Free Book 1 - Bleak Seasons by Glen Cook Page A

study time Goblin agreed. “If we seal the doors and
use the white candles we can hold out till sunrise.”
    “This some kind of shadow magic, then?”
    “Some kind,” Goblin agreed. “Don’t ask
me to look so close I catch its attention.”
    “Heaven forbid you should actually take a risk. Can either
of you come up with a more practical suggestion?”
    “More practical?” One-Eye sputtered.
    “We’re fighting a battle here.”
    Goblin said, “We could retire from the soldiering racket.
Or we could surrender. Or we could offer to change
sides.”
    “Maybe we could offer up a half-pint human sacrifice to
one of Geek and Freak’s bloodthirsty gods.”
    “You know what I really miss about Croaker,
Murgen?”
    “I’m sure you’re going to tell me whether I
want to hear it or not.”
    “Damned straight you are. I miss his sense of
humor.”
    “Wait a minute. His sense of humor? Are you shitting me?
What sense of humor? The man . . . ”
    “He knew none of us were going to get out of this world
alive, Murgen. He never took himself completely serious.”
    “Are you talking about the guy who used to be the Old Man?
Croaker? Company Annalist and chief bonesetter in his spare time?
Some kind of comedian?”
    While we bickered the rest of the world bustled along with its
business. Which meant our situation deteriorated by the minute. A
human weakness, as old as time, arguing while the house burns down
around you.
    One-Eye interjected, “You gents go ahead and debate if you
want. I’m going to invite the boys downstairs, treat them to
a beer and take a turn or two at tonk.” He stabbed a crooked
black finger earthward.
    The gleaming dust with cruel web inside began to arc up over the
city. It just might grow enough to net us all.
    A vast stillness set in.
    Inside the city and out, friend and foe, people of a dozen races
and religions all focused upon that shadow web.
    Shadowspinner, of course, was totally involved in creating his
deadly artifact.
    The Shadowlander assault lost impetus as the
Shadowmaster’s soldiers decided to hunker down and let their
boss make their jobs easier.
     
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23
    The web of darkness would span all Dejagore soon.
“One-Eye. Goblin. You guys have any new ideas?”
    “Get religion?” Goblin suggested. “Since you
won’t let us go den up?”
    One-Eye mused, “You might amble over and see if Mogaba
will change his mind about letting us operate his engines.”
The Taglian crews were ineffective. “We might be able to
distract Spinner.”
    “You did take shadows into account when you spelled the
entrances to the underground?” I knew. They had. That was
always our biggest concern. But I had to reassure myself. You keep
checking on Goblin and One-Eye.
    Small groups were returning after long, dangerous journeys
through the night, searching for rope that had survived.
    “Yeah. For what that’s worth. You ready to go down
and start starving yet?”
    Bad signs followed ill omens. The situation was grim indeed if
One-Eye and Goblin could spare no time to quarrel.
    A sudden susurrus swept the city and the plain beyond.
    A blazing diamond of light rose out of the Shadowlander camp. It
spun slowly. A core of darkness centered it. From that, blackness
pulsed out into the all spanning web it anchored.
    Nobody was looking at the hills when the pinkish light returned.
No one noticed until it flared so brilliantly that it rivalled the
brightness here at hand.
    It burned behind two bizarre mounted figures. It cast their
hideous shadows upon the night itself. Crow shadows circled them.
Two huge ravens perched upon the shoulders of the larger
figure.
    Nobody breathed for a while. Not even Shadowspinner, I’d
bet. And I was sure he had no more idea what was happening than I
did.
    The pink flare faded. A cable of pink reached toward Dejagore,
like a snake probing, stretching. As one end neared us the nether
end broke loose. That whipped our way too fast for the eye to
follow and in an