Company's sake. I'd like to have you.
But . . . Settle it before we leave."
The latecomers headed our way, noses in the air but determined
to learn what had become of their party.
"When are you leaving?" Raven asked. "How long do I have?"
"Tomorrow. Sunrise."
"What?" I demanded.
"Hold on," One-Eye said. "How come already?"
Even the Lieutenant, who never questions anything, said, "We
were supposed to get a couple weeks." He had found a lady friend,
his first since I had known him.
The Captain shrugged. "They need us up north. The Limper lost
the fortress at Deal to a Rebel named Raker."
The latecomers arrived. One of the men demanded, "What became of
the party in the Camellia Grotto?" His voice had a whiny, nasal
quality. My hackles rose. It reeked of arrogance and contempt. I
hadn't heard its like since I joined the Black Company. People in
Beryl hadn't used that tone.
They don't know the Black Company in Opal, I told myself. Not
yet, they don't.
The voice hit Raven like a sledge whack on the back of the head.
He stiffened. For a moment his eyes were pure ice. Then a smile
crinkled their corners--as evil a smile as I have ever seen.
The Captain whispered, "I know why Jalena suffered his attack of
indigestion."
We sat motionless, frozen by deadly imminence. Raven turned
slowly, rising. Those three saw his face.
Whiny-voice choked. His male companion began shaking. The woman
opened her mouth. Nothing came out.
Where Raven got the knife I do not know. It went almost too fast
to follow. Whiny-voice bled from a cut throat. His friend had steel
in his heart. And Raven had the woman's throat in his left
hand.
"No. Please," she whispered without force. She expected no
mercy.
Raven squeezed, forced her to her knees. Her face purpled,
bloated. Her tongue rolled out. She seized his wrist, shuddered. He
lifted her, stared into her eyes till they rolled up and she
sagged. She shuddered again, died.
Raven jerked his hand away. He stared at that rigid, shaking
claw. His face was ghastly. He surrendered to the all-over
shakes.
"Croaker!" the Captain snapped. "Don't you claim to be a
physician?"
"Yeah." People were reacting. The whole garden was watching. I
checked Whiny-voice. Dead as a stone. So was his sidekick. I turned
to the woman.
Raven knelt. He held her left hand. There were tears in his
eyes. He removed a gold wedding band, pocketed it. That was all he
took, though she sported a fortune in jewelry.
I met his gaze over the body. The ice was in his eyes again. It
dared me to voice my guess.
"I don't want to sound hysterical," One-Eye growled, "but why
don't we get the hell out of here?"
"Good thinking," Elmo said, and started heeling and toeing
it.
"Get moving!" the Captain snapped at me. He took Raven's arm. I
trailed.
Raven said, "I'll have my affairs settled by dawn."
The Captain glanced back. "Yeah," was all he said.
I thought so too.
But we would leave Opal without him.
The Captain received several nasty messages that night. His only
comment was, "Those three must have been part of the in-crowd."
"They wore the Limper's badges," I said. "What's the story on
Raven, anyway? Who is he?"
"Somebody who didn't get along with the Limper. Who was done
dirty and left for dead."
"Was the woman something he didn't tell you?"
The Captain shrugged. I took that as an affirmative.
"Bet she was his wife. Maybe she betrayed him." That kind of
thing is common here. Conspiracies and assassinations and naked
power-grabs. All the fun of decadence. The Lady does not discourage
anything. Maybe the games amuse her.
As we traveled north we moved ever nearer the heart of the
empire. Each day took us into emotionally bleaker country. The
locals became ever more dour, grim, and sullen. These were not
happy lands, despite the season.
The day came when we had to skirt the very soul of the empire,
the Tower at Charm, built by the Lady after her resurrection.
Hard-eyed cavalrymen escorted us. We got no closer than
But . . . Settle it before we leave."
The latecomers headed our way, noses in the air but determined
to learn what had become of their party.
"When are you leaving?" Raven asked. "How long do I have?"
"Tomorrow. Sunrise."
"What?" I demanded.
"Hold on," One-Eye said. "How come already?"
Even the Lieutenant, who never questions anything, said, "We
were supposed to get a couple weeks." He had found a lady friend,
his first since I had known him.
The Captain shrugged. "They need us up north. The Limper lost
the fortress at Deal to a Rebel named Raker."
The latecomers arrived. One of the men demanded, "What became of
the party in the Camellia Grotto?" His voice had a whiny, nasal
quality. My hackles rose. It reeked of arrogance and contempt. I
hadn't heard its like since I joined the Black Company. People in
Beryl hadn't used that tone.
They don't know the Black Company in Opal, I told myself. Not
yet, they don't.
The voice hit Raven like a sledge whack on the back of the head.
He stiffened. For a moment his eyes were pure ice. Then a smile
crinkled their corners--as evil a smile as I have ever seen.
The Captain whispered, "I know why Jalena suffered his attack of
indigestion."
We sat motionless, frozen by deadly imminence. Raven turned
slowly, rising. Those three saw his face.
Whiny-voice choked. His male companion began shaking. The woman
opened her mouth. Nothing came out.
Where Raven got the knife I do not know. It went almost too fast
to follow. Whiny-voice bled from a cut throat. His friend had steel
in his heart. And Raven had the woman's throat in his left
hand.
"No. Please," she whispered without force. She expected no
mercy.
Raven squeezed, forced her to her knees. Her face purpled,
bloated. Her tongue rolled out. She seized his wrist, shuddered. He
lifted her, stared into her eyes till they rolled up and she
sagged. She shuddered again, died.
Raven jerked his hand away. He stared at that rigid, shaking
claw. His face was ghastly. He surrendered to the all-over
shakes.
"Croaker!" the Captain snapped. "Don't you claim to be a
physician?"
"Yeah." People were reacting. The whole garden was watching. I
checked Whiny-voice. Dead as a stone. So was his sidekick. I turned
to the woman.
Raven knelt. He held her left hand. There were tears in his
eyes. He removed a gold wedding band, pocketed it. That was all he
took, though she sported a fortune in jewelry.
I met his gaze over the body. The ice was in his eyes again. It
dared me to voice my guess.
"I don't want to sound hysterical," One-Eye growled, "but why
don't we get the hell out of here?"
"Good thinking," Elmo said, and started heeling and toeing
it.
"Get moving!" the Captain snapped at me. He took Raven's arm. I
trailed.
Raven said, "I'll have my affairs settled by dawn."
The Captain glanced back. "Yeah," was all he said.
I thought so too.
But we would leave Opal without him.
The Captain received several nasty messages that night. His only
comment was, "Those three must have been part of the in-crowd."
"They wore the Limper's badges," I said. "What's the story on
Raven, anyway? Who is he?"
"Somebody who didn't get along with the Limper. Who was done
dirty and left for dead."
"Was the woman something he didn't tell you?"
The Captain shrugged. I took that as an affirmative.
"Bet she was his wife. Maybe she betrayed him." That kind of
thing is common here. Conspiracies and assassinations and naked
power-grabs. All the fun of decadence. The Lady does not discourage
anything. Maybe the games amuse her.
As we traveled north we moved ever nearer the heart of the
empire. Each day took us into emotionally bleaker country. The
locals became ever more dour, grim, and sullen. These were not
happy lands, despite the season.
The day came when we had to skirt the very soul of the empire,
the Tower at Charm, built by the Lady after her resurrection.
Hard-eyed cavalrymen escorted us. We got no closer than
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