Free The Black Company: The First Novel of 'The Chronicles of The Black Company' by Glen Cook

making no sound. In a moment I understood. She was a mute.
    War is a cruel business prosecuted by cruel men. The gods know the Black Company are no cherubim. But there are limits.
    They were making an old man watch. He was the source of both curses and weeping.
    Raven put an arrow into a man about to assault the girl.
    “Dammit!” Elmo yelled. “Raven!…”
    The soldiers turned on us. Weapons appeared. Raven loosed another arrow. It dropped the trooper holding the old man. The Limper’s men lost any inclination to fight. Elmo whispered, “Whitey, go tell the old man to haul ass over here.”
    One of the Limper’s men took a like notion. He scampered off. Raven let him run.
    The Captain would have his behind on a platter.
    He did not seem concerned. “Old timer. Come here. Bring the child. And get some clothes on her.”
    Part of me could not help but applaud, but another part called Raven a fool.
    Elmo did not have to tell us to watch our backs. We were painfully aware that we were in big trouble. Hurry, Whitey, I thought.
    Their messenger reached their commander first. He came tottering up the street. Doughbelly was right. He was worse than his men.
    The old timer and girl clung to Raven’s stirrup. The old man scowled at our badges. Elmo nudged his mount forward, pointed at Raven. I nodded.
    The drunken officer stopped in front of Elmo. Dull eyes assayed us. He seemed impressed. We have grown hard in a rough trade, and look it.
    “You!” he squealed suddenly, exactly the way Whiny-voice had done in Opal. He stared at Raven. Then he spun, ran.
    Raven thundered, “Stand still, Lane! Take it like a man, you gutless thief!” He snatched an arrow from his quiver.
    Elmo cut his bowstring.
    Lane stopped. His response was not gratitude. He cursed. He enumerated the horrors we could expect at the hand of his patron.
    I watched Raven.
    He stared at Elmo in cold fury. Elmo faced it without flinching. He was a hard guy himself.
    Raven did his knife trick. I tapped his blade with my swordtip. He mouthed one soft curse, glared, relaxed. Elmo said, “You left your old life behind, remember?”
    Raven nodded once, sharply. “It’s harder than I thought.” His shoulders sagged. “Run away, Lane. You’re not important enough to kill.”
    A clatter rose behind us. The Captain was coming.
    That little wart of the Limper’s puffed up and wriggled like a cat about to pounce. Elmo glared at him down the length of his sword. He got the hint.
    Raven muttered, “I should know better anyway. He’s only a butt boy.”
    I asked a leading question. It drew a blank stare.
    The Captain rattled up. “What the hell is going on?”
    Elmo began one of his terse reports. Raven interrupted. “Yon sot is one of Zouad’s jackals. I wanted to kill him. Elmo and Croaker stopped me.”
    Zouad? Where had I heard that name? Connected with the Limper. Colonel Zouad. The Limper’s number one villain. Political liaison, among other euphemisms. His name had occurred in a few overheard conversations between Raven and the Captain. Zouad was Raven’s intended fifth victim? Then the Limper himself must have been behind Raven’s misfortunes.
    Curiouser and curiouser. Also scarier and scarier. The Limper is not anybody to mess with.
    The Limper’s man shouted, “I want this man arrested.” The Captain gave him a look. “He murdered two of my men.”
    The bodies were there in plain sight. Raven said nothing. Elmo stepped out of character and volunteered, “They were raping the child. Their idea of pacification.”
    The Captain stared at his opposite number. The man reddened. Even the blackest villain will feel shame if caught unable to justify himself. The Captain snapped, “Croaker?”
    “We found one dead Rebel, Captain. Indications were this sort of thing started before he became a factor.”
    He asked the sot, “These people are subjects of the Lady? Under her protection?” The point might be arguable in other courts, but at the moment it