His grin faded. He caught the warning edge.

From Narayan I went to Swan. "How are you doing?"

"Dying of boredom. Are we prisoners?"

"No. Guests with limited mobility. Now free to go. Or stay. I could use your cachet."

Smoke shook his head vigorously, as though he feared Swan would desert the Radisha. I told him, "You're awfully anxious to hang onto a Black Company spy."

He looked at me and went through some internal change, as though he'd decided to abandon ineffectual tactics. It wasn't a dramatic shift, though. The role he'd been in couldn't have been that far from the real Smoke.

He never said a word.

Swan grinned and winked. "I'm gone. But I got a feeling I'll be back."

The racket started up in Narayan's sector as I watched Swan go. I wondered how Jah was taking it.

Swan was back within the hour. "She wants to see you."

"Why am I not surprised? Ram, get Narayan and Blade. Sindhu, too."

I took Narayan and Blade with me. Sindhu I left in charge, hinting that I'd be pleased if the camp was finished when I got back.

I paused at the gate of the Ghoja fortress, glanced back. It was an hour short of noon. We had been here six hours. Already my camp was the most complete, best protected, most military.

Professionalism and preparedness are relative, I suppose.

Chapter Sixteen

Croaker hobbled to the temple door, looked out. Soulcatcher was nowhere around. He hadn't seen her for days. He wondered if he'd been abandoned. He doubted it. She'd just waited till he was able to care for himself, then had hurried off on some arcane business.

He thought of making a run for it. He knew the surrounding country. There was a village he could reach in a few hours, even at the pace he could make. But that escape would be no escape.