The room was brightly lighted, partly because it was approaching noon beyond the crystal walls, partly because Longshadow had packed a score of brilliant light sources into the room, no two of which used the same fuel. Against an ambush of shadows he left no precaution untaken.

He would not admit it but he was terrified.

Longshadow checked the altitude of the sun. Noon coming up. Time to start.

Why now?

Theyre least active under a noonday sun.

Oh. Howler did not approve. Longshadow meant to catch one of the hungry big ones to train and send after Soulcatcher. Howler thought that a stupid plan. He thought it unnecessary and overly complicated. They knew where she was. It made more sense just to hit her with more soldiers than she could handle. But Longshadow wanted drama.

This was too risky. He could loose something nothing in this world could control. He did not want to be part of this but Longshadow left him no choice. Longshadow was a master of leaving one no choice.

Several hundred men climbed the old road to the plain, dragging a closed black wagon ordinarily drawn by elephants. But no animal would go near the shadowtraps, however much it was beaten. Only Longshadows men feared him more than they feared what might befall them up there. Longshadow was the devil they knew.

Those men backed the wagon against the main shadowtrap.

Longshadow said, Now we begin. He giggled. And tonight, in the witching hour, your old comrade will cease to be a threat to anyone.

Howler was skeptical.

Chapter Seventy-Three

Chapter Seventy-Three

Soulcatcher sat in the middle of a field, disguised as a stump. Crows circled, their shadows scooting over wheat stubble. An unknown city loomed in the distance.

The imp Frogface materialized. Theyre up to something.

Ive known that since they started blocking the crows. What theyre up to is what I want to know.

The imp grinned, described what he had seen.

Either theyve forgotten to take you into account or theyre counting on you feeding me incorrect information. She started moving toward the city. But if they wanted to feed me false information they would confuse the crows, too. Wouldnt they?

The imp said nothing. No answer was expected.

Why do this during the daytime?

Longshadow is scared to death of what might break out if he tried during the night.

Ah. Yes. But they wont move till nightfall. Theyll want their sending at full strength.

Frogface muttered something about just how much did he have to do to earn his freedom?

Soulcatcher laughed, a merry little girls laugh. Tonight, I think, youll have done with me. If you can do a creditable illusion of me.

What?

Lets have a look around this city first. Whats its name?

Dhar. New Dhar, really. Old Dhar was levelled by the Shadowmasters for resisting too strongly back when they first conquered this country.

Interesting. What do they think of the Shadowmasters?

Not much.