Glen Cook - Shadows Linger

“We’ll take care of that in a hurry,” One-Eye said. He parked himself on a doorstep and performed a few cheap magic tricks that were all flash and show. That arrested the attention of the nearest urchins. Meadenvil’s streets are choked with children all the time.

“Let’s fade,” I told the others. We had to be intimidating to small eyes. We moved up the street and let One-Eye draw his crowd.

He gave the kids their money’s worth. Of course. And fifteen minutes later he rejoined us, trailed by an entourage of street mites. “Got it,” he said. “My little buddies will show us where.”

He amazes me sometimes. I would have bet he hated kids. I mean, when he mentions them at all, which is about once a year, it is in the context of whether they are tastier roasted or boiled.

Asa was holed up in a tenement typical of slums the world over. A real rat- and firetrap. I guess having come into money hadn’t changed his habits. Unlike old Shed, who had gone crazy when he had money to spend.

There was but one way out, the way we went in. The children followed us. I did not like that, but what could I do?

We pushed into the room Asa called home. He was lying on a pallet in a corner. Another man, reeking of wine, lay nearby, in a pool of vomit. Asa was curled into a ball, snoring. “Time to get up, sweetheart.” I shook him gently.

He stiffened under my hand. His eyes popped open. Terror filled them. I pressed down as he tried to jump up. “Caught you again,” I said. He gobbled air. No words came out. “Take it easy, Asa. Nobody’s going to get hurt. We just want you to show us where Raven went down.” I withdrew my hand. He rolled over slowly, watched us like a cat cornered by dogs. “You guys are always saying you just want something.”

“Be nice, Asa. We don’t want to play rough. But we will if we have to. We have four days before the Lady gets here. We’re going to find Darling before then. You’re going to help. What you do afterward is your own business.”

One-Eye snorted softly. He had visions of Asa with a cut throat. He figured the little man deserved no better.

“You just go down the Shaker Road. Turn left on the first farm road past the twelfth milestone. Keep heading east till you get to the place. It’s about seven miles. The road turns into a trail. Don’t worry about that. Just keep going and you’ll get there.” He closed his eyes, rolled over, and pretended to snore.

I indicated Hagop and Kingpin. “Get him up.”

“Hey!” Asa yelped. “I told you. What more do you want?”

“I want you to come along. Just in case.”

“In case what?”

“In case you’re lying and I want to lay hands on you fast.”

One-Eye added, “We don’t believe Raven died.”

“I saw him.”

“You saw something,” I countered. “I don’t think it was Raven. Let’s go.” We grabbed his arms. I told Hagop to see about rounding up horses and provisions. I sent Kingpin to tell the Lieutenant we wouldn’t be back till tomorrow. Hagop gave a fistful of silver from Raven’s chest. Asa’s eyes widened slightly. He recognized the mintage, if not the immediate source.

“You guys can’t push me around here,” he said. “You’re not anything more than I am. We go out in the street, all I have to do is yell and ...”

“And you’ll wish you hadn’t,” One-Eye said. He did something with his hands. A soft violet glow webbed his fingers, coalesced into something serpent-like that slithered over and under his digits. “This little fellow here can crawl into your ear and eat out your eyes from behind. You can’t yell loud enough or fast enough to keep me from siccing him on you.”

Asa gulped and became amenable.

“All I want is for you to show me the place,” I said. “Quickly. I don’t have much time.”

Asa surrendered. He expected the worst of us, of course. He had spent too much time in the company of villains nastier than us.

Hagop had the horses within half an hour. It took Kingpin another half-hour to rejoin us. Being Kingpin, he dawdled, and when he appeared, One-Eye gave him such a look he blanched and half drew his sword.

“Let’s get moving,” I growled. I did not like the way the Company was turning upon itself, like a wounded animal snapping at its own flank. I set a stiff pace, hoping to keep everybody too tired and busy to fuss.

Asa’s directions proved sound and were easily followed. I was pleased, and when he saw that, he asked permission to turn back.

“How come you’re so anxious to stay away from this place? What’s out there that’s got you scared?”

It took a little pressure, with One-Eye conjuring his violet snake again, to loosen Asa’s jaw.

“I came out here right after I got back from Juniper. Because you guys didn’t believe me about Raven. I thought maybe you were right and he’d fooled me somehow. So I wanted to see how he maybe did it. And...”

“And?”

He checked us over, estimating our mood. “There’s another of those places out there. It wasn’t there when he died. But it is now.”

“Places?” I asked. “What kind of places?”

“Like the black castle. There’s one right where he died. Out in the middle of the clearing.”

“Tricky,” One-Eye snarled. “Trying to send us into that. I’m going to cut this guy, Croaker.”

“No, you’re not. You let him be.” Over the next mile I questioned Asa closely. He told me nothing more of importance.

Hagop was riding point, being a superb scout. He threw up a hand. I joined him. He indicated droppings in the trail. “We’re following somebody. Not far behind.” He swung down, poked the droppings with a stick, duck walked up the trail a way. “He was riding something big. Mule or plowhorse.”

“Asa!”

“Eh?” the little man squeaked.

“What’s up ahead? Where is this guy headed?”

“Nothing’s up there. That I know of. Maybe it’s a hunter. They sell a lot of game in the markets.”

“Maybe.”

“Sure,” One-Eye said, sarcastic, playing with his violet snake.

“How about you put a little silence on the situation, One-Eye? No! I mean so nobody can hear us coming. Asa. How far to go?”

“Couple miles, anyway. Why don’t you guys let me head back now? I can still get to town before dark.”

“Nope. You go where we go.” I glanced at One-Eye. He was doing as I had requested. We would be able to hear one another talk. That was all. “Saddle up, Hagop. He’s only one guy.”

“But which guy, eh, Croaker? Suppose it’s one of them creepy things? I mean, if that place in Juniper had a whole battalion that came out of nowhere, why shouldn’t this place have some?”

Asa made sounds that indicated he had been having similar thoughts. Which explained why he was anxious to get back to town.

“You see anything when you were there, Asa?” “No. But I seen where the grass was trampled like something was coming and going.”

“You pay attention when we get there, One-Eye. I don’t want no surprises.”

Twenty minutes later Asa told me, “Almost there. Maybe two hundred yards up the creek. Can I stay here?”

“Quit asking stupid questions.” I glanced at Hagop, who pointed out tracks. Somebody was ahead of us still. “Dismount. And stow the chatter. Finger talk from here on in. You, Asa. don’t open your mouth for nothing. Understand?”

We dismounted, drew our weapons, went forward under cover of One-Eye’s spell. Hagop and I reached the clearing first. I grinned, waved One-Eye forward, pointed. He grinned too.

I waited a couple of minutes, for the right time, then strode out, stepped up behind the man, and grabbed his shoulder. “Marron Shed.”

He shrieked and tried to pull a knife, tried to run at the same time. Kingpin and Hagop headed him off and herded him back. By that time I was kneeling where he had knelt, examining the scatter of bones.