Is anybody at all
still up topside?” I demanded. I had settled down for a short
nap when the timing had seemed appropriate and that had turned into
a long nap that might have become a permanent nap had not so many
people been around to keep me from drifting too far away. I dreamed
while I was out, I knew that, but I remembered none of it.
The smell of Kina remained strong in my nostrils, so I knew
where I must have gone, though.
One-Eye was seated beside me, apparently assisting me with my
snoring. A worried Goblin appeared, checking to make certain his
best friend did not drift too far into sleep. Beyond me, Mother
Gota had become engrossed in a protracted debate with the white
crow. That must have been a classic dialog to disinterested
listeners.
Goblin murmured, “From now on, don’t make any sudden
movements, Sleepy. Always look around you. Always make sure that
you’re not going to damage any of our friends.”
I heard Tobo talking rapidly, softly, in a businesslike voice. I
could not distinguish his words. Somewhere Uncle Doj rattled away,
too. “What’s happening?”
“We’ve started waking them up. It’s not as
complicated as we feared it might be but it takes time and care,
and the people we bring out aren’t going to be any use to us
after they waken—if you had any plans along those lines. One-Eye
worked it all out before he collapsed.” The little wizard
sounded grimmer suddenly.
“Collapsed? One-Eye collapsed? Was it just
exhaustion?” I hoped.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to know. Yet. For
now, I’m just going to let him rest. Right down on the edge
of the stasis. Or even into it if I think that’s necessary.
Once his body regains its strength, I’ll bring him out and
see how bad it really was.” He did not sound optimistic.
I said, “If we had to we could leave him here, in stasis,
till we could give him proper treatment.” Which reminded me.
“You’re not just getting everyone up, are you?
There’s no way we can nurse and feed the whole crowd.”
Surely the Captured would not be able to take care of themselves
after fifteen years of just sitting around, stasis or not. They
might even be as weak and unskilled as babies and have to learn
everything all over again.
“No, Sleepy. We’re going to do five people.
That’s all.”
“Uhm. Good. Hey! Where the heck did the standard go?
It was right over there. I’m the Standardbearer. I have to
keep track—”
“I had it moved over by the gap to the stair. So somebody
going that way can take it upstairs. Will you quit fussing?
That’s Sahra’s specialty.”
“Speaking of Sahra—Tobo! Where do you think you’re
going?” While I was talking with Goblin, the boy had slipped
past and headed up the cave.
“I was just gonna go see what’s up there.”
“No. You’re just gonna stay right here and help your
uncle and Goblin take care of your father, the Captain and the
Lieutenant.”
He gave me a black look. Despite everything, he still had those
moments when he was just a boy. He put on a pouty face that made me
grin.
Willow Swan came up behind me. “I’ve got a problem,
Sleepy.”
“Which would be?”
“I can’t find Cordy. Cordy Mather. Not
anywhere.”
From the corner of my eye I noted that the Radisha had
overheard. She rose slowly from a squat in front of her brother,
looked our way. She said nothing nor did anything otherwise that
might betray an interest. It was not common knowledge that she and
Mather had enjoyed an intimate relationship.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“You did bring him down here?”
“Absolutely.”
I grunted. There was one other absentee whose nonpresence I had
been willing to ignore until some rational excuse for her
disappearance arose. The shapeshifter Lisa Bowalk, unable to shed
the guise of a black panther, had gone up onto the plain as a
prisoner but was not now to be found among the dead above or the
Captured down below.
Lisa Bowalk had been possessed of a towering hatred for the
Company, and particularly for One-Eye because it was
One-Eye’s fault that she had become trapped in the feline
shape. I had to ask. “What about the panther, Willow?
It’s not around here anywhere, either.”
“What panther? Oh. I remember. I don’t know.”
He was looking around like he thought he might spot his old friend
Mather hiding behind a stalagmite. “I remember we had to
leave her upstairs because we couldn’t get her cage around
the first turn in the stair. I mean, it would have gone if Catcher
and I didn’t have anything else to mess with, but we
couldn’t manage it and the rest of the string both. So
Catcher decided to leave the cage up there for later. I don’t
know what happened when later came. I don’t remember much of
anything that happened after we came down here. Maybe One-Eye
should give me another dose of that memory spell.” He tugged
on and twisted the ends of his hair, girl-style, and stared down
the slope. “I know I left Cordy right down there, just a
little above Blade, where it seemed like the floor would be more
comfortable.”
