She Is the Darkness: Book Two of Glittering Stone: A Novel of the Black Company (17 page)

Nobody ever set me straight on that, though the temple where they stashed Sahra
boasted several idols that looked a lot like various Gunni gods.

Shadar have only one god of sufficient magnitude to warrant an idol and Vehdna
doctrine proscribes any graven images at all.

I focused in on Sarie as she was today. I followed her about her duties for an
hour. She was helping keep the temple clean, carrying water, helping with
cooking, pretty much exactly what she would have done had she been living in one
of the hamlets with a Nyueng Bao husband. But the people of the temple shunned
her.

No one spoke to her except a priest to whom she was related. Nothing needed to
be said. She had defiled herself. Her only visitor was an elderly gentleman
named Banh Do Trang, a commercial factor whose friendship Sahra had won during
the siege of Dejagore. Banh had been the interlocutor between us the last time
Sahra’s family had tried to keep us apart. He had made it possible for Sahra to
slip away and reach me before she could be stopped.

Banh understood. Banh had loved a Gunni woman when he was young. He spent most
of his time trading in the outside world. He did not think everything “other”

was purely evil.

Banh was good people.

I searched hard and picked my moment carefully, when Sarie was at her afternoon
prayer. I brought my point of view down in front of her, right at eye level. I
exercised all my will. “Sarie. I am here. I love you. They lied to you. I am not
dead.”

Sarie made a little sound like a puppy whimpering. For an instant she seemed to
stare right into my eyes. She seemed to see me. Then she bounced up and fled the
room, terrified.

One-Eye just kept slapping me till I came out of it. “Goddamn, you little shit,

quit it!” My face was sore. How long had he been pounding me? “I’m here! What
the fuck’s your problem?”

“You’re doing a lot of yelling, Kid. And if you was talking any language your
in-laws could understand you’d be up shit creek. Come on. Get it under control.”

I got it under control. You have to learn to manage emotion if you are going to
survive in our racket. But my heart continued to pound and my mind to race. I
shook like I had a bad ague. One-Eye offered me a large cup of water. I drained
it.

He said, “It’s partly my fault. I wandered off. I didn’t think you’d stay out
that long. Thought you’d figure it out and get your ass back to see what we plan
to do about it.”

I croaked, “What you plan to do about it?”

“Don’t got no plans. I think the Old Man was just gonna let it slide and keep
his eyes open till he decided you needed to know.”

“He wasn’t going to tell me?”

One-Eye shrugged. Which meant probably not.

Croaker was no more enthralled by my marriage than were Sahra’s people.

The bastard.

“I need to see him.”

“He’ll want to see you. When you’ve got yourself under control.”

I grunted.

“You let me know when you can get by without a lot of screaming and carrying
on.”

“I can do that right now, you little shit! What did you guys mean, not telling
me?”

“You let me know when you can get by without a lot of screaming and carrying
on.”

“You little shit.” I was running out of venom. I had been out there a long time.

I needed to eat. I had a feeling I would not be allowed a snack till after my
interview with Croaker.

“You ready to talk?” Croaker asked. “Done with screaming and carrying on?”

“You guys spend the whole time I was ghostwalking rehearsing your act?”

“So what are your in-laws up to, Murgen?”

“I don’t have the faintest fucking idea. But I’m thinking maybe I want to put
Uncle Doj’s feet in the fire and ask.”

Croaker was drinking tea. Taglians are big tea drinkers. The Shadowlanders of
these parts were bigger tea people. He took a sip. “You want some?”

“Yeah.” I needed liquids.

“Think about this. We put him to the question on account of you suddenly know
they fucked you over. You think anybody, Nyueng Bao or otherwise, might wonder
how you suddenly knew when you’re only like eight hundred miles from the
evidence?”

“I don’t care—”

“Exactly. You’re not thinking about anything but you. But anything you do is
going to touch every member of the Company. It might touch every man who came
over those mountains with us. It might change the course of this war.”

