I returned from
consultations with the white raven. “They’ve reached
the downhill side of the pass.”
Lady observed,
“They’re moving fast, then.”
“They’ve
begun to wonder if we suspect something. They’ve begun to
wonder why so few of their shadow scouts come back and why the few
that do never came close to us. So they left their infantry and
heavy cavalry and artillery behind in an effort to get here before
we can do a lot to get ready if we do expect trouble. The bird
tells me they’re also preparing some sort of surprise but it
couldn’t get close enough to find out what.”
Swan grumbled, “I don’t understand why they
weren’t just sitting here waiting for us.”
“Probably because there’s not much here to eat,
it’s a long way from where things are happening and they
couldn’t know when we’d arrive. Or even if we would.
They have an empire up north to keep in line. And if they were
camped out here, chances are we’d just not bother to come off
the plain. Also, I would imagine that they really expected us to
follow the forvalaka once we understood what had happened here. So
they could trap us north of the Dandha Presh. In familiar
territory, closer to home. Which I would’ve run into if I
didn’t have the Black Hounds and whatnot to go scouting.
“On top of the distance for them, there’re a raft of
superstitions about this country. Plus there’s just been a
change in the head of the Voroshk family. Somebody called the Old
One died unexpectedly about the time we climbed onto the plain. His
replacement seems to be more action-oriented.”
“And you got all that by talking to crows?”
“They’re smart birds, Swan. Smarter than a lot of
people. They make wonderful scouts.”
Doj asked, “What is our strategy now?”
“We sit tight. We wait. We let the Black Hounds play. They
like to tease horses.”
Everybody looked at me with that exasperated expression I
recalled from those days when I was the Captain and played my cards
close to my chest. I shuddered, forced myself to open up
further.
“They’ve separated a small light cavalry force in
order to make more speed. The Unknown Shadows will start tormenting
the horses after nightfall. Subtly, of course. We don’t want
to lose them. The bigger ones are going to work on the forvalaka by
letting her see them as One-Eye’s ghost. I’m hoping
she’ll rush on down here ahead of her friends. So we can kill
her and get out before they get here.” There. I had
shared.
I felt lousy. I felt like something was sure to go wrong now
that I had talked about it.
Silence. Which stretched. Until Murgen finally asked,
“Will it work?”
“How the fuck should I know? Ask me again this time
tomorrow.”
Lady asked, “What’re we going to do about
Goblin?”
“Keep an eye on him. Don’t let him get near
One-Eye’s spear.” That all seemed self-evident to
me.
Silence stretched again. Then Swan said, “Here’s a
thought. Why don’t we leave Goblin here when we pull
out?”
I grumped, “I thought he was your friend.”
“Goblin was. But we’ve already decided that this
can’t be the Goblin we knew. Right?”
“But there’s a chance the Goblin we knew might still
be inside him waiting to be let back out. Like the rest of us when
we were buried under the plain.”
“And us guys who weren’t aren’t so sure about
you.”
“Just say I’ve developed a soft streak. We’ll
treat the guy like Goblin till he does something that makes us want
to hang him. Then we’ll string him up.” I had to
posture some. It was expected of me.
Murgen observed, “The Captain is still solving her
personnel problems by exiling the questionables to
Khatovar.”
“And that’s funny?” Because he was
smiling.
“Of course it is. In the sense that neither you nor I nor
Lady would’ve considered doing anything like that while we
were in charge.”
“Everybody’s a sarcastic social critic,” I
told Lady. “Don’t you let on that you can’t kick
Goblin’s ass all the way to Hsien when he gets here.
I’ll try to keep him so busy he doesn’t have time to
get into trouble. But it’ll help if he believes he has to
walk a narrow line, too.”
“He won’t have to be convinced of that. He
isn’t stupid.”
“How much longer you going to need us?” Swan asked
He had begun shuffling a deck of cards. Murgen and Thai Dei seemed
eager to join him in a pastime that had made a comeback during our
sojourn in the Land of Unknown Shadows.
“Go ahead. There’s not much to do now but wait. And
watch Uncle Doj sneak around with all those snail shells like he
can’t even conceive of the idea that anybody would be alert
enough to notice.” That was how the Unknown Shadows had
crossed the plain and gotten here. So who on my team was in cahoots
with Tobo and the Captain?
I could not wait forever, though. Nor did I have any intention
of facing any Voroshk soldiers. My only quarrel with the Voroshk
sprang from their presumption that the Company existed only as an
as yet untapped resource.
I deplore that attitude wherever I encounter it.
There was a full moon in Khatovar that night. I went strolling
in the moonlight. My ravens came and went. They traveled like
lightning as long as I did not try to watch them do it.
The Unknown Shadows are every bit as wicked and dangerous as
Hsien folklore indicates. It was almost too easy for them to taunt
and lure the forvalaka away from the umbrella of protection offered
by the Voroshk sorcerers.
