Chapters (4)
"Sort of? What's sort of! Does it work or doesn't it?"
"Well, what we got is a problem. Mainly, we can keep the Taken from locating you. From getting a fix on you, so to speak."
Obfuscation is a sure sign of trouble with this guy. "But? Butt me the but, Goblin."
"If you go outside the null, there's no hiding the fact that you are out."
"Great. Real great. What good are you guys, anyway?"
"It's not that bad," One-Eye said. "You wouldn't attract any attention unless they find out you're out from some other source. I mean, they wouldn't be watching for you, would they? No reason to. So it's just as good as if we got it to do everything we wanted."
"Crap! You better start praying that next letter comes through. Because if I go out and get my ass killed, guess who's going to haunt whom forever?"
"Darling wouldn't send you out."
"Bet? She'll go through three or four days of soul-searching. But she'll send me. Because that last letter will give us the key."
Sudden fear. Had the Lady probed my mind?
"What's the matter, Croaker?"
I was saved a lie by Tracker's advent. He bounced in and pumped my hand like a mad fool. "Thank you, Croaker. Thanks for bringing him home." Out he went.
"What the hell was that?" Goblin asked.
"I brought his dog home."
"Weird."
One-Eye chortled. "The pot calling the kettle black."
"Yeah? Lizard snot. Want me to tell you about weird?"
"Stow it," I said. "If I get sent out of here I want this stuff in perfect order. I just wish we had people who could read this junk."
"Maybe I can help." Tracker was back. The big dumb lout. A devil with a sword, but probably unable to write his own name.
"How?"
"I could read some of that stuff. I know some old language. My father taught me." He grinned as if at a huge joke. He selected a piece written in TelleKurre. He read it aloud. The ancient language rolled off his tongue naturally, as I had heard it spoken among the old Taken. Then he translated. It was a memo to a castle kitchen about a meal to be prepared for visiting notables. I went over it painstakingly. His translation was faultless. Better than I could do. A third of the words evaded me.
"Well. Welcome to the team. I'll tell Darling." I slipped out, exchanging a puzzled glance with One-Eye behind Tracker's back.
Stranger and stranger. What was this man? Besides weird. At first encounter he reminded me of Raven, and fit the role. When I came to think of him as big, slow, and clumsy, he fit that role. Was he a reflection of the image in his beholder?
A good fighter, though, bless him. Worth ten of anyone else we have.