One-Eye looked gruesome. “It was grim,” he said.
“Get the chart out. Croaker.” I did. He indicated a
point. “He’s here. And stuck. Looks like he went all
the way to the center along Bomanz’s trail, then got in
trouble on his way out.”
“How? I don’t understand what’s going on
here.”
“I wish you could go in there. A realm of terrible
shadows . . . Guess I should be glad you
can’t. You’d try it.”
“What’s that crack mean?”
“Mean’s you’re too curious for your own good.
Like old Bomanz. No. Be still.” He paused a moment.
“Croaker, something that was trapped there, one of the
minions of the Taken, was situated near Bomanz’s path. He was
too strong for it. But Raven was an amateur. I think Goblin,
Silent, and I together would have trouble with this thing, and
we’re more skilled than Raven could be. He underestimated the
dangers and overestimated himself. As he was leaving, this thing
usurped his position and left him in its place.”
I frowned, not quite understanding.
One-Eye explained, “Something used him to keep the balance
of the old spells. So he’s stuck in a net of old-time
sorcery. And it’s out here.”
A sinking feeling. A feeling edging despair. “Out? And you
don’t know? . . . ”
“Nothing. The chart indicates nothing. Bomanz must have
been contemptuous of the lesser evils. He hasn’t marked a
dozen. There should have been scores.”
The literature supported that. “What did he tell you? Were
you able to communicate?”
“No. He was aware of a presence. But he’s in a
sinkhole of spells. I couldn’t contact him without getting
caught myself. There’s a small imbalance there, like what
went out might have been a hair more than what stayed in. I did try
to get close to him. That was why Goblin had to yank me out. I did
sense a great fear, not due to his situation. Only anger there. I
think he got caught only because he was in so big a hurry he
didn’t pay attention to his surroundings.”
I got the message. Been to the center, and in flight. What lay
at the center? “You think whatever got away might try to open
the Great Barrow?”
“It might try engineering
it.”
I had a brainstorm. “Why not sneak Darling out here? She
could . . . ”
One-Eye gave me a don’t-be-stupid look. Right. Raven was
the least of the things a null would loose.
“The big guy would love that,” Goblin chided.
“Purely love it.”
“There’s nothing we can do for Raven here.”
One-Eye said. “Someday we might find a wizard who can. Till
then?” He shrugged. “Better make a pact of silence.
Darling might forget her mission if she finds out.”
“Agreed,” I said. Then:
“But . . . ”
“But
what?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. Darling
and Raven. There’s something there we don’t see, I
think. I mean, considering the way he always was, why did he cut
out and come here? On the face of it, to sneak around the Lady and
her gang. But why would he leave Darling in the dark? You see what
I’m saying? Maybe she wouldn’t be as upset as we think.
Or maybe for different reasons.”
One-Eye looked dubious. Goblin nodded. Tracker looked baffled,
as usual.
“What about his body?” I asked.
“A definite encumbrance,” One-Eye replied.
“And I can’t say but what taking him to the Plain might
not snap the connection between flesh and spirit.”
“Stop.” I looked at Case. He looked at me. Here we
had another double bind.
I knew one sure way of solving Raven’s body problem. And
of getting him brought out. Betray him to the Lady. That might
solve several other problems, too. Like the escaped whatever, and
the threat of another escape attempt by her husband. It might buy
Darling time, too, for the Lady’s attention would shift
dramatically.
But what would become of Raven then?
He could be the key to our success or failure. Give him up to
save him? Play the very long odds that we could somehow get him in
hand again before his knowledge could hurt us? Ever a quandary.
Ever a quandary.
Goblin suggested, “Let’s give it another look. This
time I’ll take the point. One-Eye will cover.”
One-Eye’s sour look said they had had a
knock-down-drag-out about this before. I kept my mouth shut. It was
their area of expertise.
“Well?” Goblin demanded.
“If you think it’s worthwhile.”
“I do. Anyway, there’s nothing to lose. Different
viewpoint might help, too. I might catch something he
missed.”
“Having only one eye don’t blind me,” One-Eye
snarled. Goblin glowered. This had arisen before, too.
“Don’t waste time,” I said. “We
can’t stay put forever.”
Sometimes decisions get made for you.
Deep in the night. Wind in the trees. Chill fingering into the
shelter, waking me to shiver till I fell asleep again. Rain
pattering steadily, but not restfully. Gods, was I sick of rain.
How could the Eternal Guard maintain any semblance of sanity?
A hand shook me. Tracker whispered, “Company coming.
Trouble.” Toadkiller Dog was at the tent flap, hackles
up.
I listened. Nothing. But no point not taking his word. Better
safe than dead. “What about Goblin and One-Eye?”
“Not finished yet.”
“Oh-oh.” I scrambled for clothing, for weapons.
