Taglios lay on the southeast bank of the great river, actually inland a little, straddling a tributary that snakes between a half-dozen low hills. We debarked in a place that was really a satellite of the greater city, a riverport town called Maheranga. Soon Maheranga would share the fate of Trogo.
Trogo retained its identity only because it was the seat of the lords of the greater principiate, its governmental and religious center.
The Taglian people seemed friendly, peaceable, and overly god-ridden, much as Swan and Mather had described in brief exchanges during our journey. But underneath that they seemed to be frightened. And Swan had told us nothing about that.
And it was not the Company that was their terror. They treated us with respect and courtesy.
Swan and party vanished as soon as we tied up. I did not have to tell One-Eye to keep an eye on them.
The maps showed the sea only forty miles from Taglios, but that was along a straight line to the nearest coast, west across the river. Down the river's meander and delta it was two hundred miles to salt water. On the map the delta looked like a many-fingered, spidery hand clawing at the belly of the sea.
It is useful to know a little about Taglios because the Company ended up spending a lot more time there than any of us planned. Maybe even more than the Taglians themselves hoped.
Once I was convinced we would be secure doing so I ordered a break at Taglios. The rest was overdue. And I needed to do some heavy research. We were near the edge of the maps in my possession.
I discovered that I had come to count on Swan and Mather to show me around. Without them I was forced to rely on One-Eye's pet devil. And that I did not like. For no reason I could finger, I did not entirely trust the imp. Maybe it was because his sense of humor so closely reflected his owner's. The only time you trusted One-Eye was when your life was at stake.
I hoped we were now far enough south that I could chart the rest of our course to Khatovar before we resumed travelling.
Lady had been the perfect soldier since the encounter on the river, though not much of a companion otherwise. She was shaken badly by the Howler's return and enmity. He had been a staunch supporter in the old days.
She was still caught in the purgatory zone between the old Lady and the new that had to be, and the heart was not bound in the same direction as the head. She could not find her way out and, much as I ached for her, I did not know how to take her hand and show her.
I figured she deserved a distraction. I had Frogface shop for a local equivalent of Opal's Gardens and he astonished me by finding one. I asked Lady if she would be interested in a real social evening out.
She was amenable, if not excited after so many months of neglect. Not thrilled. Just, "I don't have anything better to do, so why not."
She never was the social sort. And both my maneuver on the river and my evasions through attention to duty had not left her pleased with me.
We did it decked out, with drama, though without as much uproar as we had raised in Opal. I did not want the local lords taking offense. One-Eye and Goblin behaved. Frogface was the only clear evidence of sorcery. None of that nastiness we had shown in Opal. Frogface went along in his capacity as universal translator.
One-Eye decked his pet out in a costume as flamboyant as his own, one that mocked Goblin's dress subtly. It seemed to state that this was how nice Goblin could look if he would get over being a slob.
Taglios's elite went to see and be seen in an olive grove past its prime bearing years. The grove bestrode a hill near old Trogo. A hot spring fed a score of private baths. It cost a bundle to get in when you were not known, most of that in bribes. Even so, it was two days after I asked before room could be found for us.
We went in the coach with Goblin and One-Eye up top and squads of four Nar each marching before and behind. Murgen drove. He took the coach away after he delivered us. The others accompanied us into the grove. I wore my legate's costume. Lady was dressed for the kill, but in black. All the time with the black. It looked good on her, but times were I wished she would try another color.
She said, "Our presence has stirred more interest than you expected." Our advent had caused very little stir in the streets of Taglios.
She was right. Unless the grove was a major in place to spend an evening a lot of class folks had come out just to give us the eye. It looked like everyone who might be anyone was there. "Wonder why?"
"There's something going on here, Croaker."
I am not blind. I knew. I knew after a few minutes with Willow Swan way back upriver. But I could not find out what. Even Frogface was no help. If they did any scheming they did it when he was not around.
Except for the Nar, who had lived with ceremony in Gea-Xle, we were all uncomfortable under the pressure of so many eyes. I admitted, "This might not have been one of my brighter ideas."
"On the contrary. It confirms our suspicions that there's a greater interest in us than should be for simple travellers. They mean to use us." She was disturbed.
"Welcome to life in the Black Company, sweetheart," I said. "Now you know why I'm cynical about lords and such. Now you know one of the feelings I've been trying to get across."
"Maybe I get it. A little. I feel demeaned. Like I'm not human at all but an object that might be useful."
"Like I said, welcome to the Black Company."
That was not all her problem. I barken back to the rogue Taken Howler, the dead unexpectedly alive and inimical. No amount of tall talking would convince me his appearance on the river was chance. He had been there to do us hurt.
Moreover, there had been an odd and unusual interest in us at least since Opal. I looked for crows.
There were crows in the olive trees, quiet and still. Watching. Always watching.
Shapeshifter's presence in Gea-Xle, the dead again living, waiting for Lady. There were hidden schemes brewing. Too much had happened to let me believe otherwise.
I had not pressed her. Yet. She was being a good soldier. Maybe waiting...
For what?
I had learned long ago that I can find out more around her sort by watching and listening and thinking than I ever do by asking. They lie and mislead even when there is no need. More, except in her own case, I did not think she had any better idea what was stirring than I did.
The grove staff showed us to a private bower with its own hot mineral bath. The Nar spread out. Goblin and One-Eye found themselves inconspicuous posts. Frogface stayed close, to interpret.
We settled.
"How is your research coming?" Lady asked. She toyed with some plump purple grapes.
"Strangely is the only way to describe it. I think we're right up next to the place where you come to the end of the earth and fall off the edge."
"What? Oh. Your sense of humor."
"Taglios is infested with chartmakers. They do good work. But I can't find one map that will get me where I want to go."
"Maybe you haven't been able to make them understand what you need."
"It wasn't that. They understood. That's the problem. You tell them what you need and they go deaf. New maps only run to the southern borders of Taglian territory. When you can find an old one, it fades to blank eight hundred miles southeast of the city. It's the same even with maps so good they show damned near every tree and cottage."
"They're hiding something?"
"A whole city? Don't seem likely. But it does look like there's no other explanation."
"You asked the appropriate questions?"
"With the silver-tongued cunning of a snake. When the blank space comes up translation problems develop."
"What will you do?"
Dusk had come. Lamplighters were at work. I watched a moment. "Maybe use Frogface somehow. I'm not sure. We're far enough back that the Annals are almost useless. But the indicators are that we head straight for that blank space. You have any thoughts about it?"