Her words worked. That old wreck came to life grittily determined to push forward against a savage wind. He marched three steps before registering his altered circumstances.

He froze. He turned slowly, face collapsing into despair. His gaze locked on the Lady. Maybe two minutes passed. Then he looked the rest of us over and considered his surroundings.

"You explain, Croaker."

"Does he speak…"

"Forsberger hasn't changed."

I faced Bomanz, a legend come to life. "I am Croaker. A military physician by profession. You are Bomanz…"

"His name is Seth Chalk, Croaker. Let us establish that immediately."

"You are Bomanz, whose true name may be Seth Chalk, a sorcerer of Oar. Nearly a century has passed since you attempted to contact the Lady."

"Give him the whole story." The Lady used a Jewel Cities dialect likely to be outside Bomanz's capacity.

I talked till I was hoarse. The rise of the Lady's empire. The threat defeated at the battle at Charm. The threat defeated at Juniper. The present threat. He said not a word in all that time. Not once did I see in him the fat, almost obsequious shopkeeper of the story.

His first words were: "So. I did not entirely fail." He faced the Lady. "And you remain tainted by the light, Not-Ardath." He faced me again. "You will take me to the White Rose. As soon as I have eaten."

Nary a protest from the Lady.

He ate like a fat little shopkeeper.

The Lady herself helped me back into my wet winter coat. "Don't dawdle," she cautioned.

Hardly had we departed when Bomanz seemed to diminish. He said, "I'm too old. Don't let that back there fool you. An act. Going to play with the big boys, you have to act. What'll I do? A hundred years. Less than a week to redeem myself. How will I get a handle on things that quickly? The only principal I know is the Lady."

"Why did you think she was Ardath? Why not one of the other sisters?"

"There was more than one?"

"Four." I named them. "From your papers I've established that Soulcatcher was the one named Dorotea…"

"My papers?"

"So called. Because the story of you wakening the Lady was prominent among them. It's always been assumed, till a few days ago, that you assembled them and your wife carried them away when she thought you had died."

"Bears investigation. I collected nothing. I risked nothing but a map of the Barrowland."

"I know the map well."

"I must see those papers. But first, your White Rose. Meanwhile, tell me about the Lady."

I had trouble staying with him. He zigged and zagged, spraying ideas. "What about her?"

"There is a detectable tension between you. Of enemies who are friends, perhaps. Lovers who are enemies? Opponents who know one another well and respect one another. If you respect her, it's with reason. It's impossible to respect total evil. It cannot respect itself."