Yes. Stand up. He did. She rested one gloved hand against his chest. Uhm. Youve healed enough. And Im running out of time.

Nervous excitement flooded him. He knew what she wanted and did not want to do it. I thought that was why he was here. Do you trust him enough to have him watch me?

Hey, chief, the imp said, you hurt my feelings. Sure she does. I done hitched my star.

One word from me and he spends eternity in torment. Her voice was a merry little girls. She could be chilling in her choices.

That too, the imp said, all of a sudden surly. Its a hard life, Cap. Nobody dont never trust me. Dont never give me no slack. One teensy slipup and its roast forever. Or worse. You mortals got it made, man.

Croaker snorted. What do you think one slipup will get me?

It only hurts for a little while for you.

Soulcatcher said, Enough banter. Croaker, calm yourself. Get yourself ready for surgery. The imp and I will ready everything else.

Nude and headless, the sorceress floated four feet off the floor, shoulders elevated. Her unboxed head sat on a stone table nearby, eyes alert. Croaker scanned the body. It was perfect though pale and waxy. Hed seen only one to compare. Her sisters.

He glanced at the imp, perched on the head of a stone monster that protruded from the wall. The imp winked. Show us what you got, Cap. Croaker was not reassured.

He glanced at his hands. They were steady, a legacy of surgeries performed on a dozen battlefields under terrifying conditions.

He stepped to the table. The sorceress had gathered the best surgical instruments the world had to offer. This will take a while, imp. If I tell you to do something, you do it now. Understood?

Sure, chief. Might help if I knew what you were going to do.

Ill start by removing the scar tissue. Thatll be delicate. Youll have to help control bleeding. He didnt know if there would be bleeding or not. Hed never carved on somebody who should have been dead fifteen years ago. He could not believe this operation was possible. But Catcher being alive was impossible.

How much control would she have? How much would she participate? His would be the least part here, physical preparation for the mating of head and neck. The rest, tying nerve to nerve and blood vessel to blood vessel, would be up to her.

It wouldnt work. It couldnt.

He went to work. Soon he was concentrating enough to forget the price of failure.

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

Longshadow watched the upper limb of the sun slide below the horizon. He barked an order. A wrinkly little brown man whispered, Yes, my lord. He scurried out of the crystal room. Longshadow remained motionless, watched the day fade.

Welcome the enemy hours. It was summertime. Longshadow preferred summers. The nights were shorter.