Tracker said, “I’ll go scout them and try to scare or
lead them off. You warn the others. Get ready to run.” He
slipped out of the tent behind Toadkiller Dog. Damned beast showed
some life now!
Our whispering wakened Case. Neither of us spoke. I wondered
what he would risk. I covered my head with my blanket and left.
Sufficient unto the day the evil thereof.
Into the other tent, where I found both men in trances.
“Shit. Now what?” Did I dare try waking One-Eye?
Softly: “One-Eye. This is Croaker. We’ve got
trouble.”
Ah. His good eye opened. For a moment he seemed disoriented.
Then: “What’re you doing here?”
“Trouble. Tracker says there’s somebody in the
woods.”
A cry came through the rain. One-Eye bolted upright. “The
power!” he spat. “What the hell?”
“What is it?”
“Somebody just ripped off a spell almost like one of the
Taken.”
“Can you get Goblin out? Fast?”
“I can . . . ” Another cry
ripped through the woods. This one stretched out and out, and
seemed as much of despair as of agony. “I’ll get
him.”
He sounded like all hope had gone.
Taken. Had to be. Sniffed out our tracks. Closing in. But the
cries . . . First one somebody Tracker
ambushed? Second one Tracker gotten? Didn’t sound like
him.
One-Eye lay down and closed his eye. In moments he was back in
trance, though his face betrayed the fear on his surface mind. He
was good, to go under such tension.
There was a third cry from the woods. Baffled, I moved to where
I could look into the rain. I saw nothing. Moments later Goblin
stirred.
He looked awful. But his determination showed he had gotten the
word. He forced himself upright though it was obvious he was not
ready. His mouth kept opening and closing. I had a feeling he
wanted to tell me something.
One-Eye came out after him but recovered more quickly.
“What’s happened?” he asked.
“Another yell.”
“Drop everything? Run for it?”
“We can’t. We have to get some of this stuff back to
the Plain. Otherwise we might as well surrender right
here.”
“Right. Get it together. I’ll take care
here.”
Getting things together was not much of a job. I had unpacked
very little . . . Something roared out in the
woods. I froze. “What the hell?” Sounded like something
bigger than four lions. A moment later there were screams.
No sense. No sense at all. I could see Tracker raising nine
kinds of hell with the Guard, but not if they had one of the Taken
with them.
Goblin and One-Eye showed up as I began knocking the tent down.
Goblin still looked like hell. One-Eye carried half his stuff.
“Where’s the kid?” he asked.
I had paid no attention to his absence. It hadn’t
surprised me. “Gone. How are we going to carry
Raven?”
My answer stepped out of the woods. Tracker. Looking a little
the worse for wear, but still healthy. Toadkiller Dog was covered
with blood. He seemed more animated than I had seen before.
“Let’s get him out of here,” Tracker said, and
moved to take one end of the litter.
“Your stuff.”
“No time.”
“What about the wagon?” I lifted the other end.
“Forget it. I’m sure they found it.
March.”
We marched, letting him lead the way. I asked, “What was
all that uproar?”
“Caught them by surprise.”
“But . . . ”
“Even the Taken can be surprised. Save your breath. He
isn’t dead.”
For a few hours it was put one foot in front of the other and
don’t look back. Tracker set a tough pace. In a corner of my
mind where the observer still dwelt, I noted that Toadkiller Dog
kept the pace with ease.
Goblin collapsed first. Once or twice he had tried to catch me
and pass something along, but he just did not have the energy. When
he went down, Tracker stopped, looked back irritably. Toadkiller
Dog lay down in the wet leaves, rumbling. Tracker shrugged, set his
end of the litter down.
That was my cue to drop. Like a stone. And damn the rain and
mud. I couldn’t get any wetter.
Gods, my arms and shoulders ached. Needles of fire drove into me
where the muscles start swooping up to the neck. “This
isn’t going to work,” I said after I caught some
breath. “We’re too old and weak.”
Tracker considered the forest. Toadkiller Dog rose, sniffed the
wet wind. I struggled up long enough to look back the way we had
come, trying to guess which direction we had run.
South, of course. North made no sense and east or west would
have put us in the Barrowland or river. But if we kept heading
south we would encounter the old Oar road where it curved in beside
the Great Tragic. That stretch was sure to be patrolled.
With my breath partially restored and my breathing no longer
roaring in my ears, I could hear the river. It was no more than a
hundred yards away, churning and grumbling as always.
Tracker came out of a reflective mood. “Guile, then.
Guile.”
“I’m hungry,” One-Eye said, and I realized I
was too. “Reckon we’ll get a lot hungrier,
though.” He smiled feebly. He now had enough strength to look
Goblin over. “Croaker. Want to come check him out?”
Funny that they aren’t enemies when the pinch comes.
