I held up a hand, listened. The uproar was close. "She won't come back from her meeting with the Taken. There's no reason we couldn't turn you loose once we're done doing what we have to do."

He did not believe me. He had committed crimes he believed deserved the harshest punishment, and he expected it.

"We're the Black Company, Shed. Juniper is going to get to know that real well soon. Including the fact that we keep our promises. But that's not important to you. Right now you want to stay alive long enough to get a break. That means you'd damned well better fake being dead, and do it better than any stiff you ever hauled up the hill."

"All right."

"Take him over by the fire and make him look like he's had it rough."

The men knew what to do. They sort of scattered Shed around without actually hurting him. I tossed a few things around to make it look like there had been a fight, and finished just in time.

The girl came sailing through the doorway, propelled by Otto's fist. She looked the worse for wear. So did Otto and the men I'd sent to help. "Wildcat, eh?"

Otto tried to grin. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. "Ain't the half of it, Croaker." He kicked the girl's feet from under her. "What happened to the guy?"

"Got a little feisty. I stuck a knife in him."

"I see."

We stared at the girl. She stared back, the fire gone. Each few seconds she glanced at Shed, looked back more subdued.

"Yep. You're in a heap of trouble, sweetheart."

She gave us the song-and-dance I'd expected from Shed. We ignored it, knowing it was bullshit. Otto cleaned up, then bound her hands and ankles. He parked her in a chair. I made sure it faced away from Shed. The poor bastard had to breathe.

I sat down opposite the girl and began to question her. Shed said he had told her almost everything. I wanted to know if she knew anything about Raven that could give him or us away.

I got no chance to find out.

There was a great rush of air around the house. A roar like a tornado passing. A crack like thunder.

Otto said it all. "Oh shit! Taken." The door blew inward. I rose, stomach twisting, heart hammering. Feather came in looking like she'd just walked through a burning building. Wisps of smoke rose from her smouldering apparel.

"What the hell?" tasked.

"The castle. I got too close. They almost knocked me out of the sky. What have you got?"

I told my story quickly, not omitting the fact that we had allowed a corpse to get past. I indicated Shed. "One dead, trying to fight questioning. But this one is healthy." I indicated the girl.