33

Croaker let everybody rest thoroughly before he launched what he hoped would be the final assault on the Shadowlander defenses. I had an ague or maybe something I picked up from the proximity of Kina for a while, hot sweats alternating with cold shakes. Consequently I did not get out to scout our enemies.

No matter. The Old Man was able to gossip with his crows.

There were no living Shadowlanders anywhere in the defensive works that Longshadow had deemed so critical. While we were being soft, sitting around on our behinds resting, Mogaba and his captains had gotten their soldiers moving. They had even tried to destroy the stores they could not drag with them but were forestalled in that by the efforts of an alert Shadar cavalry detachment.

 

Death is eternity. Eternity is stone. Stone is silence. Stone is broken.

In the night, when the wind no longer moans and the small shadows go into hiding, stone sometimes whispers. Stone sometimes speaks. Stone sometimes sends its children plunging into the abyss. Sometimes a tendril of colorful mist rises to caress the figure pinned to the tilting throne.

Shadows scamper playfully about the plain glittering in the moonlight, devouring one another and growing stronger. Their memories are as old as stone. They remember freedom.

Sometimes the leaning throne slips a millionth of an inch, tilting farther. This happens more and more frequently now.

Stone shudders. Eternity sneers as it devours its own tail. This cold feast is almost finished.

Even death is restless.




She Is The Darkness
titlepage.xhtml
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_000.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_001.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_002.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_003.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_004.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_005.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_006.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_007.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_008.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_009.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_010.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_011.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_012.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_013.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_014.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_015.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_016.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_017.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_018.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_019.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_020.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_021.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_022.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_023.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_024.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_025.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_026.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_027.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_028.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_029.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_030.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_031.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_032.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_033.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_034.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_035.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_036.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_037.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_038.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_039.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_040.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_041.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_042.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_043.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_044.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_045.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_046.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_047.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_048.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_049.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_050.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_051.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_052.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_053.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_054.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_055.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_056.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_057.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_058.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_059.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_060.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_061.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_062.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_063.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_064.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_065.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_066.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_067.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_068.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_069.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_070.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_071.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_072.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_073.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_074.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_075.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_076.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_077.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_078.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_079.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_080.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_081.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_082.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_083.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_084.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_085.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_086.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_087.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_088.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_089.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_090.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_091.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_092.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_093.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_094.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_095.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_096.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_097.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_098.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_099.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_100.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_101.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_102.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_103.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_104.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_105.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_106.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_107.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_108.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_109.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_110.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_111.htm
Cook, Glen - Black Company 07 - She Is The Darkness_split_112.htm