One-Eye looked gruesome. “It was grim,” he said.
“Get the chart out. Croaker.” I did. He indicated a
point. “He’s here. And stuck. Looks like he went all
the way to the center along Bomanz’s trail, then got in
trouble on his way out.”
“How? I don’t understand what’s going on
here.”
“I wish you could go in there. A realm of terrible
shadows . . . Guess I should be glad you
can’t. You’d try it.”
“What’s that crack mean?”
“Mean’s you’re too curious for your own good.
Like old Bomanz. No. Be still.” He paused a moment.
“Croaker, something that was trapped there, one of the
minions of the Taken, was situated near Bomanz’s path. He was
too strong for it. But Raven was an amateur. I think Goblin,
Silent, and I together would have trouble with this thing, and
we’re more skilled than Raven could be. He underestimated the
dangers and overestimated himself. As he was leaving, this thing
usurped his position and left him in its place.”
I frowned, not quite understanding.
One-Eye explained, “Something used him to keep the balance
of the old spells. So he’s stuck in a net of old-time
sorcery. And it’s out here.”
A sinking feeling. A feeling edging despair. “Out? And you
don’t know? . . . ”
“Nothing. The chart indicates nothing. Bomanz must have
been contemptuous of the lesser evils. He hasn’t marked a
dozen. There should have been scores.”
The literature supported that. “What did he tell you? Were
you able to communicate?”
“No. He was aware of a presence. But he’s in a
sinkhole of spells. I couldn’t contact him without getting
caught myself. There’s a small imbalance there, like what
went out might have been a hair more than what stayed in. I did try
to get close to him. That was why Goblin had to yank me out. I did
sense a great fear, not due to his situation. Only anger there. I
think he got caught only because he was in so big a hurry he
didn’t pay attention to his surroundings.”
I got the message. Been to the center, and in flight. What lay
at the center? “You think whatever got away might try to open
the Great Barrow?”
“It might try engineering
it.”
I had a brainstorm. “Why not sneak Darling out here? She
could . . . ”
One-Eye gave me a don’t-be-stupid look. Right. Raven was
the least of the things a null would loose.
“The big guy would love that,” Goblin chided.
“Purely love it.”
“There’s nothing we can do for Raven here.”
One-Eye said. “Someday we might find a wizard who can. Till
then?” He shrugged. “Better make a pact of silence.
Darling might forget her mission if she finds out.”
“Agreed,” I said. Then:
“But . . . ”
“But
what?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. Darling
and Raven. There’s something there we don’t see, I
think. I mean, considering the way he always was, why did he cut
out and come here? On the face of it, to sneak around the Lady and
her gang. But why would he leave Darling in the dark? You see what
I’m saying? Maybe she wouldn’t be as upset as we think.
Or maybe for different reasons.”
One-Eye looked dubious. Goblin nodded. Tracker looked baffled,
as usual.
“What about his body?” I asked.
“A definite encumbrance,” One-Eye replied.
“And I can’t say but what taking him to the Plain might
not snap the connection between flesh and spirit.”
“Stop.” I looked at Case. He looked at me. Here we
had another double bind.
I knew one sure way of solving Raven’s body problem. And
of getting him brought out. Betray him to the Lady. That might
solve several other problems, too. Like the escaped whatever, and
the threat of another escape attempt by her husband. It might buy
Darling time, too, for the Lady’s attention would shift
dramatically.
But what would become of Raven then?
He could be the key to our success or failure. Give him up to
save him? Play the very long odds that we could somehow get him in
hand again before his knowledge could hurt us? Ever a quandary.
Ever a quandary.
Goblin suggested, “Let’s give it another look. This
time I’ll take the point. One-Eye will cover.”
One-Eye’s sour look said they had had a
knock-down-drag-out about this before. I kept my mouth shut. It was
their area of expertise.
“Well?” Goblin demanded.
“If you think it’s worthwhile.”
“I do. Anyway, there’s nothing to lose. Different
viewpoint might help, too. I might catch something he
missed.”
“Having only one eye don’t blind me,” One-Eye
snarled. Goblin glowered. This had arisen before, too.
“Don’t waste time,” I said. “We
can’t stay put forever.”
Sometimes decisions get made for you.
Deep in the night. Wind in the trees. Chill fingering into the
shelter, waking me to shiver till I fell asleep again. Rain
pattering steadily, but not restfully. Gods, was I sick of rain.
How could the Eternal Guard maintain any semblance of sanity?
A hand shook me. Tracker whispered, “Company coming.
Trouble.” Toadkiller Dog was at the tent flap, hackles
up.
I listened. Nothing. But no point not taking his word. Better
safe than dead. “What about Goblin and One-Eye?”
“Not finished yet.”
“Oh-oh.” I scrambled for clothing, for weapons.
