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enlists. I don't know the class structures here and I don't care. I'll make a
prince carry a spear and have a farm boy command a legion if that's what the
man can do best."
"That attitude's going to cause problems, Cap. And even if they elect you god
you're going to have to walk careful around the priests."
"I'll deal with them when I have to. The politics I can probably handle. I can
twist arms and smooth fur if I have to, though mainly I just won't put up with
it. Tell the Prince he should hang around my headquarters some. Things will go
smoother if people think he's part of what's happening."
Swan and the Prince chattered. The Radisha gave me a searching look, then a
smile that said she knew what I was up to. The devil in me made me wink.
Her smile broadened.
I decided I should know more about her. Not because I was attracted to her but
because I suspected I would like the way she thought. I like a person with a
sound cynical attitude.
Old Smoke, the so-called fire chief, did nothing all evening but nod off and
start awake. Being a cynic, I approved of him as a public official. The best
kind are those who stay the hell out of the way and don't mess with things.
Except for me, of course.
"One thing left for tonight," I told Swan. "Financing. The Black Company don't
come cheap. Neither does creating, arming, training, and maintaining an army."
Swan grinned. "They got you covered, Cap. Back when they first heard the
prophecies of your coming they started raising money. It won't be a problem."
"It's always a problem."
He smiled. "You won't be able to spend like there ain't no bottom to the
bucket. The Woman hangs on to the purse strings around here. And she's famous
for being tight."
"Good enough. Ask the Prince if there's anything else he needs now. I've got a
ton of stuff to do."
There was another hour of talk, none of it important, all of it the
Prahbrindrah and Radisha trying to get an idea what I was planning, trying to
get a clearer picture of my character and competence. Giving a stranger
life-and-death power over their state was one long bet for them. I figured I'd
do a little something to help their underground scheme.
I became impatience itself, but was proud of me. I controlled it.
Walking home after dark, without crowds, I asked Lady, "Can we count on
Shifter's help?"
"He'll do what I tell him."
"You're sure?"
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"Not absolutely. It looks that way, though."
"Could he do some scouting over Shadowmaster country? Shifting into something
that flies?"
"Maybe." She smiled. "But he wouldn't have strength enough to carry you. And I
know you. You wouldn't trust a report from anybody but you."
"Well..."
"You'll have to take your chances. Trust him as much as you dare. He'll serve
me if I command him. But he isn't my slave. He has his own goals now. They may
not be your goals."
I thought it might be a good time to sneak up on something I'd been sliding
around since I'd caught her playing with fire in a cup overlooking Gea-Xle.
"And your own restored talent?"
She was not fazed. "You're kidding. I might bother Goblin if I sneaked up on
him and hit him with a hammer. Otherwise, I'm useless. Even small talents have
to be exercised to be any good. There's no time for exercise."
"I guess we'll all just do what we can."
Mogaba said, "I have several ideas for disarming problems arising from
religious friction. At least temporarily."
"Speaking of which. I need to carve on that priest's kid. One-Eye, I'll need
you to back me up. Go ahead, Mogaba."
His notion was straightforward. We would raise our own army without regard to
religion and use it to meet the Shadowmasters' main thrust. We would encourage
the cults to raise their own forces and use them to meet threats that appeared
at the secondary fords. But we would not surrender our claim to supreme
command.
I laughed. "I have a feeling you're looking for a repeat of the debacle of
last summer when-"
"Nothing should disarm them more thoroughly than failures and displays of
incompetence. I thought we ought to give them their chances."
"Sounds good to me. Work up a couple of questions for recruits so we can get
the drift of their religious commitment and tolerance when we sign them up.
You want to tell me how to find this guy Jahamaraj Jah?"
Chapter Thirty-one: TAGLIOS; A BOOT-CAMP CITY
It had been years since I hazarded internal surgery. Before I started I was
shaky and filled with doubts, but habit took hold in the crunch. My hand was
steady. One-Eye restrained his natural exuberance and used his talents
judiciously to control bleeding and deaden pain.
As I washed my hands I said, "I can't believe it went that well. I haven't
done one of those since I was a kid, practically."
"She going to pull through?" One-Eye asked.
"Should. Unless there're complications. I want you to check back every day to
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make sure she's doing all right."
"Hey, Croaker. I got me an idea. Why don't you buy me a broom?"
"What?"
"When I wasn't busy doing anything else I could be sweeping up."
"I'll get myself one, too." I spoke to the child's parents briefly, through
Frogface, clueing them in on what had to be done. Their gratitude was
stifling. I doubted it would last. People are that way. But as we were about
to leave I told the father, "I'll collect on this."
"Anything."
"It won't be trivial. When the time comes."
He understood. He looked grim as he nodded.
We were about to step into the street when One-Eye said, "Hold up." He
pointed.
I looked down at three dead bats arranged in a neat equilateral triangle.
"Maybe the boys aren't imagining things. The bat cadavers were not neat.
A crow cawed somewhere nearby.
I muttered, "I'll take my help where I can get it." Louder, "Could you make a
bat spy on people?"
One-Eye thought about it. "I couldn't. But it might be possible. Though they
aren't long on brains."
"That's all I needed to know." Except for who was running the bats. The
Shadowmasters, I presumed.
The twenty-hour days started. When I was not preoccupied with anything else I
tried to learn the language. After you have learned enough they come easy. Or
easier, anyway.
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