“Right down there” was the downhill edge of the clot
of seven dead men. There had to be a connection. “Goblin,
what’s the story? Are we going to wake these people up or
not?” Me, ignoring everything he had said earlier.
Goblin responded with a sneer that turned into one of his big
toad grins. “I’ve already got Murgen out.”
“But I wanted him down here where I could ask
questions.”
“I mean I’ve got him out of stasis, bimbo-brain.
He’s right over there. I’m working on the Captain and
Lady now. Tobo and Doj have been doing prelims on Thai Dei and the
Prahbrindrah Drah.”
Exactly according to my expectations. With the latter two men
included entirely for political reasons. Neither was likely to
contribute much to the Company’s glory or survival.
I moved down to where Murgen lay snoring. The echoing racket and
the melting ice webs were the only changes I saw. I squatted.
“Anybody think to bring blankets down?” I had not. I am
what you would have to call disorganized when it comes to
present-tense operations. It had not occurred to me to bring spare
clothing or blankets or gear. But I sure can plan bloodshed and
general mayhem real well.
There were treasure chambers down here somewhere, though. I had
glimpsed several in my dreams. There might be something useful
there—if we could find them.
My stomach growled. I was getting hungry. The rumble reminded me
that it would not be long before our situation became
desperate.
Murgen’s eyes opened. He tried to form an expression, a
smile for Sahra, but the effort was too much for him. His gaze
shifted to me. A whisper struggled through his lips. “The
Books. Get . . . the
Daughter . . . ” His eyes closed
again.
It was true. The Captured were not going to jump up and dance
tarantellas when they were liberated.
Murgen’s message was clear. The Books of the Dead were
down here. Something had to be done before the Daughter of Night
got another chance to begin copying them. And I had no doubt that
she would manage that, despite Soulcatcher. She had Kina backing
her up.
“I’ll take care of it.” I did not have a ghost
of a notion how I would manage that, though.
Is anybody at all
still up topside?” I demanded. I had settled down for a short
nap when the timing had seemed appropriate and that had turned into
a long nap that might have become a permanent nap had not so many
people been around to keep me from drifting too far away. I dreamed
while I was out, I knew that, but I remembered none of it.
The smell of Kina remained strong in my nostrils, so I knew
where I must have gone, though.
One-Eye was seated beside me, apparently assisting me with my
snoring. A worried Goblin appeared, checking to make certain his
best friend did not drift too far into sleep. Beyond me, Mother
Gota had become engrossed in a protracted debate with the white
crow. That must have been a classic dialog to disinterested
listeners.
Goblin murmured, “From now on, don’t make any sudden
movements, Sleepy. Always look around you. Always make sure that
you’re not going to damage any of our friends.”
I heard Tobo talking rapidly, softly, in a businesslike voice. I
could not distinguish his words. Somewhere Uncle Doj rattled away,
too. “What’s happening?”
“We’ve started waking them up. It’s not as
complicated as we feared it might be but it takes time and care,
and the people we bring out aren’t going to be any use to us
after they waken—if you had any plans along those lines. One-Eye
worked it all out before he collapsed.” The little wizard
sounded grimmer suddenly.
“Collapsed? One-Eye collapsed? Was it just
exhaustion?” I hoped.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to know. Yet. For
now, I’m just going to let him rest. Right down on the edge
of the stasis. Or even into it if I think that’s necessary.
Once his body regains its strength, I’ll bring him out and
see how bad it really was.” He did not sound optimistic.
I said, “If we had to we could leave him here, in stasis,
till we could give him proper treatment.” Which reminded me.
“You’re not just getting everyone up, are you?
There’s no way we can nurse and feed the whole crowd.”
Surely the Captured would not be able to take care of themselves
after fifteen years of just sitting around, stasis or not. They
might even be as weak and unskilled as babies and have to learn
everything all over again.
“No, Sleepy. We’re going to do five people.
That’s all.”
“Uhm. Good. Hey! Where the heck did the standard go?