I wanted to belittle his claims because I was hurting bad and very much wanted
to do some hurting of my own. I could not. Time enough had passed for reason to
begin rearing its reasonable head. I bit down on the words that rose in my
throat. I drank my tea. I thought. I said, “You’re right. So what do we do?”

Croaker poured me some more tea. “I don’t think we do anything. I think we go
right on the way we have been. I think we do the trap-door spider thing. I think
only three guys know what an incredible tool we’ve got and nobody else needs to
know.”

I grunted. I drank some tea. I said, “She thinks I’m dead. She’s living her
whole life based on that lie.”

Croaker fiddled with his fire. He looked into his bag of liberated tea. One-Eye
finally caught on. “Oh. Yeah. I figured you was familiar with that book of the
Annals that was written by the Captain’s woman.” He showed me a sneer with a
couple of teeth missing.

“Right. You just keep on being reasonable. See if I care. Shithead.”

“I got a great idea, Kid. Come on back to the wagon with me. Something I found
the other day you might be interested in.”

Croaker said, “You guys don’t wander too far. We’re getting enough people in
here now, it’s time to start harassing Longshadow.”

“Of course,” One-Eye said. He ducked out the doorflap grumbling, “Just can’t
leave shit alone.” I ducked out behind him. He did not stop. “We could sit out
here for the next hundred years and not hurt nobody. Set up our own damned
kingdom. Starve the son of a bitch out. But no! We got to do some kind of . . .

” One-Eye glanced back. We were out of earshot of the Old Man. “Enough of that
shit. You dickhead. You never told me about Goblin.”

“What’s to tell?”

“You knew where he was all along, didn’t you? He wasn’t dead or nothing. You got
around the commands Croaker laid on Smoke and found the worthless little shit.”

I did not say anything. Goblin was still out there on his own somewhere,

presumably continuing his mission. Presumably still needing secrecy.

“Ha! I was right. You never could lie for shit. Where is he, Kid? I got a right
to know.”

I started to back away. It might be time to take my act elsewhere. “You’re
wrong. I don’t know where he is. I don’t know if he’s even still alive.” Which
was true.

“What you mean, you don’t know?”

“I got a speech impediment? You’ve had Smoke all month, remember? You. The short
shit who was loafing around up there in those hills while I was down here
dodging shadows and Shadowlander ambushes.”

“Now I know you’re shitting me. There ain’t been one shadow seen since the night
we broke them at . . . Bullshit! You’re feeding me bullshit.”

“Yeah. I guess I forgot the first rule.”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Never confuse you with facts.”

“You smartass. I hung on in this world two hundred years so I could put up with
this shit.” He jumped up on the tongue of his wagon and leaned inside. I began
to put a little more distance between us. He dug around in some rags behind his
driver’s seat. He glanced over his shoulder, saw me moving. “You just hang on
right there, you peckerhead.”

He jumped down, started waving his arms around while he went to squeaking and
squealing in one of those languages wizards use so the rest of us will think
there is something terribly strange and mystical about what they do, kind of
like lawyers. One-Eye sometimes flew off into unprovoked fits of lawyer-ism,

too.

Blue sparks began to crackle between the tips of his fingers. His lips stretched
into an evil grin. I would not give him Goblin so I would have to take Goblin’s
place.

Damn, I wished Goblin would come back.

“What’s this?”

I whirled. The Captain had followed us. One-Eye gulped air. I scooted a few fast
steps, which brought the Old Man into the field of fire, too.

One-Eye shoved his hands into his pockets to hide them.

“Ouch!” he said with sudden, quiet fervor. The sparks had not stopped.

Croaker asked me, “He been drinking again?”

“I don’t know when. Unless it was before he got me up. But he’s acting like it.”

“Who? Me?” One-Eye squeaked. “Not me. No way. I don’t touch the stuff anymore.”

I observed, “He hasn’t had time to get set up.”

“That means jack shit. There’s any to be stolen, he’ll find that. You know
anyone else who’d suddenly start a fight for no good reason?”

“Ain’t nobody in this outfit like that,” One-Eye insisted. “Unless you count
Goblin. Sometimes he . . . He in this outfit anymore, Captain?”

