[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"Of course. One of the Limper's shortcomings. No imagination. He kills them
where he finds them-along with everyone else in sight." Again that weird
laughter. "Less effective, yes?" There was another sentence, but in no
language I know.
The Captain nodded. "Elmo?"
Elmo told his part as he had before, word for word. He passed the tale to
One-Eye, who sketched a scheme for taking Raker. I did not understand, but
Soulcatcher caught it instantly. He laughed a third time.
I gathered we were going to unleash the dark side of human nature.
One-Eye took Soulcatcher to see his mystery stone. We moved closer to the
fire. Silent produced a deck. There were no takers.
Sometimes I wonder how the regulars stay sane. They are around the Taken all
the time. Soulcatcher is a sweetheart compared to the others.
One-Eye and Soulcatcher returned, laughing. "Two of a kind," Elmo muttered, in
a rare statement of opinion.
Soulcatcher recaptured the fire. "Well done, gentlemen. Very well done.
Imaginative. This could break them in the Salient. We start for Roses when the
weather breaks. A party of eight, Captain, including two of your witch men."
Each sentence was followed by a break. Each was in a different voice. Weird.
I have heard those are the voices of all the people whose souls Soulcatcher
has caught.
Bolder than my wont, I volunteered for the expedition. I wanted to see how
Raker could be taken with hair and a block of limestone. The Limper had failed
with all his furious power.
The Captain thought about it. "Okay, Croaker. One-Eye and Goblin. You, Elmo.
And pick two more."
"That's only seven, Captain."
Page 67
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Raven makes eight."
"Oh. Raven. Of course."
Of course. Quiet, deadly Raven would be the Captain's alter-ego. The bond
between those men surpasses understanding. Guess it bothers me because Raven
scares the I out of me lately.
Raven caught the Captain's eye. His right eyebrow rose. The Captain replied
with a ghost of a nod. Raven twitched a shoulder. What was the message? I
could not guess.
Something unusual was in the wind. Those in the know found it delicious.
Though I could not guess what it was, I knew it would be slick and nasty.
The storm broke. Soon the Roses road was open. Soulcatcher fretted. Raker had
two weeks start. It would take us a week to reach Roses. One-Eye's planted
tales might lose their efficacy before we arrived.
We left before dawn, the limestone block aboard a wagon. The wizards had done
little but carve out a modest declivity the size of a large melon. I could not
fathom its value. One-Eye and Goblin fussed over it like a groom over a new
bride. One-Eye answered my questions with a big grin. Bastard.
The weather held fair. Warm winds blew out of the south. We encountered long
stretches of muddy road. And I witnessed an outrageous phenomenon. Soulcatcher
got down in the mud and dragged that wagon with the rest of us. That great
lord of the Empire.
Roses is the queen city of the Salient, a teeming sprawl, a free city, a
republic. The Lady has not seen fit to revoke its traditional autonomy. The
world needs places where men of all stripes and stations can step outside the
usual strictures.
So. Roses. Owning no master. Filled with agents and spies and those who live
on the dark side of the law. In that environment, One-Eye claimed, his scheme
had to prosper.
Roses' red walls loomed over us, dark as old blood in the light of the setting
sun, when we arrived.
Goblin ambled into the room we had taken. "I found the place," he squeaked at
One-Eye.
"Good."
Curious. They had not exchanged a cross word in weeks. Usually an hour without
a squabble was a miracle.
Soulcatcher shifted in the shadowed corner where he remained planted like a
lean black bush, a crowd softly debating with itself. "Go on."
"It's an old public square. A dozen alleys and streets going in and out.
Poorly lighted at night. No reason for any traffic after dark."
"Sounds perfect," One-Eye said.
"It is. I rented a room overlooking it."
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]