hated hard work, too, and in this desert everybody was going to have to
bust ass to stay alive.
I had Smoke take me up high, with the eagles had any been able to survive out
there to see what had Goblin so excited.
He had not exaggerated about the desert.
Near the coast the Shindai Kus was all golden sand. The surf brought that in
from the deep. Continuous gales carried that sand inland, using it to scour the
skin off hills that, as they grew up and marched to the east, became the Dandha
Presh. On the coast few of the hills stood more than a hundred feet above the
sand. None of those showed the least sign of water erosion. It had not rained
there for a thousand years.
I started to descend. Goblin and two others were walking inland slowly, testing
the surface. Something exploded out of the sand ahead. An impossible something.
A monster that could not exist in this world, a devil thing the size of an
elephant but with more legs and hair than a tarantula plus some squidlike
tentacles and a scorpion’s tail thrown in for good measure. It staggered around
groggily. Obviously it had lain there a long time, awaiting the footsteps that
called it forth.
Goblin’s companions fled. The little wizard cursed and said, “Another thing I
hate is things that jump up out of the sand.” While the monster was still woozy
he hit it with some of his best stuff.
Something like a yard wide, a three legged stained glass throwing star appeared
in his hand. He used it like a throwing star. The monster bellowed in outrage as
the star clipped a couple tentacles and several legs off its right side. It
tried to charge Goblin, who elected for the better part of valor and hauled ass.
The monster sort of dragged itself around in a big circle, leaving ruts in the
golden sand. It lost interest in the men on the beach. For a while it tried to
put its severed limbs back on but the graft would not take. Finally, it just
sort of shuddered fatalistically and began to dig itself back down into the sand
with the limbs it still had.
“And another thing,” Goblin complained, “I hate the whole concept of the Shaded
Road.”
Shaded Road was some secret project kept from me because I had had no need to
know. I had overheard the name mentioned once or twice.
“I’m even beginning to wonder how much I like Croaker. This shit is pure
insanity. I hope the son of a bitch gets to spend his afterlife in a place like
this.”
No more need to check up on Goblin. He was fine. Like any good soldier, if he
was bitching he was perfectly all right.
I went back to Dejagore.
I came back into myself inside One-Eye’s wagon. I was starving and thirsty.
Smoke smelled bad. “One-Eye! I have to get something to eat. Where’s the
transients’ mess?”
The little black man stuck his disgusting hat into the wagon. I could barely
make out his equally ugly face. It must be getting dark out already.
“For us it’s in the citadel.”
“Isn’t that wonderful. Maybe I won’t eat the meat.” Mogaba and his cronies,
still on our side then, had sat out the siege in the citadel, dining on the
occasional hapless citizen of Jaicur.
“Pretend it’s chicken, it ain’t so bad,” One-Eye said, just to turn my stomach.
His nose wrinkled. “Smells in here.”
“I told you. You’d better get him cleaned up.”
He tried out his baleful stare. It did not work. I said, “You have to live with
him.”
Black Company GS 7 - She is Darkness
10
I thought Croaker would want to catch up with Lady. They had not seen one
another for a while. But he seemed content to rest at Dejagore, communing with
his dark messengers more and more.
The crows troubled those of the Old Crew whose duties tied them to Dejagore.
Candles and Wheezer came to me complaining. I told them, “He’s the boss. I guess
he can like crows if he wants.” I studied Wheezer closely, unable to believe his
disease had not killed him yet.
bust ass to stay alive.
I had Smoke take me up high, with the eagles had any been able to survive out
there to see what had Goblin so excited.
He had not exaggerated about the desert.
Near the coast the Shindai Kus was all golden sand. The surf brought that in
from the deep. Continuous gales carried that sand inland, using it to scour the
skin off hills that, as they grew up and marched to the east, became the Dandha
Presh. On the coast few of the hills stood more than a hundred feet above the
sand. None of those showed the least sign of water erosion. It had not rained
there for a thousand years.
I started to descend. Goblin and two others were walking inland slowly, testing
the surface. Something exploded out of the sand ahead. An impossible something.
A monster that could not exist in this world, a devil thing the size of an
elephant but with more legs and hair than a tarantula plus some squidlike
tentacles and a scorpion’s tail thrown in for good measure. It staggered around
groggily. Obviously it had lain there a long time, awaiting the footsteps that
called it forth.
Goblin’s companions fled. The little wizard cursed and said, “Another thing I
hate is things that jump up out of the sand.” While the monster was still woozy
he hit it with some of his best stuff.
Something like a yard wide, a three legged stained glass throwing star appeared
in his hand. He used it like a throwing star. The monster bellowed in outrage as
the star clipped a couple tentacles and several legs off its right side. It
tried to charge Goblin, who elected for the better part of valor and hauled ass.
The monster sort of dragged itself around in a big circle, leaving ruts in the
golden sand. It lost interest in the men on the beach. For a while it tried to
put its severed limbs back on but the graft would not take. Finally, it just
sort of shuddered fatalistically and began to dig itself back down into the sand
with the limbs it still had.
“And another thing,” Goblin complained, “I hate the whole concept of the Shaded
Road.”
Shaded Road was some secret project kept from me because I had had no need to
know. I had overheard the name mentioned once or twice.
“I’m even beginning to wonder how much I like Croaker. This shit is pure
insanity. I hope the son of a bitch gets to spend his afterlife in a place like
this.”
No more need to check up on Goblin. He was fine. Like any good soldier, if he
was bitching he was perfectly all right.
I went back to Dejagore.
I came back into myself inside One-Eye’s wagon. I was starving and thirsty.
Smoke smelled bad. “One-Eye! I have to get something to eat. Where’s the
transients’ mess?”
The little black man stuck his disgusting hat into the wagon. I could barely
make out his equally ugly face. It must be getting dark out already.
“For us it’s in the citadel.”
“Isn’t that wonderful. Maybe I won’t eat the meat.” Mogaba and his cronies,
still on our side then, had sat out the siege in the citadel, dining on the
occasional hapless citizen of Jaicur.
“Pretend it’s chicken, it ain’t so bad,” One-Eye said, just to turn my stomach.
His nose wrinkled. “Smells in here.”
“I told you. You’d better get him cleaned up.”
He tried out his baleful stare. It did not work. I said, “You have to live with
him.”
Black Company GS 7 - She is Darkness
10
I thought Croaker would want to catch up with Lady. They had not seen one
another for a while. But he seemed content to rest at Dejagore, communing with
his dark messengers more and more.
The crows troubled those of the Old Crew whose duties tied them to Dejagore.
Candles and Wheezer came to me complaining. I told them, “He’s the boss. I guess
he can like crows if he wants.” I studied Wheezer closely, unable to believe his
disease had not killed him yet.
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