Croaker ignored him. He asked me, “You planning to take Smoke back out now?”

“No.” That had not occurred to me. Food had.

Croaker grunted. “I need to talk to my staff wizard, here. One-Eye?”

I moved out. What now?

That food.

I ate till the cooks began to grumble about some folks thinking they were
special.

After I finished I strolled across the snowy slopes trying to calm the storm
inside me. The sky promised more snow. We had been lucky so far, I suspected.

None of the snows had been heavy and none had stuck long. I spied Thai Dei and
his mother, the latter offering a piece of her mind. Still.

It kept them at a distance.

I glimpsed Swan and Blade, far off, trotting somewhere in a big hurry. That
meant Lady had come in, or at least would arrive soon. Her advance force had a
camp under construction.

South, beyond Kiaulune, a spear of sunlight broke through the overcast, struck
Overlook. The whole vast fortress gleamed like some religions’ notion of heaven.

I needed to take Smoke over there and get caught up. But not right away. One-Eye
and the Old Man still had their heads together. Maybe talking about me.

I strolled downhill toward where Lady’s soldiers were building their camp.

I wondered how Lady and Blade were getting along. He had been her main helper
before his defection. He had not let her know what was happening when he did
that. I could not see her forgiving him the deceit, however successful its end
result.

Crows fluttered over the camp. Maybe Lady was there.

Croaker was right. We had to be paranoid. All the time. If it was not the
Shadowmaster spying it would be Soulcatcher or the Deceivers or the Howler. Or
Kina herself. Or the Nyueng Bao. Or the Radisha’s agents. Or spies for the
priests, or . . .

Lady had come in without me being told. I had no trouble getting in to see her.

That made me wonder if it was going to be easy to get out.

She had questions of her own. “What are we doing now, Murgen? What’s his game
this time?”

I halted one step into the presence, mouth open. There had been changes since
last I saw her. This was not the Lady with whom I had ridden south. This was not
the woman who had seemed so haunted in front of the Dandha Presh. This creature
was the Lady of olden times resurrected, a being of such terrible power it had
trouble constraining itself in a presentable form.

“What the hell happened?”

“Murgen.”

“What?” I squeaked. I reminded myself that I was the Annalist. The Annalist is
fearless. He stands aside from squabbles within the Company. He is not
intimidated by his brothers. He records the truth.

She scared me anyway.

“I want to know—”

“Anything you want to know, you’d better ask the Old Man. I couldn’t tell you
even if I was as goofy as Willow Swan. He don’t tell me anything, either. He’s
still keeping it all inside his head. You seen that place over there? Worse than
the Tower at Charm. He hasn’t paid any attention to it since we got here. I
haven’t seen him do much of anything. Longshadow and Howler haven’t done much,

either, though.”

“It’s frustrating.”

“Yeah. And maybe not even very smart considering what shape we’d be in if the
Stranglers got him.”

“Less likely than you think.”

“Because of Soulcatcher?”

“Yes.”

“She can’t be everywhere any more than you can. And they call them the Deceivers
for a reason.” I hoped my voice was not squeaking. I was trying to play the
fearless man.

“None of that is why you wanted to see me.”

“No. I’ve got a problem. My dreams are getting worse! They’re really bad now. I
want to know how to shut them out.”

“I haven’t found a way. You have to learn to remember what they are. Has Kina
been calling you?”

“I don’t think so. It’s more like she’s passing through my dreams and doesn’t
notice me if I lie real still. Or maybe I’m eavesdropping on someone else’s
nightmares.”

“Tell me about them.”

I told her.

“Those are pretty much the dreams I’ve always had. Mostly I’m on the plain
anymore.”

“Are there crows there?”

“Crows? No. There isn’t anything alive there.”

I considered. “Actually, what I said before isn’t quite true. She does seem to
be aware of me specifically. The other night I got led through a version of the
plain dream where I saw my wife. I talked to Sarie. The implication was there
that I could get her back.”

“That’s new. For me the horrors just get worse. I think they’re supposed to
overwhelm me eventually.”

