Book 2 - She Is The Darkness Read Free

strangling noises. I kicked the door open and went
through without looking outside first. We got into the street.
    “Put him down,” I snapped. “Then cover us
while I take care of him.” Who knew what might be watching?
Taglian nights conceal countless curious eyes. Everyone wants to
know what the Black Company is doing. We take it as a given that
some of those are people we do not even know yet.
    Paranoia is a way of life.
    I knelt beside the litter, tipped it a little and turned
Smoke’s head. It flopped like he had no bones in his neck.
Smoke gurgled and hacked some more.
    “Hush,” One-Eye said.
    I looked up. A tall Shadar watchman was headed our way, carrying
a lantern. One of the Old Man’s innovations, the night-time
foot patrols have crippled enemy espionage efforts. Now our
creativity was about to turn around on us.
    The turbaned soldier walked past so close his grey pants
actually brushed me. But he sensed nothing.
    One-Eye is no master sorcerer but he does a hell of a job when
he concentrates.
    Smoke made that noise again.
    The Shadar stopped, looked back. His eyes widened. They were
about all that could be seen between his turban and his massive
beard. I do not know what he saw but he touched his forehead and
swept his fingers in a quick half circle ending over his heart.
That was a ward against evil common to all the peoples of
Taglios.
    He moved on hurriedly.
    “What did you do?” I asked.
    “Never mind,” One-Eye said. “Let’s get
him loaded.” The wagon was waiting right where Sleepy was
supposed to leave it. “He’s going to report something.
He’ll have his whole family here in a few minutes.”
    The watchmen were equipped with whistles. Our man remembered his
and started tooting as One-Eye lifted his end of the litter. In
seconds another whistle answered. “He going to keep that shit
up?” One-Eye asked.
    “I’ll lay him on his side.
The phlegm should drain off. But you’re the guy who knows the
medical stuff. If he’s coming down with pneumonia you better
start working on him now.”
    “Go teach granny to suck eggs, Kid. Just shove the little
bastard in the wagon, then get your ass back through that
door.”
    “Shit. I think I forgot to wedge it open.”
    “I’d call you a dumb shit but you keep ragging me
about stating the obvious. Unh!” He swung his end of the
litter into the bed of the wagon. Good boy Sleepy had remembered to
leave the tailgate down, exactly as he had been instructed.
“I remembered for you.”
    “You were the last one out anyway.” Damn, would I be
glad when Goblin came back and One-Eye could get back to feuding
with him. I shoved my end of the litter.
    One-Eye was scrambling up to the driver’s seat already.
“Don’t forget to get that gate up.”
    I twisted Smoke’s shoulders so his mouth would drain,
raised the tailgate and dropped the oak pins into their slots.
“You check on him as soon as you’re clear.”
    “Shut up and get out of here.”
    Whistles were shrieking all around us now. Sounded like every
watchman on duty was closing in.
    Their interest was going to attract that of others. I ran for
the postern door. Steel tires began to rattle on cobblestones
behind me.
    One-Eye was going to get a chance to test our cover story.
     
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3
    It is a long trail from that postern to the apartment I call
home. On the way I stopped by Croaker’s cell to let him know
what had happened while we were getting Smoke out of the house. He
asked, “You see anything besides the Shadar?”
    “No. But the uproar is going to attract attention. If they
hear that One-Eye was involved people interested in us will start
poking around. They’ll be sure something was going on even if
One-Eye sells his story to the watchmen.”
    Croaker grunted. He stared at the papers he had been trying to
read. He was bone-tired. “Nothing we can do about it now. Go
get some sleep. We’re going ourselves in a day or
two.”
    “Uhn.” I did not look forward to