Tracker said, “I’ll go scout them and try to scare or
lead them off. You warn the others. Get ready to run.” He
slipped out of the tent behind Toadkiller Dog. Damned beast showed
some life now!
Our whispering wakened Case. Neither of us spoke. I wondered
what he would risk. I covered my head with my blanket and left.
Sufficient unto the day the evil thereof.
Into the other tent, where I found both men in trances.
“Shit. Now what?” Did I dare try waking One-Eye?
Softly: “One-Eye. This is Croaker. We’ve got
trouble.”
Ah. His good eye opened. For a moment he seemed disoriented.
Then: “What’re you doing here?”
“Trouble. Tracker says there’s somebody in the
woods.”
A cry came through the rain. One-Eye bolted upright. “The
power!” he spat. “What the hell?”
“What is it?”
“Somebody just ripped off a spell almost like one of the
Taken.”
“Can you get Goblin out? Fast?”
“I can . . . ” Another cry
ripped through the woods. This one stretched out and out, and
seemed as much of despair as of agony. “I’ll get
him.”
He sounded like all hope had gone.
Taken. Had to be. Sniffed out our tracks. Closing in. But the
cries . . . First one somebody Tracker
ambushed? Second one Tracker gotten? Didn’t sound like
him.
One-Eye lay down and closed his eye. In moments he was back in
trance, though his face betrayed the fear on his surface mind. He
was good, to go under such tension.
There was a third cry from the woods. Baffled, I moved to where
I could look into the rain. I saw nothing. Moments later Goblin
stirred.
He looked awful. But his determination showed he had gotten the
word. He forced himself upright though it was obvious he was not
ready. His mouth kept opening and closing. I had a feeling he
wanted to tell me something.
One-Eye came out after him but recovered more quickly.
“What’s happened?” he asked.
“Another yell.”
“Drop everything? Run for it?”
“We can’t. We have to get some of this stuff back to
the Plain. Otherwise we might as well surrender right
here.”
“Right. Get it together. I’ll take care
here.”
Getting things together was not much of a job. I had unpacked
very little . . . Something roared out in the
woods. I froze. “What the hell?” Sounded like something
bigger than four lions. A moment later there were screams.
No sense. No sense at all. I could see Tracker raising nine
kinds of hell with the Guard, but not if they had one of the Taken
with them.
Goblin and One-Eye showed up as I began knocking the tent down.
Goblin still looked like hell. One-Eye carried half his stuff.
“Where’s the kid?” he asked.
I had paid no attention to his absence. It hadn’t
surprised me. “Gone. How are we going to carry
Raven?”
My answer stepped out of the woods. Tracker. Looking a little
the worse for wear, but still healthy. Toadkiller Dog was covered
with blood. He seemed more animated than I had seen before.
“Let’s get him out of here,” Tracker said, and
moved to take one end of the litter.
“Your stuff.”
“No time.”
“What about the wagon?” I lifted the other end.
“Forget it. I’m sure they found it.
March.”
We marched, letting him lead the way. I asked, “What was
all that uproar?”
“Caught them by surprise.”
“But . . . ”
“Even the Taken can be surprised. Save your breath. He
isn’t dead.”
For a few hours it was put one foot in front of the other and
don’t look back. Tracker set a tough pace. In a corner of my
mind where the observer still dwelt, I noted that Toadkiller Dog
kept the pace with ease.
Goblin collapsed first. Once or twice he had tried to catch me
and pass something along, but he just did not have the energy. When
he went down, Tracker stopped, looked back irritably. Toadkiller
Dog lay down in the wet leaves, rumbling. Tracker shrugged, set his
end of the litter down.
That was my cue to drop. Like a stone. And damn the rain and
mud. I couldn’t get any wetter.
Gods, my arms and shoulders ached. Needles of fire drove into me
where the muscles start swooping up to the neck. “This
isn’t going to work,” I said after I caught some
breath. “We’re too old and weak.”
Tracker considered the forest. Toadkiller Dog rose, sniffed the
wet wind. I struggled up long enough to look back the way we had
come, trying to guess which direction we had run.
South, of course. North made no sense and east or west would
have put us in the Barrowland or river. But if we kept heading
south we would encounter the old Oar road where it curved in beside
the Great Tragic. That stretch was sure to be patrolled.
With my breath partially restored and my breathing no longer
roaring in my ears, I could hear the river. It was no more than a
hundred yards away, churning and grumbling as always.
Tracker came out of a reflective mood. “Guile, then.
Guile.”
“I’m hungry,” One-Eye said, and I realized I
was too. “Reckon we’ll get a lot hungrier,
though.” He smiled feebly. He now had enough strength to look
Goblin over. “Croaker. Want to come check him out?”
Funny that they aren’t enemies when the pinch comes.