Lawrence Watt-Evans - In the Empire of Shadow

“I don’t see how we could do much worse either way,” someone muttered.

Dibbs whirled to spot the speaker.

Before he could say anything, someone else interrupted.

“Whoe’er spoke has the right of it,” Stoddard said, startling everyone. “Scarce in this land a second hour, and we’d seen Elani die, seen your Colonel Carson die, lost three men to the forests, and been found by Shadow. All this, and we’ve yet to say who’s to lead and who’s to follow, yet to say whither we go, yet to step a dozen paces from this sky-ship, save we flee in panic. I’ve my fill of it.”

Prossie turned, startled; she had never heard Stoddard make so long a speech.

“Not to mention,” Singer pointed out, “that all our supplies are in the ship, and we can’t get at them with that dead whatever-it-is draped across everything.”

“Stoddard, hold tongue,” Raven snapped. “We’ve had misfortune, aye, but ’tis no fault of any of us gathered here. That Carson was a fool was none’s fault save his own, and he’s paid the price that folly must bring. All else follows upon Shadow’s magic, that told it of yon sky-portal ere we were well through it, and how to counter that, how to prevent?”

“I’ll not hold tongue,” Stoddard said, “for I’ve words to say. Ask me not of how to counter Shadow, for I’m but an honest warrior, but ask rather yon corpse that was a wizard, and wise in the ways of magic.” He gestured at Valadrakul. “Ask likewise this, that stands before us, brushing dust from his garb with no thought that Shadow must still seek us.”

Prossie’s mouth opened in astonishment; she had never before heard Stoddard defy Raven in even the slightest degree.

Valadrakul, too, looked at Stoddard, startled. “I am ever aware of Shadow’s threat, man; what wouldst have me do?”

Stoddard turned. “Hast no wards, no warnings, naught that might guard us?”

“Nay, I’ve none,” Valadrakul replied angrily. “Magicks are not all as one, and I’ve no spell that would stand ’gainst Shadow.”

“Then of what use art thou?” Stoddard demanded.

“’Gainst Shadow itself, little more than any man,” Valadrakul retorted, “yet I’ve spells that serve us well enow in other regards!” He waved at the gigantic remains that covered the ship.

Stoddard looked at the dead monstrosity, and seemed to soften and shrink. “Aye,” he said. “Aye, wizard, I’ve wronged thee. Your pardon.”

“Freely given, Stoddard,” Valadrakul answered.

“Fine, so that’s settled,” Dibbs said.

“Nay,” Stoddard said, “’tis not settled; yet do I say, I’ve had my fill. An we do no better, I’ll depart. This is mine own world, not Earth nor Empire, and should I go, who’s to say me nay? Now, you who would lead us, my lord Raven and Messire Dibbs, Mistress Thorpe who speaks for the Empire, what do you propose to do?”

Prossie decided that this would be a very good time for Carrie to reestablish contact; weren’t the twenty minutes up yet? Surely, they must be! She tried to listen, despite the mental wool that this universe stuffed in her head; she strained, threw her senses open…

And jumped when Carrie’s greeting came through.

“Prossie,” she asked, “what’s happening?”

Prossie quickly ran through the basics: Attack survived, monsters slain, three men deserted, ship at least temporarily inaccessible, Elani dead. Carrie already knew Carson was dead.

“I’ll take my orders from Base One,” Dibbs was saying, “but personally, I think the whole thing’s a disaster from the start, and once I find my other three men we should just go home. They can try again later, with a better-equipped force-I mean, our guns don’t work, our ship can’t fly, we’ve got a dozen of us out here fighting with rocks and sticks.”

“And what if there be no home that one may flee to?” Raven asked angrily. “I’ve no welcome at Stormcrack, much as I might wish it otherwise.”

“Not my problem,” Dibbs said, shrugging.

“Flee, then,” Raven said. “Flee, and be damned. I and mine will struggle on.”

Dibbs glanced meaningfully at Stoddard.

“In time,” Raven said warningly, “your Emperor and all his empire will come to see the need to destroy Shadow. I pray to the Goddess that that time will not come too late.”

Prossie listened approvingly.

She agreed with Raven that Shadow must be destroyed; she had seen enough of Shadow’s horrors, both firsthand and in dozens of memories, to have no doubts of that.

But she agreed with Dibbs, too; this expedition had been a farce, doomed from the outset, and the best thing to do now would be to call it off before anyone else died, to send the Earth-people home, let Raven and his people rejoin their underground, and then go back to Base One and start over.

The only question was whether the Empire would agree that there was a need to start over, rather than to abandon the entire thing. Without Raven there at Base One, prodding them, the generals and politicians might decide to wait and see what happened.

“Listen, Raven,” Dibbs said, “you’re back in your own land, and you can go on with your resistance movement. And if I’m told to, I’ll help out. But do you really think that a dozen strangers are going to make a big difference against something that plays with monsters like that?” He gestured at the gigantic wreckage of the bat-thing.

“Methinks you’ve changed your position,” Raven remarked, his head cocked as he eyed the lieutenant.

“I sure have,” Dibbs said. “That thing convinced me. My men are tops, but we’re out of our league with stuff like this.”

“Then perhaps we’re agreed,” Raven replied.

“I know we are,” Amy interjected, seizing the opportunity. “We want to go home, Raven-Pel and Susan and I. We’re no use here. Send us back to Earth.”

Raven turned, startled.

“So hasty, mistress… Are you certain, then?”

“We all are,” Pel said, stepping up beside Amy. Susan was a few feet behind; Ted had wandered off to inspect one of the trees.

“I’ve no wish to keep you ’gainst your will,” Raven said. “I promised you could return to your homes, and I meant that promise-but are you certain that you’re of no use here? Mistress Susan, that device you carry-methinks that’s of good service.”

“The gun?” Susan tugged at the strap of her purse. “Raven, I only have… well, it’s very limited. If you send us home, though, we can give you lots of guns, lots of ammunition-better stuff than this.”

“Aye? Truthfully?” Raven eyed her thoughtfully.

“Absolutely,” Pel said.

“Then indeed, ’twould be folly to keep you,” the nobleman said emphatically, “and I’ll be sending you to your Earth at the first hour I may.”

“Why not now?” Amy demanded. “Tell Valadrakul to send us!”

Raven turned to the wizard, who held up his hands. “Messires, mesdames, methinks you mistake the situation,” Valadrakul protested. “I’ve no power to send you home.”

The three Earthpeople present stared at him in outraged silence. Somewhere a bird whistled, the first that Prossie had heard since her previous visit to Faerie.

“Why not?” Amy demanded. “You’re a wizard, aren’t you?”

“Oh, aye, I’m that,” Valadrakul agreed, “but I know naught of the portal spell.”

“Elani knew it!” Pel shouted.

“Indeed she did,” Valadrakul affirmed. “And she mastered it well, caught it in the structure of her magicks. But I know it not; the webs of my work are otherwise. I’m learned in the spells of fire and destruction, magicks that send forth the raw energy of magic in fiery outbursts; likewise, I know the spells that send forth and draw in in other ways, and have caught the strands of those in me. But the spells that shape worlds, that link the several realities, those I ken not a whit.”