Free Book 2 - Dreams of Steel by Glen Cook Page A

Shadowmasters' boys. Right behind comes a rumor that it was you. You not being dead don't look so good for Jah's ambitions. The Company picked up a lot of respect putting it together so fast. Made all those priests look like conniving, selfish jerks."

    Blade chuckled.

    Mather said, "You collected some of that respect, being a woman and having everybody know how much you had to do with it falling together." He looked me in the eye. "But being a woman is going to be a handicap now."

    "I've been on my own before, Mather." And I hadn't been happy a moment. But happiness is a fleeting creature. It's no birthright. Not anything I expect but something I accept when I stumble into it. Meantime, power will do nicely. "And Jah has liabilities. He's vulnerable. I have a thousand men over there. Every one will tell you Jah ran out on us at Dejagore. We would've won if it wasn't for him."

    Swan surprised me. "We watched the battle. We saw. So did a lot of men who've come in. Even some of Jah's own men admit it."

    "A liability," Mather said. "But it's not going to undo him."

    Ghopal reminded me that three Shadar had escaped. True. And they would fly straight to their master, who was sure to make a move. But I doubted he'd do it right away. He was a vacillator. He'd worry a while before committing himself.

    "Back to camp. Swan. Come. Ghopal. Bring the prisoners." I rode ahead as hard as the stallion could carry me.

    "Sound the alarm and the recall," I told the soldiers at the north gate. "Narayan! Ram!"

    They came running. Narayan gasped, "What is it, Mistress?"

    "We're pulling out. Right now. Forced march. Get the men ready. Let the horses carry most of the load. Make sure each man carries food. We won't stop for meals. Move."

    They scooted.

    It was midafternoon. Ghoja was forty miles away, a ten-hour jaunt if everyone kept the pace. If the night wasn't too dark. It shouldn't be if the sky stayed clear. There'd be a quarter moon rising an hour after sunset. Not a lot of light, but maybe enough.

    The horns that we'd taken from the Shadowmasters' cavalry kept sounding recall. The pickets came running. The gang I'd left up the road arrived. Swan and Mather were impressed by the chaos.

    Mather said, "You've taught well."

    "I think so."

    "What're you fixing to do?" Swan asked.

    "Take charge at Ghoja before Jah can react."

    He groaned.

    "You have a problem with that?"

    "Only that we just got finished riding down here. Forty more miles and I won't have a spine left."

    "So walk. Sindhu! Come here." I took the wide man aside, gave him instructions. He left smiling, gathered two dozen men with strong stomachs, mostly his cronies, and crossed the creek. I sent another man to round up the poles we used for practice pikes and spears.

    Swan asked, "You mind if we get something to eat?"

    "Help yourself. Then find me. I want to talk to you."

    Idiot. He gave me a big, nervous smile. I didn't need to be a mind-reader to get what was going on in the back of his head.

    The troops got it together faster than I expected. They had the word. Ghoja. Straight through.

    I still had a serious problem, lack of a command structure. I had solid squads and the squad leaders by tens had picked company commanders, but none of those had had more than a few days' practice. And neither of my formally organized battalions had anyone in charge.

    "Mather."

    He set his food aside. "Ma'am?"

    "You strike me as a responsible man. Also, you have field experience and a reputation. I have two battalions of four hundred men but no commanders. My man Narayan can muddle through with one if I keep him out of trouble. I need somebody to handle the other. A known hero would be perfect-if I thought he wouldn't work against me."

    Mather looked me in the eye for several seconds. "I work for the Radisha. I couldn't."

    "I could."

    I turned. That was Blade.

    Smoke had a squeaking fit.

    Blade grinned, the first I'd seen him do so. "I don't owe you anything, little