The imp came prancing, enjoying himself, taunting his hunter into the trap. Soulcatcher shoved the door shut behind it, sealed it up. Frogface popped into existence beside her, grinning. That was almost fun. If I didnt have business in my own world Id almost want to hang around another hundred years. Never a dull moment with you.

Is that a hint?

You bet it is, sweetie. Im going to miss you all, you and the Captain and all your friends. Maybe Ill come back and visit. But I got business elsewhere.

Soulcatcher giggled her little girls giggle. All right. Stay with me till Im out of the city. Then youre free to go. Wow! I bet this place blows up! I wish I could see Longshadows face when he gets the news. She laughed. He isnt half as bright as he thinks. You have any friends over there who might want to work for me?

Maybe one or two with the right sense of mischief. Ill see.

They walked on laughing like children who had pulled a prank.

Chapter Seventy-Four

Chapter Seventy-Four

Pregnant.

No doubt about it. Everything fell into place once the physician gave me that word. Everything made sense. And nonsense.

One time. One night. It never occurred to me that that could happen to me. But here I am swollen up like a gourd on toothpicks, sitting in my fortress south of Taglios, writing these Annals, watching the rains fall for the fifth month running, wishing it was possible to sleep on my stomach or side, or to be able to walk without waddling.

The Radisha has provided me with a whole crew of women. They find me amusing. I come back from trying to teach their menfolk something about soldiering and they point at me and tell me this is why women dont become generals and whatnot; it is hard to be light on your feet when you cant see them for your belly.

The baby is an active little thing, whatever it will be. Maybe it is practicing to be a long distance runner or a professional wrestler, the way it hops around in there.

My timing seems to be good. I have gotten almost everything I have to record written. If, as the women promise me, all my fears and doubts come to nothing and I survive this, I will have five or six weeks to get into shape before the rivers go down and the new campaign season begins.

Regular messages come from Croaker at Dejagore, thrown across the river by catapult. It is quiet down there. He wishes he could be here. I wish he could be here. That would make it easier. I know the day that the Main is down enough to cross I will be on the north bank and he will be there on the south.