It was right over there. I’m the Standardbearer. I have to
keep track—”
“I had it moved over by the gap to the stair. So somebody
going that way can take it upstairs. Will you quit fussing?
That’s Sahra’s specialty.”
“Speaking of Sahra—Tobo! Where do you think you’re
going?” While I was talking with Goblin, the boy had slipped
past and headed up the cave.
“I was just gonna go see what’s up there.”
“No. You’re just gonna stay right here and help your
uncle and Goblin take care of your father, the Captain and the
Lieutenant.”
He gave me a black look. Despite everything, he still had those
moments when he was just a boy. He put on a pouty face that made me
grin.
Willow Swan came up behind me. “I’ve got a problem,
Sleepy.”
“Which would be?”
“I can’t find Cordy. Cordy Mather. Not
anywhere.”
From the corner of my eye I noted that the Radisha had
overheard. She rose slowly from a squat in front of her brother,
looked our way. She said nothing nor did anything otherwise that
might betray an interest. It was not common knowledge that she and
Mather had enjoyed an intimate relationship.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“You did bring him down here?”
“Absolutely.”
I grunted. There was one other absentee whose nonpresence I had
been willing to ignore until some rational excuse for her
disappearance arose. The shapeshifter Lisa Bowalk, unable to shed
the guise of a black panther, had gone up onto the plain as a
prisoner but was not now to be found among the dead above or the
Captured down below.
Lisa Bowalk had been possessed of a towering hatred for the
Company, and particularly for One-Eye because it was
One-Eye’s fault that she had become trapped in the feline
shape. I had to ask. “What about the panther, Willow?
It’s not around here anywhere, either.”
“What panther? Oh. I remember. I don’t know.”
He was looking around like he thought he might spot his old friend
Mather hiding behind a stalagmite. “I remember we had to
leave her upstairs because we couldn’t get her cage around
the first turn in the stair. I mean, it would have gone if Catcher
and I didn’t have anything else to mess with, but we
couldn’t manage it and the rest of the string both. So
Catcher decided to leave the cage up there for later. I don’t
know what happened when later came. I don’t remember much of
anything that happened after we came down here. Maybe One-Eye
should give me another dose of that memory spell.” He tugged
on and twisted the ends of his hair, girl-style, and stared down
the slope. “I know I left Cordy right down there, just a
little above Blade, where it seemed like the floor would be more
comfortable.”
“Right down there” was the downhill edge of the clot
of seven dead men. There had to be a connection. “Goblin,
what’s the story? Are we going to wake these people up or
not?” Me, ignoring everything he had said earlier.
Goblin responded with a sneer that turned into one of his big
toad grins. “I’ve already got Murgen out.”
“But I wanted him down here where I could ask
questions.”
“I mean I’ve got him out of stasis, bimbo-brain.
He’s right over there. I’m working on the Captain and
Lady now. Tobo and Doj have been doing prelims on Thai Dei and the
Prahbrindrah Drah.”
Exactly according to my expectations. With the latter two men
included entirely for political reasons. Neither was likely to
contribute much to the Company’s glory or survival.
I moved down to where Murgen lay snoring. The echoing racket and
the melting ice webs were the only changes I saw. I squatted.
“Anybody think to bring blankets down?” I had not. I am
what you would have to call disorganized when it comes to
present-tense operations. It had not occurred to me to bring spare
clothing or blankets or gear. But I sure can plan bloodshed and
general mayhem real well.
There were treasure chambers down here somewhere, though. I had
glimpsed several in my dreams. There might be something useful
there—if we could find them.
My stomach growled. I was getting hungry. The rumble reminded me
that it would not be long before our situation became
desperate.
Murgen’s eyes opened. He tried to form an expression, a
smile for Sahra, but the effort was too much for him. His gaze
shifted to me. A whisper struggled through his lips. “The
Books. Get . . . the
Daughter . . . ” His eyes closed
again.
It was true. The Captured were not going to jump up and dance
tarantellas when they were liberated.
Murgen’s message was clear. The Books of the Dead were
down here. Something had to be done before the Daughter of Night
got another chance to begin copying them. And I had no doubt that
she would manage that, despite Soulcatcher. She had Kina backing
her up.
“I’ll take care of it.” I did not have a ghost
of a notion how I would manage that, though.