"The amulets made for the Eternal Guard in the time of the White Rose. So they could enter the Barrowland without hazard."

The resulting excitement surpassed my understanding.

"The wife must have carried them away. Though how she laid hands on them is a mystery. Break this up now. I need time to think." She shooed us like a farm wife shooes chickens.

I returned to my room. The Limper floated in behind me. He said nary a word, but ducked into the documents again. Puzzled, I looked over his shoulder. He had lists of all the names we had unearthed, written in the alphabets of the languages whence they sprang. He seemed to be playing with both substitution codes and numerology. Baffled, I went to my bed, turned my back on him, faked sleep.

As long as he was there, I knew, sleep would evade me.

Chapter Fifty-Three:
THE RECOVERY

It resumed snowing that night. Real snow, half a foot an hour and no letup. The racket raised by the Guards as they strove to clear it from doorways and the carpets wakened me.

I had slept despite the Limper.

An instant of terror. I sat bolt upright. He remained at his task.

The barracks was overly warm, holding the heat because it was all but buried.

There was a bustle despite the weather. Taken had arrived while I slept. Guards not only dug but hurried about other tasks.

One-Eye joined me for a rude breakfast. I said, "So she's going ahead. Despite the weather."

"It won't get any better, Croaker. That guy out there knows what's going on." He looked grim.

"What's the matter?"

"I can count. Croaker. What do you expect from a guy with a week to live?"

My stomach tightened. Yes. I had been able to avoid thoughts of the sort so far, but… "We've been in tight places before. Stair of Tear. Juniper. Beryl. We made it."

"I keep telling myself."

"How's Darling?"

"Worried. What do you think? She's a bug between hammer and anvil."

"The Lady has forgotten her."

He snorted. "Don't let your special dispensation erode your common sense, Croaker."

"Sound advice," I admitted. "But unnecessary. A hawk couldn't watch her more closely."

"You going out?"

"I wouldn't miss it. Know where I can get some snow-shoes?"

He grinned. For an instant the devil of years past peeped forth. "Some guys I know-mentioning no names, you know how it is-swiped a half dozen pairs from the Guard Armory last night. Duty man fell asleep on post."

I grinned and winked. So. I was not seeing enough of them to keep up, but they were not just sitting around and waiting.

"Couple pairs went off to Darling, just in case. Got four pair left. And just a smidgen of a plan."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You'll see. Brilliant, if I do say so myself."

"Where are the shoes? When are you going?"

"Meet us in the smokehouse after the Taken get off the ground."