"I remember. I was there."
"Yes, you were, weren't you?" She turned to me. "And so, I believe, were you."
"You could say that," I told her.
She nodded. "But, Lady Aliera, I believe the weapon should be yours. What is your opinion?"
"My opinion is that you want the sword of Kieron the Conqueror. My opinion is also that I'm no haggler."
"Well, then?"
"Then if you want it, come take it."
"I could do that," said Sethra the Younger, touching the hilt of the blade next to her.
"Not in my house, you don't," I said, but they weren't listening to me.
I concentrated hard and, very quickly, reached Morrolan.
"What is it, Vlad?"
"A favor."
"Oh?"
"Grab Blackwand and get your ass over here. Now."
He didn't ask why, or what was going on, or anything else. Whatever else you say about Dragons, they understand when it is time for action.
The same, of course, can be said for Aliera and Sethra the Younger. They had drawn their swords and were circling each other in the parlor.
I hoped they wouldn't destroy too much furniture.
15Scratch One Jerkin
The instant after Daymar appeared was another moment when I felt like I was about to be snuffed out, but I wasn't. A little piece of my mind that likes to comment on what the rest of me is doing suggested that I was getting tired of almost getting cut to ribbons every few seconds, and then answered itself by pointing out that it was, at least, better than actually getting cut to ribbons.
"You think he can do it, Loiosh?"
"Probably. But you need to give him enough time, Boss."
"Any idea how much time is enough?"
"Not even a wild guess, Boss."
To Fornia I said, "This is Daymar, my associate. And, just to be clear about things: You're right. I'm not a negotiator. On the other hand, I was not sent here to kill you, and I have no intention of trying to. I only hope you'll be as reserved with regard to me."
He laughed a little. "Why should I be?"
"Curiosity. To find out what I'm doing here."
"I've never been all that curious. Any other reasons why I shouldn't do as Ori says?"
"Because you don't kill prisoners, and I surrender."
"Boss!"
"Any other ideas?"
He nodded. "That will do." He addressed his personal guard, then: "Search him carefully, and I especially want that gold chain in his hand. Bind him well and send him to the rear for quest"
Someone whispered in his ear. He listened carefully, then put his telescope to his eye and studied the field somewhere over my left shoulder.
"Not quite yet," he said as three of his bodyguards moved toward me to carry out his orders, leaving me saying to myself, "Now what, smart guy?"
I guessed, from where Fornia was looking, that the subject of the message he'd just received was Dorian's Hill, where I had recently left the rest of my company in the middle of a battle, which I was certain was no more fun than it had been yesterday, when, after an entire day of fighting, I'd gotten myself good and properly nailed.
We had woken up yesterday morning to discover Dorian's Hill was deserted. Empty. Unoccupied. This provided the subject for that morning's breakfast conversation. There was constant chatter all around me, and I kept hearing the word "trap" find its way from the buzz and hum.
"What do you think, Boss?"
"The hill we spent yesterday trying to take is suddenly empty, and yet they think it might be a trap? What suspicious minds."
"I meant, do you think you'll be ordered to occupy it anyway?"
"Oh."
I studied the hill in the morning light: green, harmless, a few shrubs on the top, only long grasses and a few sharp grey stones on the way up. The only sign of yesterday's action had been that the grasses were a bit tromped down. The hill was just sitting there. If it were human it would have been twiddling its thumbs, staring at the sky, and whistling. "Probably," I told Loiosh.
At least they didn't keep us waiting. We were given breakfast, and within a few minutes after eating we were formed up, and the Captain rode out in front of us. He turned and faced the line, and said, "We will occupy the hill and immediately begin preparing to defend it. To that end, the engineers will accompany us. We can expect to be required to defend it at once."
"No shit," said Napper under his breath.
The Captain was done talking; Crown stepped out and led us up the hill. It was much easier this time. The walk wasn't even tiring.
"It's going to be a fight once we get there."
"I imagine so," said Napper.
"No, I mean they'll have something special waiting. Sorcery, or some traps they put up there. Something."
"Don't matter," said Napper. It was hard to argue with him, so we just walked for a while.
"It's just us," said Virt as we neared the top.
"Excuse me?"
"We're by ourselves up here. Just the company."
"And the engineers," said Aelburr.
"And the engineers."
"Oh," I said. "Not enough, huh?"
"Not enough," said Virt."
Aelburr said, "Trap within a trap?"
"Maybe," said Virt. "Which makes us bait."
"Grand," I said.
"Don't matter," said Napper.
In a way, it was irritating to just stroll up the hill that had caused us such agony the day before, but I didn't say anything about it because I knew what Napper would say, and if he said it again I was going to have to kill him.
We reached the top, and before we had even caught our breath Crown called out, "Form a perimeter, begin constructing earthworks. Engineers to the fore."
They passed out shovels and instructions, and we dug ditches and piled dirt for about half an hour, during which time javelins were distributed. We stopped working when the fog rolled in. Thick fog, blanketing the entire hill; it came up with only seconds of warning.
"I wonder if it's magical," said Virt as we scrambled for our weapons. That was irony, by the way.
Crown's voice cut through everything: "It's safe to breathe," he said, scaring me all over again, because it hadn't occurred to me it might not be.
"Form your line and stand ready!"
A whole lot of swords were drawn from a whole lot of scabbards.
"Where's our line?" I said.
"Right here, I suppose," said Virt.
I recognized a voice that cursed from my left. "What is it, Napper?"
"Tripped in the bloody ditch."
"Hurt?"
"No."
"Can't bring up a wind," said someone. "They've got it blocked."
I let Spellbreaker fall into my hand and searched for something to use it on, failed to find anything, and wrapped it around my wrist again.
That was the moment when I realized that I was surrounded by an elite corps and was grateful for it. They had to have been as terrified as I was; a single, isolated company, having walked into what we all knew was a trap, and now we were blind; yet there was no sign of fear from anyone around me. They just waited, coolly, swords in hand.
Well, I certainly wasn't going to be the first to panic.
The silence itself was terrifying, until I realized that, without anyone's having said a word, everyone was listening intently. An obvious thing to do, which I would have thought of myself if I hadn't been scared half out of my wits. I mentally cursed. Being frightened wasn't new to me, but letting it interfere with my efficiency was new, and very bad. What would Loiosh say?
Loiosh …
"Loiosh, can you"
"On my way, Boss."
He left my shoulder soundlessly. I can usually hear the flap of his wings, but he is capable of flying silently when he needs to. I'm like that, too, now that I think of it. The air was still and there was no sound but that of a few random birds squawking overhead; why is it mountain birds always have horrid voices? Presently Loiosh reported. I said, "Corporal!"