Glen Cook - Dreams of Steel

We sat in gloom and waited. I was afraid Smoke had won his point at last and had turned the Prahbrindrah Drah against me. Narayan said maybe I’d missed a few priests and this was all their fault.

We did not talk much. We used only sign and cant when we did. No telling who was listening.

Three hours after we went into the cell the door opened. The Radisha Drah strode in, backed by a squad of her guards. It got crowded in there. She glared at me. “Who are you?”

“What kind of question is that? Lady. Captain of the Black Company. Who should I be?”

“She even takes a deep breath, kill her.” The Radisha wheeled on Ram. “You. Stand up.”

Faithful Ram might not have heard. He looked to me. I nodded. Then he stood. The Radisha grabbed a torch from a guard, held it close to Ram, circled him slowly. She sniffed and sniffed. After her third circuit she relaxed. “Sit. You’re who you’re supposed to be. But the woman. Who is she?”

That seemed a little too tough for Ram. He had to think about it. He looked at me again. I nodded. He said, “She told you.”

She looked at me. “Can you prove you’re Lady?” “Can you prove you’re the Radisha Drah?” “I have no need. No one is masquerading as me.” I got it. “That bitch! She never was short on nerve. Walked in here and took over, eh? What did she do?” The Radisha considered some more. “We have the right one this time. Guards. You may go.” They went. The Radisha said, “She didn’t do much. Mostly played up to my brother. She wasn’t here that long. Then somebody called the Howler knocked her out and carried her off. Thinking she was you, Croaker said.”

“Ha! Serves the bitch... Who said?” “Croaker. Your Captain. She brought him with her, disguised as that one.” She indicated Ram.

Some sort of impenetrable membrane lay between my ears and my heart. Very carefully, before it broke, I asked, “Did Howler take him, too? Where is he?”

“He and my brother went to find you. Disguised. He said she would look for him as soon as she got free of the Howler and Longshadow.”

My mind slid away from the unbelievable, dwelt on crows. Now I knew why there had been none spying till shortly before we reached the fortress. She had been in unfriendly hands. “He went to Dejagore?”

“That’s my guess. My fool brother went with him.” “And I came here.” I laughed, maybe crazily. That membrane was giving. “I’d appreciate it if everyone would leave. I need some time alone.”

The Radisha nodded. “I understand. You two come with me.”

Narayan rose but Ram did not budge. I asked, “Will you wait outside, Ram? Just for a while?”

“Yes, Mistress.” He went out with the others. I’d bet he did not go five feet past the door.

Before they left Narayan started telling the Radisha I needed a physician.

The anger and frustration faded. I calmed down, thought I understood.

Croaker had been struck down by a random arrow. In the confusion his corpse had disappeared. Only now I knew he had not been a corpse at all. And I thought I knew whence that arrow had come. My everloving sister. Just to get even with me for having thwarted her attempt to displace me when I’d been empress in the north.

I knew how her mind worked. I had evidence she was loose again. She would continue to keep us apart and punish me through him.

She was whole again. She had the power to do whatever she willed. She had been second only to me when I was at my peak.

I came as close to despair as I’ve ever come.

The Radisha invited herself in without knocking. A tiny woman in a pink sari accompanied her. The Radisha said, “This is Doctor Dahrhanahdahr. Her family are all physicians. She’s my own physician. She’s the best. Even her male colleagues admit she’s marginally competent.”

I told the woman what I had been suffering. She listened and nodded. When I was done, she told me, “You’ll have to disrobe. I think I know what it is but I’ll have to look.”

The Radisha stepped to the cell door, used her own clothing to cover the viewport. “I’ll turn my back if your modesty demands it.”

“What modesty?” I stripped.

Actually, I was embarrassed. I did not want to be seen looking as bad as I did.

The physician spent a few minutes examining me. “I thought so.”

“What is it?”

“You don’t know?”

“If I did I would’ve done something about it. I don’t like being sick.” At least the dreams had let up since the initiation. I could sleep.

“You’ll have to put up with it a while longer.” Her eyes sparkled. That was a hell of an attitude for a physician. “You’re pregnant.”

Croaker posted himself where he could be clearly seen from the city. Murgen stood beside him with the standard. Swan set off in a boat the cavalry had stolen off the banks of the river north of the hills.

Murgen asked, “You think he’ll come?”

“Maybe not himself. But somebody will. He’ll want to make sure, one way or the other.”

Murgen indicated the Shadowlander soldiers along the shoreline. “You know what that’s about?”

“I can guess. Mogaba and Lady both want to be Captain. She took care of Shadowspinner but thought it might be inconvenient if she told Mogaba. As long as he’s trapped in Dejagore he’s no problem.”

“Right.”

“Stupid. Nothing like this ever happened before, Murgen. Nowhere in the Annals can you find a squabble over the succession. Most Captains come in like me, kicking and screaming.”

“Most don’t have a holy mission. Lady and Mogaba both do.”

“Lady?”

“She’s decided she’ll do anything to get even with the Shadowmasters for killing you.”

“That’s real sane. But it sounds like her. Looks like Swan’s gotten some attention. Your eyes are better than mine.”

“Somebody black is getting in the boat with him. Would Mogaba make up his mind that fast?”

“He’s sending somebody.”

Swan’s passenger was Mogaba’s lieutenant Sindawe, an officer good enough to have commanded a legion. Croaker saluted. “Sindawe.”

The black man returned the salute tentatively. “Is it you indeed?”

“In the flesh.”

“But you’re dead.”

“Nope. Just a story spread by our enemies. It’s a long tale. Maybe we don’t have time for it all. I hear things aren’t good over there.”

Sindawe guided Croaker out of sight of the city, settled on a rock. “I’m caught on the horns of a dilemma.”

Croaker settled facing him, winced. His ankle had taken a lot of abuse coming south. “How so?”

“My honor is sworn to Mogaba as first lord of the Nar. I must obey. But he’s gone mad.”

“So I gather. What happened? He was the ideal soldier even when he didn’t agree with the way I ran things.”

“Ambition. He’s a driven man. He became first lord because he’s driven.” Among the Nar, chieftainship was determined by a sort of soldierly athletic contest. The all-round best man at physical skills became commander. “He joined your expedition thinking you weak, likely to perish quickly. He saw no obstacle to his replacing you, whereupon he would become one of the immortal stars of the chronicles. He’s still a good soldier. But he does everything for Mogaba’s sake, not that of the Company or its commission.”

“Most organizations have mechanisms for handling such problems.”

“The mechanism among the Nar is challenge. Combat or contest. Which is no good here. He’s still the quickest, fastest, strongest amongst us. He’s still the best tactician, begging your pardon.”

“I never claimed to be a genius. I got to be Captain ’cause everybody voted against me. I didn’t want it but I didn’t not want it as badly as everybody else didn’t want it. But I won’t abdicate so Mogaba can rack himself up some glory.”