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powers and skills not part of the traditional Company arsenal.
"Yes, you did. But you didn't say anything about it fading away."
"Sure I did."
"You want it to go away. And it will. Because these aren't the kind of people
who're likely to be content to do what we've got them doing. So we ought to
use them up while we can."
"Meaning?"
"We need to go after Taglios while we have the power to hit it hard."
Was he starting to sound just the slightest bit bigheaded? Like he might know
better than the Captain what we ought to do? Was it going to be squabble on
with Sleepy now that his mother was no longer around?
Might better keep an eye on our baby boy. He was overdue to outgrow all that.
I said, "You could be right."
Chapter 100
Taglios: The Palace
Ghopal Singh's report was not reassuring. "The graffiti is everywhere but we
just can't catch anybody doing it. It's much worse than it was five years ago.
Nowadays, with a lot of people on our side, you'd think we'd be able to come
up with a clue. All we get is nonsense about ghosts and demons and things you
can see only if you're not looking for them."
Mogaba steepled long fingers under his chin. "The thing is, Ghopal, I've seen
both demons and ghosts with my own eyes. When I had just become part of the
Black Company one of the Company wizards had a pet demon. It later turned out
to be our enemy, but that doesn't matter. It was a demon. And during the siege
of Dejagore ghosts often came and went. We all saw them, though hardly anyone
ever talked about them.
"Most people blamed Nyueng Bao conjurers."
Aridatha Singh observed, "The reality of demons and ghosts doesn't affect the
situation. Whether spooks or clever agitators are writing these messages, the
messages are there. And enough people can read that the whole population knows
what's being written."
"What would you do about it?" Mogaba asked.
"Keep watching for vandals but ignore it otherwise. If the people believe
we're indifferent to the criticism they won't take it seriously either."
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"A notion I hoped to put forward myself," Ghopal said. "Because people in the
street have no more idea than we do who's putting that stuff up. Which makes
them just as nervous as it makes us."
Mogaba grimaced, "Approved, then. With this caveat. Some of those slogans
don't fit the traditional mold. `Thi Kim is coming.' We still don't know what
that means."
"The Walking Death is coming," Ghopal said. "You have to think that means the
Daughter of Night's companion."
"You think it's Deceiver work, then?"
"That's my guess."
"But Thi Kim is Nyueng Bao. I've never heard of any Nyueng Bao Deceivers."
Ghopal grunted. That had gotten past him.
Aridatha made a joke of it. "We'll know him when he gets here. People will
start dying."
"Ha, and one more out of charity, ha," Mogaba replied. "In the meantime, we
need to make a decision about our guests. We'll have a lot of trouble keeping
them under control. Especially the wizard. Goblin. Who insists on being
addressed as the Khadidas. He did help cow the mob when we had the girl
pretend she was the Protector. But he has no interest in our cause. He'll
devour us the instant he stops seeing us as valuable to his cause. Which is
bringing on the end of the world."
Neither of the Singhs responded. Each understood that there was more to the
Great General's words than he was actually saying. That something particularly
delicate would come up had been evident from the moment it had become clear
that no one else would participate in the meeting.
"I'm thinking we should get rid of him. Right now. Before he gets too
comfortable and sure of himself."
"And the Daughter of Night?" Aridatha asked.
"She's not much threat on her own." Meaning the Daughter of Night could be
spared. If that was what Aridatha wanted. "Though my guess is, she's too set
in her ways to be redeemed."
Aridatha's coloring was pale enough to betray his embarrassment. "That isn't
what I had in mind."
Ghopal came to his rescue. Inadvertently, having failed to catch the unspoken.
"How do we get close enough to do anything? She'll make us love her so much
we'll want to chop off our own toes."
"There must be ways around that."
"I'd be happy to hear suggestions."
"Well, it's obvious she can't do it all the time, whenever she wants, or
Aridatha couldn't have caught her."
"Unless she wanted to be caught."
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Mogaba feared there might be something to that suggestion. "And that power
doesn't work on weapons. Or poisons."
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