"Guess it doesn't matter. So. What now?"
"Got to find out what happened," One-Eye said. He muttered, "If that bastard Goblin got himself killed, I'll wring his neck."
"Right. But how do we do that? The Taken know us."
"I'll go," Shed volunteered.
Harder looks you cannot imagine than those we bent upon Marron Shed. He quailed for a moment. Then: "I won't let them catch me. Anyway, why should they bother me? They don't know me."
"Okay," I said. "Get moving."
"Croaker. ..."
"Got to trust him, One-Eye. Unless you want to go yourself."
"Nope. Shed, you screw us over and I'll get you if I have to come back from the grave."
Shed smiled weakly, left us. On foot. Not many people rode through Meadenvil's streets. We found a tavern and made ourselves at home, two men staying in the street to watch. It was sundown before Shed returned.
"Well?" I said, signaling for another pitcher of beer.
"It's not good news. You guys are stuck. Your Lieutenant took the ship out. Twenty, twenty-five of your guys were killed. The rest went out on the ship. The Prince lost. ..."
"Not all of them," One-Eye said, and tipped a pointing finger over the top of his mug. "Somebody followed you, Shed."
Shed whirled, terrified.
Goblin and Pawnbroker stood in the doorway. Pawn had been carved up some. He limped over and collapsed into a chair. I checked his wounds. Goblin and One-Eye exchanged looks that might have meant anything, but probably meant they were glad to see one another.
The tavern's other customers began to fade. Word who we were had gotten out. They knew some bad people were hunting us.
"Sit, Goblin," I said. "King, you and Otto go get some fresh horses." I gave them most of the money I had. "All the staples that will buy, too. I think we got a long ride ahead. Right, Goblin?"
He nodded.
"Let's hear it."
"Whisper and Limper turned up this morning. Came with fifty men. Company men. Looking for us. Made enough fuss we heard them coming. The Lieutenant sent word to everybody ashore. Some didn't get aboard in time. Whisper headed for the ship. The Lieutenant had to cut loose. We left nineteen men behind."
"What're you doing here?"
"I volunteered. Went over the side off the point, swam to shore, came back to wait for you guys. Supposed to tell you where to meet the ship. Ran into Pawn by accident. I was patching him up when I seen Shed poking around. We followed him back here."
I sighed. "They're headed for Chimney, right?"
He was surprised. "Yeah. How'd you know that?"
I explained briefly.
He said, "Pawn, better tell them what you know. Pawn was caught ashore. Only survivor I could find."
"This is a private adventure with the Taken," Pawn said. "They snuck down here. Supposed to be somewhere else. Figured it was a chance to get even, I guess, now we're not on the list of the Lady's favorites."
"She doesn't know they're here?"
"No."
I chuckled. Despite the gravity of the situation, I could not help that. "They're in for a surprise, then. The old bitch herself is going to turn up. We got another black castle growing here."
Several of them looked at me askance, wondering how I would know what the Lady was doing. I had not explained my dream to anyone but the Lieutenant. I finished patching Pawnbroker. "You'll be able to travel, but take it easy. How'd you find that out?"
"Shaky. We talked some before he tried to kill me."
"Shaky!" One-Eye snarled. "What the hell?"
"I don't know what the Taken told those guys. But they were cranked up. Wanted our asses bad. Suckers. Most of them got killed for their trouble."
"Killed?"
"Prince what's-it got righteous about the Taken walking in like they owned the place. There was a big fight'with the Limper and our boys. Our guys practically got wiped out. Maybe they'd have done better if they could've rested first.
"Funny. We talked it over like those men and we had not somehow become mortal enemies, sympathizing. And, in my case, feeling bitter toward the Taken for having turned and squandered them.
"Shaky say anything about Juniper?"
"Yeah. They had a real old-fashioned blood bath up there. Not much left of anything. Counting us, the Company was down six hundred guys when the Lady finished with the castle. Lot more guys was killed in the riots that came after, when she cleaned out the Catacombs. The whole damned city went crazy, with that Hargadon leading the rebellion. Had our guys trapped in Duretile. Then the Lady lost her temper. She wrecked what was left of the town."
I shook my head. "The Captain guessed right about the Catacombs."
"Journey took over what was left of the Company," Goblin said. "They was supposed to pull out with the plunder as soon as they got it all together. City is so wrecked there isn't no reason to stay around."
I looked at Shed. A bleaker face could not be imagined. Pain and questions twisted inside him. He wanted to know about his people. Did not want to speak for fear someone would accuse him. "Not your fault, man," I told him. "The Duke asked the Lady in before you got involved. It would have happened no matter what you did."
"How can people do stuff like that?"
Asa gave him the odd look. "Shed, that's dumb. How could you do all the stuff you did? Desperate, that's what. Everybody's desperate. They do crazy things."
One-Eye gave me a how-about-that? look. Even Asa could think sometimes.
"Pawn. Shaky say anything about Elmo?" Elmo remained my main regret.
"No. I didn't ask. We didn't have much time."
"What's the plan?" Goblin said.
"We'll head south when King and Otto get here with the horses and supplies." A sigh. "Going to be hard times. I got maybe two leva. How about you guys?"
We catalogued our resources. I said, "We're in trouble."
"The Lieutenant sent this." Goblin deposited a small sack on the table. It contained fifty silver castle coins from Raven's horde.
"That'll help. Still going to make it on prayer, though."
"I have some money," Shed volunteered. "Quite a bit. It's back where I was staying."
I eyeballed him. "You don't have to go. You're not part of this."
"Yes, I am."
"For as long as I've known you, you've been trying to run away. ..."
"Got something to fight for now, Croaker. What they did to Juniper. I can't let that go."
"Me, too," Asa said. "I still got most of the money Raven gave me after we raided the Catacombs."
I polled the others silently. They did not respond. It was up to me. "All right. Get it. But don't dawdle. I want to pull out as soon as I can."
"I can catch you one the road," Shed said. "I don't see why Asa can't too." He rose. Shyly, he extended a hand. I hesitated only a moment.
"Welcome to the Black Company, Shed."
Asa did not make the same offer.
"Think they'll come back?" One-Eye asked after they left.
"What do you think?"
"Nope. I hope you know what you're doing, Croaker. They could get the Taken after us if they get caught."
"Yeah. They could." I was counting on it, in fact. A vicious notion had come to me. "Let's have another round here. Be our last for a long time."
Chapter Forty-Seven: THE INN: ON THE RUN
Very much to my amazement, Shed overtook us ten miles south of Meadenvil. And he was not alone.
"Holy shit!" I heard One-Eye yell from the rear, and: "Croaker, come and look at this."
I turned back. And there was Shed. With a bedraggled Bullock. Shed said, "I promised to get him out if I could. Had to bribe some people, but it wasn't that hard. It's every man for himself up there right now."