Book 1 - The Black Company by Glen Cook Read Free Book Online Page B

his
late twenties. Unprepossessing . . .
    Not really. On second glance you noted something striking. An
intensity, a lack of expression, something in his stance. He was
not intimidated by the gardens.
    People looked and wrinkled their noses. They did not see the
man, they saw rags. You could feel their revulsion. Bad enough that
we had been allowed inside. Now it was ragpickers.
    A grandly accoutered attendant went to show him an entrance he'd
obviously entered in error.
    The man came toward us, passing the attendant as if he did not
exist. There was a jerkiness, a stiffness, to his movements which
suggested he was recovering from recent wounds. "Captain?"
    "Good afternoon. Have a seat."
    A ponderous staff general detached himself from a clutch of
senior officers and svelte young women. He took a few steps our
way, paused. He was tempted to make his prejudices known.
    I recognized him. Lord Jalena. As high as you could get without
being one of the Ten Who Were Taken. His face was puffed and red.
If the Captain noticed him, he pretended otherwise.
    "Gentlemen, this is . . . Raven. He wants to
join us. Raven isn't his birthname. Doesn't matter. The rest of you
lied too. Introduce yourselves and ask questions."
    There was something odd about this Raven. We were his guests,
apparently. His manner was not that of a street beggar, yet he
looked like a lot of bad road.
    Lord Jalena arrived. His breath came in wheezes. Pigs like him I
would love to put through half what they inflict on their
troops.
    He scowled at the Captain. "Sir," he said between puffs, "Your
connections are such that we can't deny you,
but . . . The Gardens are for persons of
refinement. They have been for two hundred years. We don't
admit . . . "
    The Captain donned a quizzical smile. Mildly, he replied, "I'm a
guest, Milord. If you don't like my company, complain to my host."
He indicated Raven.
    Jalena made a half-right turn. "Sir . . . "
His eyes and mouth went round. "You!"
    Raven stared at Jalena. Not one muscle twitched. Not an eyelash
flickered. The color fled the fat man's cheeks. He glanced at his
own party almost in supplication, looked at Raven again, turned to
the Captain. His mouth worked but no words came out.
    The Captain reached toward Raven. Raven accepted Soulcatcher's
badge. He pinned it over his heart.
    Jalena went paler still. He backed away.
    "Seems to know you," the Captain observed.
    "He thought I was dead."
    Jalena rejoined his party. He gabbled and pointed. Pale-faced
men looked our way. They argued briefly, then the whole lot fled
the garden.
    Raven did not explain. Instead, he said, "Shall we get to
business?"
    "Care to illuminate what just happened?" The Captain's voice had
a dangerous softness.
    "No."
    "Better reconsider. Your presence could endanger the whole
Company."
    "It won't. It's a personal matter. I won't bring it with
me."
    The Captain thought about it. He is not one to intrude on a
man's past. Not without cause. He decided he had cause. "How can
you avoid bringing it? Obviously, you mean something to Lord
Jalena."
    "Not to Jalena. To friends of his. It's old history. I'll settle
it before I join you. Five people have to die to close the
book."
    This sounded interesting. Ah, the smell of mystery and dark
doings, of skullduggery and revenge. The meat of a good tale. "I'm
Croaker. Any special reason for not sharing the story?"
    Raven faced me, obviously under rigid self-control. "It's
private, it's old, and it's shameful. I don't want to talk about
it."
    One-Eye said, "In that case I can't vote for acceptance."
    Two men and a woman came down a flagstone pathway, paused
overlooking the place where Lord Jalena's party had been.
Latecomers? They were surprised. I watched them talk it over.
    Elmo voted with One-Eye. So did the Lieutenant.
    "Croaker?" the Captain asked.
    I voted aye. I smelled a mystery and did not want it to get
away.
    The Captain told Raven, "I know part of it. That's why I'm
voting with One-Eye. For the