Shadows Linger Part 34

"Hunter. Works the forest over east. Mainly for furs and hides, but brings me game when he needs salt or something. He don't come around regular, but I reckon he's overdue. Usually comes in come fall, to get staples for the winter. Thought it was him when your friend come through the door."

"Eh? Which friend?"

"The one you're hunting. That carried off this feller's daughter."

Silent and I exchanged glances. I said, "Better not count on seeing Moleskin again. I think he's dead."

"What brings you to say that?"

I told him a little about Raven faking his own death and leaving a body that had been confused for his.

"Bad thing, that. Yep. Bad thing, doing like that. Hope you catch him up." His eyes narrowed slightly, cunning. "You fellers wouldn't be part of that bunch come down from Juniper, would you? Everybody headed south talks about how..." Silent's glower shut him up.

"I'm going to get some sleep," I said. "If none of my men are up yet, roust me out at first light."

"Yes, sir," the innkeeper said. "And a fine breakfast we'll fix you, sir."

Chapter Forty-Six:.

MEADENVIL: TROUBLE.

And a fine breakfast we had. I tipped the innkeeper another piece of silver. He must have thought me mad.

Half a mile up the road One-Eye called a halt. "You just going to leave them?" he asked.

"What?"

"Those people. First Taken comes down this way is going to find out everything we did."

My heart flip-flopped. I knew what he was getting at. I had thought about it earlier. But I could not order it. "No point," I said. "Everybody in Meadenvil is going to see us put out."

"Everybody in Meadenvil don't know where we're headed. I don't like the idea any better than you do, Croaker. But we have to cut the trail somewhere. Raven didn't. And we're on to him."

"Yeah. I know." I glanced at Asa and Shed. They were not taking it well. Asa, at least, figured he was next.

"Can't take them with us, Croaker."

"I know."

He swung around, started back. Alone. Not even Otto joined him, and Otto has very little conscience.

"What's he going to do?" Asa asked.

"Use his magic to make them forget," I lied. "Let's move along. He can catch up."

Shed kept giving me looks. Looks like he must have given Raven when he first found out Raven was in the body business. He did not say anything.

One-Eye caught up an hour later. He busted out laughing. "They were gone," he said. "Every blessed one, with all their dogs and cattle. Into the woods. d.a.m.ned peasants." He laughed again, almost hysterically. I suspect he was relieved.

"We got two days and some gone," I said. "Let's push it. The bigger head start we have, the better."

We reached the outskirts of Meadenvil five hours later, not having pressed as hard as I wanted. As we penetrated the city, our pace lagged. I think we all sensed it. Finally, I stopped. "King, you and Asa wander around and see what you hear. We'll wait at yonder fountain." There were no children in the streets. The adults I saw seemed dazed. Those who pa.s.sed us moved by as widely as they could navigate.

King was back in two minutes. No lollygagging. "Big trouble, Croaker. The Taken got here this morning. Big blowout down at the waterfront."

I glanced in that direction. A ghost of smoke rose there, as if marking the aftermath of a major fire. The sky to the west, in the direction the wind was blowing, had a dirty look.

Asa returned a minute later with the same news and more. "They got in a big fight with the Prince. Not over yet, some say."

"Wouldn't be much of a fight," One-Eye said.

"I don't know," I countered. "Even the Lady can't be everywhere at once. How the h.e.l.l did they get here so fast? They didn't have any carpets."

"Overland," Shed said.

"Overland? But..."

"It's shorter than the sea trip. Road cuts across. If you ride hard, day and night, you can make it in two days. When I was a kid, they used to have races. They stopped that when the new Duke took over."

"Guess it doesn't matter. So. What now?"

"Got to find out what happened," One-Eye said. He muttered, "If that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Goblin got himself killed, I'll wring his neck."

"Right. But how do we do that? The Taken know us."

"I'll go," Shed volunteered.

Harder looks you cannot imagine than those we bent upon Marron Shed. He quailed for a moment. Then: "I won't let them catch me. Anyway, why should they bother me? They don't know me."

"Okay," I said. "Get moving."

"Croaker..."

"Got to trust him, One-Eye. Unless you want to go yourself."

"Nope. Shed, you screw us over and I'll get you if I have to come back from the grave."

Shed smiled weakly, left us. On foot. Not many people rode through Meadenvil's streets. We found a tavern and made ourselves at home, two men staying in the street to watch. It was sundown before Shed returned.

"Well?" I said, signaling for another pitcher of beer.

"It's not good news. You guys are stuck. Your Lieutenant took the ship out. Twenty, twenty-five of your guys were killed. The rest went out on the ship. The Prince lost..."

"Not all of them," One-Eye said, and tipped a pointing finger over the top of his mug. "Somebody followed you, Shed."

Shed whirled, terrified.

Goblin and p.a.w.nbroker stood in the doorway. p.a.w.n had been carved up some. He limped over and collapsed into a chair. I checked his wounds. Goblin and One-Eye exchanged looks that might have meant anything, but probably meant they were glad to see one another.

