suddenly startled and began to turn. I emerged too
terrified to be hungry or thirsty. I was shaking and babbling and making no
sense at all. The Old Man was close by. One-Eye had him in the wagon by the time
I got myself under control.
“What the hell happened, Murgen? You have some kind of fit? You going to start
going away again on me?” He touched me, felt the shakes that still went right
down to the heart of me. “One-Eye . . . ”
I croaked out, “I just saw Kina. I don’t know if she saw me.”
Death is eternity. Eternity is stone. Stone is silence. Stone speaketh not but
stone doth remember. Deep within the dark heart of the grey fastness stands a
massive throne of worm-eaten wood. This throne has shifted sideways and tilted
dramatically. A dark shape sprawls upon the throne, locked in enchanted slumber,
nailed down by silver daggers driven through its limbs. Its once vacant face is
drawn in agony.
The figure draws a deep breath. Silence yields to a great slow rumbling beat.
This is immortality of a sort but its price is paid in diamonds of pain, in
treasure by the bucket.
In the night, when the wind no longer blows and small shadows no longer creep,
the fortress reclaims its silence.
Silence is stone. Stone is eternity. Eternity is death.
Black Company GS 7 - She is Darkness
12
South of Shadowlight, which offered no resistance, the land rose and became
gorsy, stony, and as wrinkled as my mother-in-law’s face. Snow lurked wherever
sunlight seldom fell. Trees were scattered but of a variety that clung
stubbornly to some of its fruit throughout the winter. That fruit was tough and
dry but it grew tastier as we moved farther from civilization and anyplace where
we could acquire more palatable foods. The route the Captain insisted we follow
was one that had received very little preparation. And there were no navigable
waterways up which barges could carry supplies.
We had cattle along. The animals could sustain themselves poorly off the
vegetation. Those of us willing to eat flesh could gnaw on their stringy meat.
But we were just getting started here and already I was convinced that Croaker
had made the wrong choice, attacking now.
Those soldiers who were vegetarians suffered terribly.
The morning wind had a real bite. This definitely was no season for travel. We
could end up in real trouble if Mogaba held us up for long.
That might be a good strategy for him to pursue. Just hold us at Charandaprash
while all our forces came together, with all their camp followers, then continue
to hold us there while we exhausted our resources. Then he could slaughter the
starving remnants as they tried to flee.
Though he never mentioned it in so many words, part of Croaker’s plan was to
replenish our army by seizing supplies Mogaba had laid in for his. The Captain
very much counted on victory now, soon, however cautiously he talked.
He had put us in a position where there was no other choice.
The region around Shadowlight remained prosperous even after the earthquake but
already that was four hard days’ march behind us. Our foragers were eating up
half what they gathered just bringing it in.
Longshadow remained unconvinced that our advance was for real. He had a distinct
problem imagining minds working differently from his own. Mogaba entertained
doubts himself though the Deceivers and his own agents kept him informed of all
the disasters to the Shadowmaster’s cause. Few of the quake-battered towns and
cities made more than token attempts to resist. The Captain had chosen his
moment well, if emotionally.
Dark grey-indigo mountains spanned the southern horizon. Charandaprash was just
days away. The Captain slowed our advance to a very deliberate pace so the
soldiers would have more time to hunt and forage. Our part of the army began
coming together in larger and larger forces. Mogaba’s cavalry did not seem much
inclined to skirmish
terrified to be hungry or thirsty. I was shaking and babbling and making no
sense at all. The Old Man was close by. One-Eye had him in the wagon by the time
I got myself under control.
“What the hell happened, Murgen? You have some kind of fit? You going to start
going away again on me?” He touched me, felt the shakes that still went right
down to the heart of me. “One-Eye . . . ”
I croaked out, “I just saw Kina. I don’t know if she saw me.”
Death is eternity. Eternity is stone. Stone is silence. Stone speaketh not but
stone doth remember. Deep within the dark heart of the grey fastness stands a
massive throne of worm-eaten wood. This throne has shifted sideways and tilted
dramatically. A dark shape sprawls upon the throne, locked in enchanted slumber,
nailed down by silver daggers driven through its limbs. Its once vacant face is
drawn in agony.
The figure draws a deep breath. Silence yields to a great slow rumbling beat.
This is immortality of a sort but its price is paid in diamonds of pain, in
treasure by the bucket.
In the night, when the wind no longer blows and small shadows no longer creep,
the fortress reclaims its silence.
Silence is stone. Stone is eternity. Eternity is death.
Black Company GS 7 - She is Darkness
12
South of Shadowlight, which offered no resistance, the land rose and became
gorsy, stony, and as wrinkled as my mother-in-law’s face. Snow lurked wherever
sunlight seldom fell. Trees were scattered but of a variety that clung
stubbornly to some of its fruit throughout the winter. That fruit was tough and
dry but it grew tastier as we moved farther from civilization and anyplace where
we could acquire more palatable foods. The route the Captain insisted we follow
was one that had received very little preparation. And there were no navigable
waterways up which barges could carry supplies.
We had cattle along. The animals could sustain themselves poorly off the
vegetation. Those of us willing to eat flesh could gnaw on their stringy meat.
But we were just getting started here and already I was convinced that Croaker
had made the wrong choice, attacking now.
Those soldiers who were vegetarians suffered terribly.
The morning wind had a real bite. This definitely was no season for travel. We
could end up in real trouble if Mogaba held us up for long.
That might be a good strategy for him to pursue. Just hold us at Charandaprash
while all our forces came together, with all their camp followers, then continue
to hold us there while we exhausted our resources. Then he could slaughter the
starving remnants as they tried to flee.
Though he never mentioned it in so many words, part of Croaker’s plan was to
replenish our army by seizing supplies Mogaba had laid in for his. The Captain
very much counted on victory now, soon, however cautiously he talked.
He had put us in a position where there was no other choice.
The region around Shadowlight remained prosperous even after the earthquake but
already that was four hard days’ march behind us. Our foragers were eating up
half what they gathered just bringing it in.
Longshadow remained unconvinced that our advance was for real. He had a distinct
problem imagining minds working differently from his own. Mogaba entertained
doubts himself though the Deceivers and his own agents kept him informed of all
the disasters to the Shadowmaster’s cause. Few of the quake-battered towns and
cities made more than token attempts to resist. The Captain had chosen his
moment well, if emotionally.
Dark grey-indigo mountains spanned the southern horizon. Charandaprash was just
days away. The Captain slowed our advance to a very deliberate pace so the
soldiers would have more time to hunt and forage. Our part of the army began
coming together in larger and larger forces. Mogaba’s cavalry did not seem much
inclined to skirmish
Similar Books
