Wow. He was right. I did respect her. So I talked a bit. And my theme was, when I noticed it, that she did remain tainted by the light. "She tried hard to be a villain. But when faced by real darkness-the thing under the mound-her weakness started to show."

"It is only slightly less difficult for us to extinguish the light within us than it is for us to conquer the darkness. A Dominator occurs once in a hundred generations. The others, like the Taken, are but imitations."

"Can you stand against the Lady?"

"Hardly. I suspect my fate is to become one of the Taken when she finds time." He'd landed on his feet, this old boy. He halted. "Lords! She's strong!"

"Who?"

"Your Darling. An incredible absorption. I feel helpless as a child."

We stamped into Blue Willy, entering through a second-floor window. The snow was banked that high.

One-Eye, Goblin, and Silent were down in the common room with Darling. The first two looked a bit shopworn. "So," I said. "You guys made it. I thought Toadkiller Dog had you for lunch."

"No problem at all," One-Eye said. "We…"

"What do you mean, we?" Goblin demanded. "You were worthless as tits on a boar hog. Silent…"

"Shut up. This is Bomanz. He wants to meet Darling."

"The Bomanz?" Goblin squeaked.

"The very one."

Their meeting was about a three-question interview. Darling took charge immediately. When he realized Darling was leading him, Bomanz broke it off. He told me, "Next step. I read my alleged autobiography."

"It's not yours?"

"Unlikely. Unless my memory serves me worse than I suppose."

We returned to the compound in silence. He seemed reflective. Darling has that impact on those who meet her for the first time. She is just Darling to those of us who have known her all along.

Bomanz worked his way through the original manuscript, occasionally asking about specific passages. He was unfamiliar with the UchiTelle dialect.

"You had nothing to do with that, then?"

"No. But my wife was the primary source. Question. Was the girl Snoopy traced?"

"No."

"She is the one to follow up. She is the only survivor of significance."

"I'll tell the Lady. But there isn't time for it. In a few days Hell is going to break loose out there." I wondered if Tracker had gotten the sapling planted. Much good it would do when the Great Tragic reached the mound. Brave move but dumb, Tracker.

The effects of his effort were apparent soon, though. When I got around to relaying Bomanz's suggestion about Snoopy, the Lady asked, "Have you noted the weather?"

"No."

"It's getting better. The sapling stilled my husband's ability to shape it. Too late, of course. It will be months before the river falls."

She was depressed. She merely nodded when I told her what Bomanz had to say.

"Is it that bad? Are we defeated before we enter the lists?"