Book 4 - Soldiers Live by Glen Cook Page A

ladies kept spinning those implied threats. But he was
cautious. The Company was up to something new. This was
frightening. Had the outsiders run out of patience? All Hsien
nurtures some fears of the sleeping tiger of the Abode of Ravens.
And we make a point of encouraging them.
    When I looked around again there was Shikhandini.
How? . . . 
    I studied her, expecting to see some deviltry suggested by her
stance or expression. There was nothing there. The kid was stone
cold indifferent.
    Sahra waved Santaraksita away. He scurried over to Sleepy,
murmured some more. Sleepy nodded but did not do anything else.
That left the old scholar looking like he was about to panic.
    Shiki’s disappearance and reappearance made it more
obvious than ever that there was something going on. Obvious to the
former Captain, anyway. And the former Captain had been told
nothing beforehand.
    The ladies were into one of their schemes. And that would be the
real reason they wanted Shiki along. Shiki brought an awesome array
of weapons into the game.
    And they had had me convinced that they just wanted the magic
handy in case somebody suffered an impulse to be unpleasant, which
happens all too frequently when we are around.
    The Radisha and the Prahbrindrah Drah still mourn their
treacherous impulses.
    I told Swan, “This business was a lot more fun when I was
the one scheming and being mysterious.”
    The First of the File said, “Will you do us the courtesy
of withdrawing for a moment, Captain? Ambassador? I believe a
consensus may be within reach.”
     
    While we waited in the antechamber, Swan asked, “Why did
he bother asking us to leave? After what happened? Does he really
think we won’t know what’s going on in there?”
Things moved in the corners of my vision. Strings of shadow snaked
over the walls until I tried to look at them directly. Then, of
course, nothing was visible.
    “Possibly he didn’t catch all the
implications.” Like the fact that something would be
eavesdropping on every word he spoke until the Black Company left
the Land of Unknown Shadows. At this late date anything he tried to
pull together would be a complete wasted effort.
    “Let’s go,” Sleepy said. “Move out.
Croaker. Swan. Quit jacking your jaws and get moving.”
    “Moving where?” I asked.
    “Downstairs. Home. Get going.”
    “But . . . ” This was not what I
expected. A good Black Company trick ends up with lots of fire and
bloodshed, the vast majority of both not inflicted upon us.
    Sleepy growled. It was a pure animal sound. “If I’m
going to be Captain I’m going to be Captain. I’m not
going to discuss or debate or request preapproval from the old
folks. Get moving.”
    She had a point. I had made it a few times myself, in my day. I
had to set an example. I went.
    “Good luck,” Sleepy told Sahra. She strode toward
the nearest stairwell. I followed. Presumably better trained by
Sleepy’s predecessor, the others were clattering down those
ancient stairs already. Only Sahra and Master Santaraksita remained
behind, though Shiki did hover around Sahra briefly, as though
interested in a parting hug.
    “Interesting,” Sleepy observed. “It’s
such a good mimic that it almost forgets itself.”
    She was talking to herself, not to the Captain-Emeritus. He no
longer needed an explanation. He had seen this stuff before. The
ladies were going to take the information that we needed.
Santaraksita had located it and had tagged it and now our own
people were in the process of collecting it. Tobo was somewhere
else, hard at work. One of his spooky friends was masquerading as
Shikhandini.
    All of which meant that Sleepy was better prepared to travel
than I had supposed. You miss so much when you are laid up. Things
continued to stir in the corners. Movements persisted at the edge
of my vision. Always there was nothing to be seen when I looked
directly. Nevertheless . . . 
    Khang Phi had been conquered. That unvanquishable fortress