Water Sleeps

68

T he warning horn sounded deep in the night, when even those who were stuck with guard duty were at their most sluggish. But the man on horn duty was married to his job. He kept blowing and blowing. In minutes our entire encampment was seething. And I was out there with my heart in my throat, striding along, making sure the chaos was only apparent, not real. Everyone remained calm and focused. There was no panic. I was pleased. Even a little training and discipline are better than none.

I ducked into Goblin's tent. Sahra and Tobo were there already and not at one another's throats. I must have gotten through to the kid. I should keep after them both. In my copious free time. I bent close to the mist projector. "What's the word?"

Murgen whispered, "Soulcatcher is airborne and moving south. She plans to arrive shortly after sunrise. She has a good idea where you are. During her rest time she sent a shadow down to scout your position. She didn't learn a lot more. The shadow didn't dare get close enough to eavesdrop. She plans to don one of her disguises and infiltrate your camp so she can find out what you're really up to. From the beginning, she's operated under the assumption that we're dead out here. Even though she didn't kill us directly when she trapped us. She flew out of there believing we'd be dead in just a few days. I expect learning that Croaker and Lady are still alive is going to be the kind of shock that ruins her whole century."

"How fast is she moving? Strike that. You said she'd get here just after sunrise. Is Mogaba with her?" That would make a big difference in how fresh she would be when when she arrived. Which would determine the shape of what I started doing now.

"No. If she manages to get in among you and unearths all the answers to the questions she has, she'll smash you, scatter you, grab the Key, then go back for the Great General." Murgen sneered when he used Mogaba's title. The fact that we never beat him once, heads up, during the Kiaulune wars, did nothing to ease our contempt for him as a deserter and traitor.

"Warn me if she does anything unexpected. Sahra, have you checked on your mother?"

"Briefly. Doj and JoJo are helping her and One-Eye. I think she was a little delirious. She kept muttering about a noose and a land of unknown shadows and calling the heaven and earth and the day and the night."

"All evil dies there an endless death."

"That, too. What is it?"

"I don't know. A phrase I picked up somewhere. It has to do with the plain but I don't know what. Doj might be able to tell you. He promised to be cooperative and forthcoming but since I passed on his offer to make me his apprentice, that hasn't materialized. My fault as much as his, probably. I haven't taken time to press him. I have work to do." I ducked out.

The excitement had become more rigorously organized. There were torches and lanterns to light the road to the Shadowgate. A band of our bravest were up near the gate already, arranging more lighting and fine-tuning the colored powders used as road marks. Loaded animals were beginning to line up. Likewise a train of carts. Babies cried, children whined, a dog barked without pause. Sounds of men slipping through the darkness beyond the light came from all around. Prisoners who had been sure we meant to drag them onto the plain to become human sacrifices were being chivied toward the New Town. Some of the harder men had wanted to use them as bearers instead of the animals, disposing of them as their usefulness ended. I had demurred. They would become obstinate and obstreperous after the first few died and we would not be able to eat them after we ate up the consumables they carried. Not that the majority of us would eat flesh anyway. But those who could would from the beginning.

I spied Willow Swan strolling through the mob. He spun off orders like a drill instructor. I approached him. "Gone nostalgic for the good old days when you were the boss Grey?"

"A true genius, whose name we won't bring up in present company, sent all the master sergeants to make preparations at the Shadowgate. She didn't detail anybody to keep things moving down here."

The unnamed genius had to admit that he was right. River, Runmust, Spiff, all the men I had known the longest and trusted the most, were up there or somewhere out in the darkness. I guess I just assumed Sahra and I could handle everything else. Forgetting that I would be sprinting around making decisions for everyone who could not make up their minds for themselves. "Thanks. If I don't get a better offer by my fortieth birthday, I'll marry you yet."

Swan made a halfhearted effort to click his heels. "So. How old are you today?"

"Seventeen."

"That's about what I guessed. With maybe another twenty years of experience, plus wear and tear."

"It's tough being a teenager today. Just ask Tobo. Nobody's ever had it as awful as he does."

He chuckled. "Speaking of kids, who's handling the Daughter of Night? Which I don't want to be me."

"Darn! I figured Goblin and Doj for that. But Goblin's tied up helping keep track of Soulcatcher, and Doj has Gota and One-Eye to worry about. Thanks for reminding me." I headed back toward Goblin's tent. "Hey, Short Wart! Leave it to Tobo and Sahra a while. We got to get the Daughter of Night loaded up."

