Shadows Linger: A Novel of the Black Company (Chronicles of The Black Company) by Glen Cook Read Free Book Online Page A

him, told him.
    He sighed. “Find the Lieutenant.” He went to his map cases. I asked a couple questions he ignored, took the hint and got out.
    He had expected something like this? There was a crisis in the area? How could Charm have heard first?
    Silly, worrying before I heard what Goblin had to say.
    The Lieutenant seemed no more surprised than the Captain. “Something up?” I asked.
    “Maybe. A courier letter came after you and Candy left for Tally. Said we might be called west. This could be it.”
    “West? Really?”
    “Yeah.” Such dense sarcasm he put into the word!
    Stupid. If we chose Charm as the customary demarcation point between east and west, Tally lay two thousand plus miles away Three months’ travel under perfect conditions. The country between was anything but perfect. In places roads just didn’t exist. I thought six months sounded too optimistic.
    But I was worrying before the fact again. I had to wait and see.
    It turned out to be something even the Captain and Lieutenant hadn’t anticipated.
    We waited in repidation while Goblin pulled himself together. The Captain had his map case open, sketching a tentative route to Frost. He grumbled because all west-bound traffic had to cross the Plain of Fear. Goblin cleared his throat.
    Tension mounted. He did not lift his eyes. The news had to be unpleasant. He squeaked, “We’ve been recalled. That was the Lady. She seemed disturbed. The first leg goes to Frost. One of the Taken will meet us there. He’ll take us on to the Barrowland.”
    The others frowned, exchanged puzzled looks. I muttered, “Shit. Holy Shit.”
    “What is it, Croaker?” the Captain asked.
    They didn’t know. They paid no attention to historical things. “That’s where the Dominator is buried. Where they all were buried, back when. It’s in the forest north of Oar.” We’d been to Oar seven years ago. It was not a friendly city.
    “Oar!” the Captain yelled. “Oar! That’s twenty-five hundred miles!”
    “Add another hundred or two to the Barrowland.”
    He stared at the maps. “Great. Just great. That means not just the Plain of Fear but the Empty Hills and the Windy Country too. Just fandamntastic great. I suppose we’ve got to get there next week?”
    Goblin shook his head. “She didn’t seem rushed, Captain. Just upset and wanting us headed the right way.”
    “She give you any whys or wherefores?”
    Goblin smirked. Did the Lady ever? Hell, no.
    “Just like that,” the Captain muttered. “Out of the blue. Orders to hike halfway around the world. I love it.” He told the Lieutenant to begin preparations for movement.
    It was bad news, mad news, insanity squared, but not as bad as he made out. He had been preparing since receiving the courier letter. It wasn’t that hard to get rolling. The trouble was, nobody wanted to roll.
    The west was far nicer than anything we’d known out here, but not so great anybody wanted to walk that far.
    Surely she could have summoned a closer unit?
    We are the victims of our own competence. She always wants us where the going threatens to become toughest. She knows we will do the best job.
    Damn and double damn.

Chapter Eleven: JUNIPER: NIGHT WORK
    Shed had given Krage only nine of ten leva. The coin he held back bought firewood, wine, and beer to replenish his stocks. Then other creditors caught wind of his prosperity. A slight upturn in business did him no good. He met his next payment to Krage by borrowing from a moneylender named Gilbert.
    He found himself wishing somebody would die. Another ten leva would put him in striking distance of getting through the winter.
    It was a hard one, that winter. Nothing moved in the harbor. There was no work in the Buskin. Shed’s only bit of good fortune was Asa. Asa brought wood whenever he got away from Krage, in a pathetic effort to buy a friend.
    Asa arrived with a load. Privately, he said, “Better watch out, Shed. Krage heard about you borrowing from Gilbert.” Shed