The tavern's other customers began to fade. Word who we were had gotten out. They knew some bad people were hunting us.

"Sit, Goblin," I said. "King, you and Otto go get some fresh horses." I gave them most of the money I had. "All the staples that will buy, too. I think we got a long ride ahead. Right, Goblin?"

He nodded.

"Let's hear it."

"Whisper and Limper turned up this morning. Came with fifty men. Company men. Looking for us. Made enough fuss we heard them coming. The Lieutenant sent word to everybody ash.o.r.e. Some didn't get aboard in time. Whisper headed for the ship. The Lieutenant had to cut loose. We left nineteen men behind."

"What're you doing here?"

"I volunteered. Went over the side off the point, swam to sh.o.r.e, came back to wait for you guys. Supposed to tell you where to meet the ship. Ran into p.a.w.n by accident. I was patching him up when I seen Shed poking around. We followed him back here."

I sighed. "They're headed for Chimney, right?"

He was surprised. "Yeah. How'd you know that?"

I explained briefly.

He said, "p.a.w.n, better tell them what you know. p.a.w.n was caught ash.o.r.e. Only survivor I could find."

"This is a private adventure with the Taken," p.a.w.n said. "They snuck down here. Supposed to be somewhere else. Figured it was a chance to get even, I guess, now we're not on the list of the Lady's favorites."

"She doesn't know they're here?"

"No."

I chuckled. Despite the gravity of the situation, I could not help that. "They're in for a surprise, then. The old b.i.t.c.h herself is going to turn up. We got another black castle growing here."

Several of them looked at me askance, wondering how I would know what the Lady was doing. I had not explained my dream to anyone but the Lieutenant. I finished patching p.a.w.nbroker. "You'll be able to travel, but take it easy. How'd you find that out?"

"Shaky. We talked some before he tried to kill me."

"Shaky!" One-Eye snarled. "What the h.e.l.l?"

"I don't know what the Taken told those guys. But they were cranked up. Wanted our a.s.ses bad. Suckers. Most of them got killed for their trouble."

"Killed?"

"Prince what's-it got righteous about the Taken walking in like they owned the place. There was a big fight with the Limper and our boys. Our guys practically got wiped out. Maybe they'd have done better if they could've rested first.

Funny. We talked it over like those men and we had not somehow become mortal enemies, sympathizing. And, in my case, feeling bitter toward the Taken for having turned and squandered them.

"Shaky say anything about Juniper?"

"Yeah. They had a real old-fashioned blood bath up there. Not much left of anything. Counting us, the Company was down six hundred guys when the Lady finished with the castle. Lot more guys was killed in the riots that came after, when she cleaned out the Catacombs. The whole d.a.m.ned city went crazy, with that Hargadon leading the rebellion. Had our guys trapped in Duretile. Then the Lady lost her temper. She wrecked what was left of the town."

I shook my head. "The Captain guessed right about the Catacombs."

"Journey took over what was left of the Company," Goblin said. "They was supposed to pull out with the plunder as soon as they got it all together. City is so wrecked there isn't no reason to stay around."

I looked at Shed. A bleaker face could not be imagined. Pain and questions twisted inside him. He wanted to know about his people. Did not want to speak for fear someone would accuse him. "Not your fault, man," I told him. "The Duke asked the Lady in before you got involved. It would have happened no matter what you did."

"How can people do stuff like that?"

Asa gave him the odd look. "Shed, that's dumb. How could you do all the stuff you did? Desperate, that's what. Everybody's desperate. They do crazy things."

One-Eye gave me a how-about-that? look. Even Asa could think sometimes.

"p.a.w.n. Shaky say anything about Elmo?" Elmo remained my main regret.

"No. I didn't ask. We didn't have much time."

"What's the plan?" Goblin said.

"We'll head south when King and Otto get here with the horses and supplies." A sigh. "Going to be hard times. I got maybe two leva. How about you guys?"

We catalogued our resources. I said, "We're in trouble."

"The Lieutenant sent this." Goblin deposited a small sack on the table. It contained fifty silver castle coins from Raven's horde.

"That'll help. Still going to make it on prayer, though."

"I have some money," Shed volunteered. "Quite a bit. It's back where I was staying."

I eyeballed him. "You don't have to go. You're not part of this."

"Yes, I am."

"For as long as I've known you, you've been trying to run away..."

"Got something to fight for now, Croaker. What they did to Juniper. I can't let that go."

"Me, too," Asa said. "I still got most of the money Raven gave me after we raided the Catacombs."

I polled the others silently. They did not respond. It was up to me. "All right. Get it. But don't dawdle. I want to pull out as soon as I can."

"I can catch you one the road," Shed said. "I don't see why Asa can't too." He rose. Shyly, he extended a hand. I hesitated only a moment.

"Welcome to the Black Company, Shed."

Asa did not make the same offer.