Goblin came out muttering, surveyed the excitement, grumbled, "All right. Let's get at it. Only, how come the fuck we never gave her a name? So what if she don't want one. She don't want to live in no cage, either. Even Booboo would be easier than calling her Daughter of Night all the time. Whoa! What the fuck is that?" He stared past me, downhill.

I turned, saw a pair of red eyes bobbing in the darkness, coming closer fast. I grabbed for my sword. Then I frowned as I heard the hoofbeats. Then I said, "Hey, buddy! Is that you? What the heck are you doing here? I thought you had yourself a job working for the traitor."

The old black stallion stepped close, lowered its head to nuzzle the hair beside my right ear. I hugged it around the neck. We had been friends once upon a time but I had not thought we were so close that it would desert Mogaba and track me down over hundreds of miles once it discovered that I was still alive. The creatures had been created to serve the Lady of the Tower but were supposed to be used to passing from one secondary master to another. This one had been Murgen's before it had become mine, then I had lost it.

"You ought to get out of here," I told it. "Your timing's really lousy. Soulcatcher is going to be all over us in just a few hours. If we're not already up there on that plain."

The horse surveyed my companions and what it could see of the Company, shuddered. Then, turning its gaze on Swan, the stallion managed a very human snort.

I patted its neck. "I'm not sure I don't agree with you, but Willow does have his redeeming qualities. He just keeps them well hidden. Go ahead and tag along if you want. I'm not riding. Not without a saddle."

Swan chuckled. "So much for the conquering Vehdna horsemen whose pride disdained both saddles and stirrups."

"Admitting no shortcomings of my own, I still have to observe that most of those proud horsemen were over six feet tall."

"I'll find you a ladder. And promise never to say a word about how those proud conquerors fared as soon as they ran into cavalry who did favor saddles and stirrups."

"Bite him, buddy."

To my amazement, the stallion snorted and nipped at Willow's shoulder. Swan leaped back. "You always did have a temper and bad manners, half-ass."

"Might be the company."

"Far be it from me to interfere with your sparking, Crowhunter," Goblin said, "but I thought you had a notion to do something with Booboo."

"Sarcastic, eavesdropping mudsucker. I did, didn't I? And I overlooked our old pal Khusavir Pete, too. I haven't checked in on him lately, either. Is he still healthy?" The horse nuzzled me again. I patted its neck. Maybe it felt more nostalgic about our good old days than I did.

"I can check. You definitely overlooked him in your master plan."

"Oh, no, I didn't. Not a bit. I have a very special mission cooked up specially for Khusavir Pete. And if he pulls it off, not only will he get to stay alive, I'll forgive everything he did at Kushkhoshi."

Somebody shouted. A scarlet fireball blistered across the night. It missed its target. It did not miss a tent, however. Then another tent after that, then the crude wooden barracks the men had built while they were waiting for me to arrive. All three began to smolder.

"That was Narayan Singh," Willow Swan said, stating what two-score people had seen during the carmine instant. "And he had Booboo—"

"Can it, Swan." I started yelling at everyone nearby, trying to organize a pursuit.

Goblin told me, "Calm down, Sleepy. All we need to do is wait till she starts screaming, then go pick her up."

I had forgotten the incredible array of control spells attached to the Daughter of Night. Her pain would increase geometrically as she moved farther away from her cage. Then at some distance known only to Goblin and One-Eye, choke spells would kick in and tighten rapidly. Narayan could take her away from us but only at the cost of killing her. Unless...

I asked.

"The spells have to be taken off from outside. She could be her mother and sister, the Shadowmasters and the Ten Who Were Taken all rolled into one and she'd still have to have somebody else help her get loose."

"All right. Then we'll wait for the screams."

There were no screams. Not then or ever.

Murgen looked hard. He could find no sign. Kina was dreaming strongly, protecting her own. Goblin remained adamant that they had to be close by, that there was no way the Daughter of Night had shed her connection to her cage.

I told Swan, "Then you gather up some men and drag that cage up to the Shadowgate. We'll make her follow us."

The warning horn sounded again. Soulcatcher had crossed the summit. She was on our side of the Dandha Presh. There were hints of light in the east.

It was time to leave.