One-Eye nodded, grinned. He was in love. Already tricky, nasty plots were afoot in his twisted mind.

It should have been Silent’s game, really. The Captain gave it to One-Eye because he cannot come to grips wit! Silent’s refusal to talk. That scares him for some reason.

Silent did not protest.

Some of our native servants are spies. We know who they are, thanks to One-Eye and Goblin. One, who knew nothing about the hair, was allowed to flee with the news that we were setting up an espionage headquarters in the free city Roses.

When you have the smaller battalions you learn guile.

Every ruler makes enemies. The Lady is no exception. The Sons of the White Rose are everywhere.... If one chooses sides on emotion, then the Rebel is the guy to go with. He is Fighting for everything men claim to honor: freedom, independence, truth, the right.... All the subjective illusions, all the eternal trigger-words. We are minions of the villain of the piece. We confess the illusion and deny the substance.

There are no self-proclaimed villains, only regiments of self-proclaimed saints. Victorious historians rule where good or evil lies.

We abjure labels. We fight for money and an indefinable pride. The politics, the ethics, the moralities, are irrelevant.

One-Eye had contacted Soulcatcher. He was coming. Goblin said the old spook howled with glee. He smelled a chance to raise his stock and scuttle that of the Limper. The Ten squabble and backbite worse than spoiled children.

Winter relaxed its siege briefly. The men and native staff began clearing Meystrikt’s courtyards. One of the natives disappeared. In the main hall, One-Eye and Silent looked smug over their cards. The Rebel was being told exactly what they wanted.

“What’s happening on the wall?” I asked. Elmo had rigged block and tackle and was working a crenel stone loose. “What’re you going to do with that block?”

“A little sculpture, Croaker. I’ve taken up a new hobby.”

“So don’t tell me. See if I care.”

“Take that attitude if you want. I was going to ask if you could go after Raker with us. So you could put it in the Annals right.”

“With a word about One-Eye’s genius?”

“Credit where credit is due, Croaker.”

“Then Silent is due a chapter, isn’t he?”

He sputtered. He grumbled. He cursed. “You want to play a hand?” They had only three players, one of whom was Raven. Tonk is more interesting with four or five.

I won three hands straight.

“Don’t you have anything to do? A wart to cut off, or something?”

“You asked him to play,” a kibitzing soldier observed.

“You like flies, Otto?”

“Flies?”

“Going to turn you into a frog if you don’t shut your mouth.”

Otto was not impressed. “You couldn’t turn a tadpole into a frog.”

I snickered. “You asked for it, One-Eye. When is Soulcatcher going to show?”

“When he gets here.”

I nodded. There is no apparent rhyme or reason to the way the Taken do things. “Regular Cheerful Charlies today, aren’t we? How much has he lost, Otto?”