bad news was that it was dark out, there were shadows on the prowl, and he was not so sure about the quality of his fifteen-year-old amulet. He had to hope that in a city this vast, none of the handful of nightstalkers would cross his path while he was huffing and puffing and concentrating on staying ahead of Soulcatcher.
It did not occur to him that she might have recovered the shadows he had left in ambush, that they might be after him, too.
Soulcatcher stepped into the night close enough behind to glimpse a flicker of her quarry vanishing into the shadows between structures across the open area outside the Palace. She spied the abandoned Ghanghesha and several other small items that looked like they had been dropped in the rush to get away. She tossed her two shadows into the air and stomped her heel down on the clay figurine at the same time. This would set a pack of small deaths on the little man’s heels.
By now, she was reasonably certain that she was chasing the wizard called Goblin.
She screamed. The pain in her heel was beyond anything she had ever experienced. As she collapsed, trying to will her throat to seal itself, she watched three ferociously bright balls of light streak into the night in pursuit of the shadows she had sent to claim Goblin. Still fighting the incredible pain, she produced a dagger and used its tip to dip another fireball out of her heel. Already it had eaten all the way to the bone and in, and had done some damage as high as her ankle-despite her normal protection.
“I’ll be crippled,” she snarled. “He lulled me. He set me up so I’d think this would be another easy shadow trap.” None of her voices were amused now. “Clever little bastard will pay for this.”
The fallen fireball burned its way into the cobblestones. Still ignoring her pain, Soulcatcher tried to stand. She discovered that she was not going to be able to walk. She was, however, not losing any blood. The fireball had cauterized her wound. “My beloved sister, if you weren’t already dead, I’d kill you for inventing those damned things.”
Laughter echoed down off the ramparts of the Palace.
A flicker of white glided after Goblin.
“I think I’ll kill
41
“Can you believe that?” I asked. “She was as mad about ruining her outfit as she was about losing Goblin and getting hurt.”
One-Eye chuckled, immensely relieved because Goblin had gotten away. “I believe it.”
“What? You, too?”
“It’s a northern thing. Everything she wears is leather. You people are all goofy about stuff like that. She probably has to fly five thousand miles every time she wants a new pair of pants. Means she’s really got to watch her waist and behind. Unlike some-hey! No punching! We’re all on the same side here.”
“Do you believe this little pervert?” I asked Sahra.
“You go ask Swan.” One-Eye showed me his tooth. The one he was about to lose. “He’ll tell you the woman’s got her good points.”
Sahra remained all business. “What are we going to do if she just pretends the Radisha is all right? How many people normally see the Princess? Not many, I know. And there’s no Privy Council anymore. We’ve seen to them. Except for Mogaba.”
“We’ve got to see about him, too,” One-Eye grumbled.
“Let’s not overreach. The Great General will be harder to take than the others were.”
I mused, “She wouldn’t actually have to keep the Radisha in hiding very long. Maybe two weeks, while she builds a new Council, handpicked to woof ’Yes, ma’am!’ and ’How high?’ when she tells them to jump.”
One-Eye blew out a bushel of air. “She’s right. Maybe we should’ve considered that.”
I said, “I did consider it. Having the Radisha under our control looked like the best deal. We can trot her out any time Soulcatcher gets too bizarre. And Soulcatcher will realize that. She won’t let temptation carry her too far. Not until she sorts us out.”
“She will do everything she can to find and recover the Radisha,” Sahra said. “I’m sure of that. Which means we need to hurry up and get out of the city.”
I said, “I have one little thing to do before I go. Don’t anybody wait on me. Murgen. Be a pal and put a little real effort into finding out about this other white crow.”
I did not await his response. Now that Goblin seemed safe, I was eager to interview our newest prisoner.
Someone had taken some effort to make the Radisha comfortable. Nor had she been forced into a cage. Presumably, One-Eye had provided a sampler of choker spells.
I studied her while she remained unaware of my presence. She had had a formidable reputation when first the Company had come to Taglios. She had put up a good struggle, too, but the years had worn her down. She looked old and tired and defeated now.
I stepped forward. “Have they treated you well so far, Radisha?”
She showed me a weak smile. There was a twinkle both of anger and sarcasm in her eye.
“I know. It’s not the Palace. But I’ve enjoyed worse. Including chains and no roof at all.”
“And animal hides?”
“I’ve lived here for the last six years. You get used to it.” It had been longer than that but I was not taking time to be precise.
“Why?”
“Water sleeps, Radisha. Water sleeps. You were expecting us. We had to come.”
At that point it became completely real to her. Her eyes grew big. “I’ve seen you before.”
“Many times. Lately, around the Palace. Once upon a time, long ago, around the Palace also, with the Standard-bearer.”
“You’re the idiot.”
“Am I? Perhaps one of us-”
She began to grow angry then.
I told her, “That won’t help. But if you need to rage to feel better, consider this. The Protector is covering up your disappearance already. The one person who knew for sure-not counting us villains, of course-is dead already. There’ll be more deaths. And you’ll begin making the most outrageous pronouncements from the anonymity of your Anger Chamber. And in six months the Protector will be so solidly in control, behind her Greys and those who think they can profit from an alliance with her, that you won’t matter anymore.” As long as Soulcatcher could come to an accommodation with Mogaba. I did not mention that. The Radisha began to speak quite rudely of her ally.
I let her run for a while, then offered another slogan: “All their days are numbered.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Sooner or later we’re going to get everyone who injured us. You’re right. It’s not really sane. But it’s the way we are. You’ve seen it happening lately. Only the Protector and the Great General are still running free. All their days are numbered.”
The reality sank in a little deeper. She was a captive. She did not know where. She did not know what was going to happen. She did know that her captors were willing to pursue their grudges to insane lengths, just as they had promised they would before she made the mistake of letting herself be seduced by Soulcatcher’s deadly promises.
“You have no designated heir, do you?”
The change of direction startled her. “What?”
“There isn’t any clear-cut line of succession.”
Again, “What?”
“At the moment I don’t just hold you hostage, I have the entire future of Taglios and the Taglian Territories