I had a feeling she was not telling the whole truth, either. I said, “I find it
hard to believe that she could feed me anything worse than what I’ve seen in
real life. Knowing what she’s trying to do—”

“She managed to use me, Murgen. Because I thought I knew what she was doing. But
I didn’t. She is the Queen of Deceivers. I wasn’t her Daughter of Night at all.

I was just a brood mare who was going to carry a Deceiver messiah for her. Don’t
make the mistake I made. If she really has noticed you, you be very, very
careful. And keep me posted.”

I grunted.

“Did you keep track of times when you thought you sensed Kina?”

“Uh . . . ” I had. But most of the time she came near me I was out with Smoke.

“Not very well.” I gave her a couple of times that seemed harmless.

“That isn’t much help. Control your emotions. Your wife would be an obvious way
to manipulate you. You have any idea why?”

“I’d guess the standard.”

“Of course. Hints pile up but we never get the story. The Lance of Passion. Only
the thing’s never shown any special properties.”

It had, but in a time and manner I could not explain without exposing Smoke.

Croaker stuck Howler with it once, just a flesh wound, but the little wizard
almost died. “Maybe we don’t really have the Lance. People might just think we
do.”

She murmured, “Is this another complicated deceit?”

I asked, “How do I stop the dreaming?”

“Weren’t you listening? You don’t.”

“I don’t think I’m strong enough just to live with them.”

“You learn. Mine went away after the baby was born. But not for long. I think
Kina forgot to sever the connection.”

“Maybe Narayan was supposed to do that when he took your daughter.”

“Of course he was.”

“I didn’t mean to remind you of—”

“I don’t need reminding. I remember just fine. Every minute of every hour. And
someday soon I plan to discuss it with Narayan, up close and personal.” When she
said that she seemed as nasty as Kina herself, though maybe you had to be there
and had to know her history to enjoy the full impact. “He’s going to get his
Year of the Skulls now. He’s run out of places to hide.”

“You’ve seen Overlook. You think he needs to hide?”

Before she answered Blade shoved his head into the ragged tent. “A Strangler
just took a crack at Willow. Willow’s having a little trouble breathing but
he’ll be all right.”

“You take the assassin alive?” Lady asked.

I eased toward the exit. Her mood was getting blacker. I did not want her
pressing me hard.

Blade grinned. “He’s in perfect health. Though he’d have a heart attack if he
could.”

I began easing around Blade. Lady gave me an eyeball-the-bug look that said she
thought we ought to talk more later. I might consider staying out of her way.

Maybe I had been too open with her already.

I stayed at a distance but watched. Lady’s interrogation methods were deft,

vicious and effective. The lesson was not lost on any witnesses.

Within minutes the Strangler admitted that he had infiltrated the camp-follower
crowd after our victory at Charandaprash. The order had come from Narayan Singh
himself. Willow Swan had been his primary target. Other red rumel men had been
assigned other targets. They, too, had concealed themselves among the camp
followers. They had been directed by the Daughter of Night herself to be very
careful executing their missions. The Children of Kina had become so few that
part of their obligation to their goddess now was to preserve themselves for her
sake.

Lady knew just how to charm a man into talking. One of those things you learn
when you are around forever, I suppose. One of those things people like
Longshadow would like to mine out of your head.

She was so effective the Strangler abandoned hope of his eternal reward to tell
her names.

I took a walk as Blade began organizing a throat-cutting expedition.

Just to underscore her disaffection with them Lady strangled one of the
Deceivers herself. She used her own black scarf, taken from a black rumel man
years ago. Every Deceiver knew the tale.

She sent her messages thus.

Crows took off in multitudes.

By way of conversation with Narayan Singh, Lady had the heads of the Deceivers
put on lances and carried across to Overlook.

Croaker joined me. “That’s my sweetie,” he said, shaking his head. Like he would
have been kinder had he gotten to those men first.

He knew what I was thinking. “A lady doesn’t murder people in polite company.”

He grinned.

“What polite company? The Company ain’t polite. And I think it was a very
Lady-like thing she did.”

“Yeah.” He seemed almost cheerful about it all.