I returned from
consultations with the white raven. “They’ve reached
the downhill side of the pass.”
Lady observed,
“They’re moving fast, then.”
“They’ve
begun to wonder if we suspect something. They’ve begun to
wonder why so few of their shadow scouts come back and why the few
that do never came close to us. So they left their infantry and
heavy cavalry and artillery behind in an effort to get here before
we can do a lot to get ready if we do expect trouble. The bird
tells me they’re also preparing some sort of surprise but it
couldn’t get close enough to find out what.”
Swan grumbled, “I don’t understand why they
weren’t just sitting here waiting for us.”
“Probably because there’s not much here to eat,
it’s a long way from where things are happening and they
couldn’t know when we’d arrive. Or even if we would.
They have an empire up north to keep in line. And if they were
camped out here, chances are we’d just not bother to come off
the plain. Also, I would imagine that they really expected us to
follow the forvalaka once we understood what had happened here. So
they could trap us north of the Dandha Presh. In familiar
territory, closer to home. Which I would’ve run into if I
didn’t have the Black Hounds and whatnot to go scouting.
“On top of the distance for them, there’re a raft of
superstitions about this country. Plus there’s just been a
change in the head of the Voroshk family. Somebody called the Old
One died unexpectedly about the time we climbed onto the plain. His
replacement seems to be more action-oriented.”
“And you got all that by talking to crows?”
“They’re smart birds, Swan. Smarter than a lot of
people. They make wonderful scouts.”
Doj asked, “What is our strategy now?”
“We sit tight. We wait. We let the Black Hounds play. They
like to tease horses.”
Everybody looked at me with that exasperated expression I
recalled from those days when I was the Captain and played my cards
close to my chest. I shuddered, forced myself to open up
further.
“They’ve separated a small light cavalry force in
order to make more speed. The Unknown Shadows will start tormenting
the horses after nightfall. Subtly, of course. We don’t want
to lose them. The bigger ones are going to work on the forvalaka by
letting her see them as One-Eye’s ghost. I’m hoping
she’ll rush on down here ahead of her friends. So we can kill
her and get out before they get here.” There. I had
shared.
I felt lousy. I felt like something was sure to go wrong now
that I had talked about it.
Silence. Which stretched. Until Murgen finally asked,
“Will it work?”
“How the fuck should I know? Ask me again this time
tomorrow.”
Lady asked, “What’re we going to do about
Goblin?”
“Keep an eye on him. Don’t let him get near
One-Eye’s spear.” That all seemed self-evident to
me.
Silence stretched again. Then Swan said, “Here’s a
thought. Why don’t we leave Goblin here when we pull
out?”
I grumped, “I thought he was your friend.”
“Goblin was. But we’ve already decided that this
can’t be the Goblin we knew. Right?”
“But there’s a chance the Goblin we knew might still
be inside him waiting to be let back out. Like the rest of us when
we were buried under the plain.”
“And us guys who weren’t aren’t so sure about
you.”
“Just say I’ve developed a soft streak. We’ll
treat the guy like Goblin till he does something that makes us want
to hang him. Then we’ll string him up.” I had to
posture some. It was expected of me.
Murgen observed, “The Captain is still solving her
personnel problems by exiling the questionables to
Khatovar.”
“And that’s funny?” Because he was
smiling.
“Of course it is. In the sense that neither you nor I nor
Lady would’ve considered doing anything like that while we
were in charge.”
“Everybody’s a sarcastic social critic,” I
told Lady. “Don’t you let on that you can’t kick
Goblin’s ass all the way to Hsien when he gets here.
I’ll try to keep him so busy he doesn’t have time to
get into trouble. But it’ll help if he believes he has to
walk a narrow line, too.”
“He won’t have to be convinced of that. He
isn’t stupid.”
“How much longer you going to need us?” Swan asked
He had begun shuffling a deck of cards. Murgen and Thai Dei seemed
eager to join him in a pastime that had made a comeback during our
sojourn in the Land of Unknown Shadows.
“Go ahead. There’s not much to do now but wait. And
watch Uncle Doj sneak around with all those snail shells like he
can’t even conceive of the idea that anybody would be alert
enough to notice.” That was how the Unknown Shadows had
crossed the plain and gotten here. So who on my team was in cahoots
with Tobo and the Captain?
I could not wait forever, though. Nor did I have any intention
of facing any Voroshk soldiers. My only quarrel with the Voroshk
sprang from their presumption that the Company existed only as an
as yet untapped resource.
I deplore that attitude wherever I encounter it.
There was a full moon in Khatovar that night. I went strolling
in the moonlight. My ravens came and went. They traveled like
lightning as long as I did not try to watch them do it.
The Unknown Shadows are every bit as wicked and dangerous as
Hsien folklore indicates. It was almost too easy for them to taunt
and lure the forvalaka away from the umbrella of protection offered
by the Voroshk sorcerers.