain that it is safe.  Report back to us on the situation within the hour.”

Selara nodded her acquiescence and began donning her powered suit.  Ye looked heartbroken.  “He’s going to wear my armor?”

Wing glanced at her through veiled eyes.  “Do you think I’m any happier about this, after you’ve been wearing that thing for almost a month straight?”

The sorceress did not brook dispute.  She stepped off of the wagon and and began removing the bridles and harnesses from the horses.  “Ye, do it.  Now.”

The girl pulled off her magitech helmet and stared intently at the southerner, her lips pushed into an angry pout.  When she realized that Toruna wasn’t even looking at her, continuing with her work without checking for compliance, Ye sighed and slid off the wagon.  She began fumbling with the straps and catches that released the shell.

Wing picked up the helmet and sniffed it, then wrinkled his nose and frowned.  He lifted it to his nose and sniffed again.  Ye looked at him and spat out, “What?”

“It smells...”  He took another deep breath.  “It smell like... jasmine... and mint.  Your sweat smells minty?  Mine doesn’t smell like that!”

Yao Ye hopped on one foot and threw a boot at him.  “We know all about how you smell!  Stop embarrassing me, stinky Wing!”

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