than he was of the woman who was supposed to be his boss. And that
was because he believed he owed her certain duties even she could not overrule.
“The Company has openings for a few good men with military experience,” I said.
“Now that we’re out of the empire and don’t have to have the imperial
permission, we’re actively recruiting.”
He caught on real fast, skipped across beside me, gave Lady a big grin.
“There is one thing,” I said. “You come over here and do it, you’re going to
have to take the oath to the Company, same as anybody else. Meaning you can’t
pledge yourself to any higher loyalty.”
Lady gave him a nasty-sweet smile. He stepped back across, figuring he’d better
do some serious thinking before he committed himself.
I told Lady, “That goes for everybody. I would not presume before. But if you
come out of the empire and continue to ride with us it will be under the same
conditions accepted by everyone else.”
Such a look she gave me. “But I’m just a woman . . . ”
“Not a precedent, friend. It didn’t happen often. The world don’t have much room
for female adventurers. But women have marched with the Company.” Turning to the
lieutenant, I said, “And if you sign on, your oath will be taken as genuine.
First time you get an order and look to her for advice on yes or no, out you go.
Alone in a foreign land.” It was one of my more assertive days.
Lady muttered some very unladylike sniggen snaggen riddly rodden racklesnatzes
under her breath, then told the lieutenant, “Go talk it over with your men.” The
moment he was out of hearing she demanded, “Does this mean we stop being
friends? If I take your damned oath?”
“Do you reckon I stopped being friends with the others when they elected me
Captain?”
“I admit I don’t hear a lot of ‘yes sir,’ ‘no sir,’ ‘your worship sir.’ ”
“But you do see them do what they’re told when they know I mean what I say.”
“Most of the time.”
“Goblin and One-Eye need a little extra convincing once in a while. What’s it
going to be? You going to be a soldier?”
“Do I have a choice, Croaker? You can be a bastard.”
“Of course you have a choice. You can go back with your men and be the Lady.”
The lieutenant was talking to his troops and the idea of going on south was
proving less popular than he or I had thought it would. Most of the bunch
started getting their horses together, facing north, before he finished talking.
He finally came over and presented us with six men who wanted to go on with us.
He did not include himself with the group. Evidently his conscience had shown
him a way around doing what he considered to be his duty minutes before.
I questioned the men briefly and they did seem interested in going on. So I
brought them over the line and swore them all in, making a production of it for
Lady’s sake. I do not recall doing anything particularly formal for anyone else
before.
I gave the six to Otto and Hagop for dividing between them, and kept the one for
me, and later entered their names into the Annals when we learned how they
wanted to be known.
Lady remained content to be called Lady. It sounded like a name when heard by
speakers of any language but one, anyway.
Crows watched the whole show from a nearby tree.
Black Company S 4 - Shadow Games
Chapter Ten: SHADOWMASTERS
Though the sun stared in through a dozen vaulted windows there was darkness in
that place where Darkness met.
A pool of molten stone simmered in the center of the vast floor. It cast bloody
light upon four seated figures floating a few feet in the air. They faced one
another over the pool, forming an equilateral triangle with a couple at its
apex. Those two were leagued more often than not. They were allied now.
There had been war among the four for a long time, with nothing gained, one in
relation to another. But at the moment there was an
was because he believed he owed her certain duties even she could not overrule.
“The Company has openings for a few good men with military experience,” I said.
“Now that we’re out of the empire and don’t have to have the imperial
permission, we’re actively recruiting.”
He caught on real fast, skipped across beside me, gave Lady a big grin.
“There is one thing,” I said. “You come over here and do it, you’re going to
have to take the oath to the Company, same as anybody else. Meaning you can’t
pledge yourself to any higher loyalty.”
Lady gave him a nasty-sweet smile. He stepped back across, figuring he’d better
do some serious thinking before he committed himself.
I told Lady, “That goes for everybody. I would not presume before. But if you
come out of the empire and continue to ride with us it will be under the same
conditions accepted by everyone else.”
Such a look she gave me. “But I’m just a woman . . . ”
“Not a precedent, friend. It didn’t happen often. The world don’t have much room
for female adventurers. But women have marched with the Company.” Turning to the
lieutenant, I said, “And if you sign on, your oath will be taken as genuine.
First time you get an order and look to her for advice on yes or no, out you go.
Alone in a foreign land.” It was one of my more assertive days.
Lady muttered some very unladylike sniggen snaggen riddly rodden racklesnatzes
under her breath, then told the lieutenant, “Go talk it over with your men.” The
moment he was out of hearing she demanded, “Does this mean we stop being
friends? If I take your damned oath?”
“Do you reckon I stopped being friends with the others when they elected me
Captain?”
“I admit I don’t hear a lot of ‘yes sir,’ ‘no sir,’ ‘your worship sir.’ ”
“But you do see them do what they’re told when they know I mean what I say.”
“Most of the time.”
“Goblin and One-Eye need a little extra convincing once in a while. What’s it
going to be? You going to be a soldier?”
“Do I have a choice, Croaker? You can be a bastard.”
“Of course you have a choice. You can go back with your men and be the Lady.”
The lieutenant was talking to his troops and the idea of going on south was
proving less popular than he or I had thought it would. Most of the bunch
started getting their horses together, facing north, before he finished talking.
He finally came over and presented us with six men who wanted to go on with us.
He did not include himself with the group. Evidently his conscience had shown
him a way around doing what he considered to be his duty minutes before.
I questioned the men briefly and they did seem interested in going on. So I
brought them over the line and swore them all in, making a production of it for
Lady’s sake. I do not recall doing anything particularly formal for anyone else
before.
I gave the six to Otto and Hagop for dividing between them, and kept the one for
me, and later entered their names into the Annals when we learned how they
wanted to be known.
Lady remained content to be called Lady. It sounded like a name when heard by
speakers of any language but one, anyway.
Crows watched the whole show from a nearby tree.
Black Company S 4 - Shadow Games
Chapter Ten: SHADOWMASTERS
Though the sun stared in through a dozen vaulted windows there was darkness in
that place where Darkness met.
A pool of molten stone simmered in the center of the vast floor. It cast bloody
light upon four seated figures floating a few feet in the air. They faced one
another over the pool, forming an equilateral triangle with a couple at its
apex. Those two were leagued more often than not. They were allied now.
There had been war among the four for a long time, with nothing gained, one in
relation to another. But at the moment there was an
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