Hell. They swarmed over the surrounding walls, cawing mockingly.

He ripped a hand out of the sphere. Bloody sparks crackled between his fingers. There would be an end to those cackling devils! She wouldnt spy on him again!

He hurled a bolt. A dozen crows exploded. Blood and feathers splattered the tower. The survivors cawed uproariously.

Sense penetrated rage. Something was wrong. They wanted him to attack them.

Diversion?

The sphere!

A gap remained where hed freed his hand. The hole penetrated to the core. A darkness was slithering through already.

He screamed.

He clamped down on his fear, removed his other hand slowly. He closed the deadly gap carefully, but not before the shadow escaped.

It darted through the doorway, out of the chamber, down into the bowels of Overlook, fleeing the light.

There was a shadow loose in the fortress!

Somewhere, a scream. The shadow was hunting.

Longshadow forced an icy calm. It was one lone shadow, small, controllable.

Outside, the crows made merry.

He stifled rage. They would not provoke him again. Your hour will come, he promised. Fly to the bitch. Report your failure. I live. I still live!

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

When the watchful eye lapses those who are watched invariably sense the instant of freedom.

A prodigious wail escaped the little thing called the Howler. It gobbled at the men carrying it. They raced forward, carried it into the camp of the Shadowmaster Shadowspinner while the watcher in the south was diverted.

The Howler remained just long enough to make contact, speak briefly, exchange views, reach an understanding by which he stood to evade the inevitable treachery of Longshadow, sure to surface the instant the threat from Taglios evaporated.

He was long gone when Longshadows seekers found him again. The only evidence of his visit was an improvement in Shadowspinners condition. Spinner kept that well hidden.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

The breeze had shifted. It came from the northeast now, carrying smoke from across the river. I asked Narayan, Could we confiscate their wood? There had been suicides all morning.

Unwise, Mistress. Interfering might start a rebellion. Your grip isnt that tight.

And likely would never be, unpleasant as I found that truth. Just wishful thinking. Tinkering with customs isnt my mission.

Nor his. I had not pressed Narayan about that. I could guess, though. It was implicit in his beliefs. He wanted to bring on the Year of the Skulls. He wanted Kina free. He wanted to become immortal, a Deceiver saint.

Its all far away, Mistress. What do we do today?

Were approaching that point where assembling an army begins snowballing.

Snowballing?

Id used Forsberger for snowballing, not thinking. I did not know the Taglian for snow. It did not snow here. Narayan had never seen snow. It starts growing of its own momentum. In another week, ten days, Id guess, well begin getting more recruits than we can handle.