24.11
To Croaker, the doctor, the Black Company feels as though it has always existed. Keeping the history means that he is more aware and focused on its ways and means than nearly any other. Although the Company has had its high points, their stay in the city of Beryl is surely one of the lowest. When the Captain is convinced to accept the patronage of a mysterious person, the soldiers leave to fight in the North. Here it becomes evident the Company is now in the employ of one of the Taken, a resurrected sorcerer in thrall to the greatest source of magic, The Lady. Embroiled in the power struggles to control the land, tied up in magical deceptions, and unsure if they are fighting on the right side, the Black Company faces its darkest hour. An unwitting focus in these struggles, Croaker will be where he’d least likely desire – right in the center of history in the making.
