daring someone, anyone, to answer their
challenge.
I gasped.
Widowmaker carried the Lance. The standard itself was not
apparent but that was the lance on which it had ridden from the day
the Black Company left Khatovar. Every single Annalist has kept
close track although the reason for doing so has been forgotten. I
focused on Shadowspinner in time to see One-Eye’s treasure
arrive.
Later Goblin told me Spinner sensed the threat as the missile
hit the peak of its arc. Whatever he did then, it was the right
thing. Or he was lucky. Or a higher power decreed that this was not
his night to die.
The spear changed course by scant inches. Instead of striking
Shadowspinner it hit his mount’s shoulder. And ripped through
the beast as though it was no more substantial than air. The wound
glowed red, flickered. The red spread. Shadowspinner bellowed in
rage as the animal threw him. He fell in a heap, lay there
twitching long enough for One-Eye to start nagging Loftus about
hitting him with a barrage of regular shafts, then he scuttled off
like a crab to escape the stallion’s pounding hooves.
I recognized that animal then. It was one of those magically
bred monster horses Lady brought south with the Company, out of her
old empire. They vanished during the battle.
The horse screamed and screamed.
A normal animal would have perished in moments.
I stared at those two riders out there. They walked toward the
city slowly, offering their challenge. Now I could see that they,
too, were mounted on Lady’s stallions. I told Goblin,
“But I saw them killed.”
One-Eye grumbled, “We got to check this boy’s
eyes.”
Goblin said, “I told you before, that’s not Lady.
You look real close, you can see differences in the
armor.”
The troops were seeing that. There was a stir among the
Taglians.
“And you don’t know about the other one?
What’re they talking about over there?”
“No. It could be the Old Man.”
Sparkle went to see why the Taglians were excited.
Shadowspinner’s horse collapsed but continued screaming
and kicking. Wisps of greenish steam rose from its wound. That
continued to grow. The beast’s death was a long time
coming.
The sorcerer would have died more slowly and gruesomely still
had One-Eye’s shaft struck home.
Sparkle came to say, “They’re all excited because
that armor is an exact match for some goddess named Kina in her
battle avatar. That’s the way she’s always portrayed in
paintings about her war with the demons.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, only that Kina was some
sort of death goddess in these parts.
I wondered when the Shadowmaster would snipe back at
One-Eye.
“He won’t,” Goblin assured me. “The
moment he gave it attention enough to be effective those two out
there would cut his legs off.”
I watched Shadowspinner limp out of sight.
His embarrassment spurred his soldiers to increase their efforts
again. Somebody would pay for his indignity in pain. Understandably
they preferred that we pick up that tab.
Some of them seemed to recognize the Lifetaker armor, too. I
heard the name Kina shouted more than once below the wall.
“Thai Dei. Time for a message to your grandfather. I want
to bring part of my force through his area so I can help drive the
southerners out of the city.”
The Nyueng Bao stepped out of the shadows just long enough to
listen. He stared at those riders, troubled. Then he grunted,
descended to the street and trotted off into the night.
“Listen up, people. We’re going to go save our
fearless dick-head leader.
Bucket . . . ”
----
----
29
I stepped into a dark alleyway, planning to set up shop behind a
southern company with Goblin to do his hoodoo on them. And it was
like I stepped off the edge of the world, into an abyss without
bottom. Like some great psychic flyswatter slapped me down into the
void. Goblin barked something in the instant it took to go but I
did not understand him.
I had that moment to feel
challenge.
I gasped.
Widowmaker carried the Lance. The standard itself was not
apparent but that was the lance on which it had ridden from the day
the Black Company left Khatovar. Every single Annalist has kept
close track although the reason for doing so has been forgotten. I
focused on Shadowspinner in time to see One-Eye’s treasure
arrive.
Later Goblin told me Spinner sensed the threat as the missile
hit the peak of its arc. Whatever he did then, it was the right
thing. Or he was lucky. Or a higher power decreed that this was not
his night to die.
The spear changed course by scant inches. Instead of striking
Shadowspinner it hit his mount’s shoulder. And ripped through
the beast as though it was no more substantial than air. The wound
glowed red, flickered. The red spread. Shadowspinner bellowed in
rage as the animal threw him. He fell in a heap, lay there
twitching long enough for One-Eye to start nagging Loftus about
hitting him with a barrage of regular shafts, then he scuttled off
like a crab to escape the stallion’s pounding hooves.
I recognized that animal then. It was one of those magically
bred monster horses Lady brought south with the Company, out of her
old empire. They vanished during the battle.
The horse screamed and screamed.
A normal animal would have perished in moments.
I stared at those two riders out there. They walked toward the
city slowly, offering their challenge. Now I could see that they,
too, were mounted on Lady’s stallions. I told Goblin,
“But I saw them killed.”
One-Eye grumbled, “We got to check this boy’s
eyes.”
Goblin said, “I told you before, that’s not Lady.
You look real close, you can see differences in the
armor.”
The troops were seeing that. There was a stir among the
Taglians.
“And you don’t know about the other one?
What’re they talking about over there?”
“No. It could be the Old Man.”
Sparkle went to see why the Taglians were excited.
Shadowspinner’s horse collapsed but continued screaming
and kicking. Wisps of greenish steam rose from its wound. That
continued to grow. The beast’s death was a long time
coming.
The sorcerer would have died more slowly and gruesomely still
had One-Eye’s shaft struck home.
Sparkle came to say, “They’re all excited because
that armor is an exact match for some goddess named Kina in her
battle avatar. That’s the way she’s always portrayed in
paintings about her war with the demons.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, only that Kina was some
sort of death goddess in these parts.
I wondered when the Shadowmaster would snipe back at
One-Eye.
“He won’t,” Goblin assured me. “The
moment he gave it attention enough to be effective those two out
there would cut his legs off.”
I watched Shadowspinner limp out of sight.
His embarrassment spurred his soldiers to increase their efforts
again. Somebody would pay for his indignity in pain. Understandably
they preferred that we pick up that tab.
Some of them seemed to recognize the Lifetaker armor, too. I
heard the name Kina shouted more than once below the wall.
“Thai Dei. Time for a message to your grandfather. I want
to bring part of my force through his area so I can help drive the
southerners out of the city.”
The Nyueng Bao stepped out of the shadows just long enough to
listen. He stared at those riders, troubled. Then he grunted,
descended to the street and trotted off into the night.
“Listen up, people. We’re going to go save our
fearless dick-head leader.
Bucket . . . ”
----
----
29
I stepped into a dark alleyway, planning to set up shop behind a
southern company with Goblin to do his hoodoo on them. And it was
like I stepped off the edge of the world, into an abyss without
bottom. Like some great psychic flyswatter slapped me down into the
void. Goblin barked something in the instant it took to go but I
did not understand him.
I had that moment to feel
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