Only bad luck put the Radisha at Ghoja before him. She closed the ford. He still figured he had the world by the oysters, then here comes word somebody's kicked the feathers off a gang of the Shadowmasters' boys. Right behind comes a rumor that it was you. You not being dead don't look so good for Jah's ambitions. The Company picked up a lot of respect putting it together so fast. Made all those priests look like conniving, selfish jerks."

Blade chuckled.

Mather said, "You collected some of that respect, being a woman and having everybody know how much you had to do with it falling together." He looked me in the eye. "But being a woman is going to be a handicap now."

"I've been on my own before, Mather." And I hadn't been happy a moment. But happiness is a fleeting creature. It's no birthright. Not anything I expect but something I accept when I stumble into it. Meantime, power will do nicely. "And Jah has liabilities. He's vulnerable. I have a thousand men over there. Every one will tell you Jah ran out on us at Dejagore. We would've won if it wasn't for him."

Swan surprised me. "We watched the battle. We saw. So did a lot of men who've come in. Even some of Jah's own men admit it."

"A liability," Mather said. "But it's not going to undo him."

Ghopal reminded me that three Shadar had escaped. True. And they would fly straight to their master, who was sure to make a move. But I doubted he'd do it right away. He was a vacillator. He'd worry a while before committing himself.

"Back to camp. Swan. Come. Ghopal. Bring the prisoners." I rode ahead as hard as the stallion could carry me.

"Sound the alarm and the recall," I told the soldiers at the north gate. "Narayan! Ram!"

They came running. Narayan gasped, "What is it, Mistress?"

"We're pulling out. Right now. Forced march. Get the men ready. Let the horses carry most of the load. Make sure each man carries food. We won't stop for meals. Move."