Part 43 (2/2)
His fortune only made him more nervous. What should his response have been?
But he was inside. And everyone he encountered repeated the performance. He remained unresponsive. No one remarked on his behavior, odd or not.
”Must have killed somebody important,” he mumbled. Good. Though it could have its disadvantages. Sooner or later someone would approach him with a pet.i.tion, request for orders, or....
He ducked into an empty room when he spied another Tervola. He dared not try dealing with an equal.
His luck persisted. It was late. The crowds had declined dramatically.
He stumbled across his quarry by accident.
He had entered an area devoted to apartments. He encountered one with its door ajar and soft voices coming through....
A footfall warned him. He turned as a sentry entered the pa.s.sage, armed with a crossbow. For a moment the soldier stared uncertainly.
Haroun realized he had made some mistake. The crossbow rose.
He snapped the throwing knife underhand. Its blade sank into the soldier's throat.
The crossbow discharged. The bolt nipped Haroun's sleeve, clattered down the hallway.
”d.a.m.n!” He made sure of the man, appropriated his weapon, hurried back to the open door.
To him the action had seemed uproarious. But there was no excitement behind the door.
He peeped in. The speakers were out of sight. He slipped inside, peeped through a curtain. He didn't recognize the three men, nor could he follow a tenth of their argument. But he lingered in hopes he could learn the whereabouts of his target, or Mocker.
O s.h.i.+ng told Lang and Tran, ”I'm convinced, Tran. There's too much smoke for there not to be fire. Chin's it. And Wu must be in it. You identify anyone else, Tran?”
”Feng and Kwan, Lord.” He used the Lord of Lords t.i.tle.
Haroun stepped in.
”Wu!” the three gasped.
Haroun was the perfect professional. His bolt slew Lang before his gasp ended. He finished Tran a second later, with the knife he had thrown before.O s.h.i.+ng hobbled around a bed, pulled a cord.
Haroun cursed softly.
”You.... You're not Wu.”
Haroun discarded the locust mask. The cruel little smile tugged his lips as he cranked the crossbow.
”You!” O s.h.i.+ng gasped. He remembered who had harried him through the Savernake Gap. ”How did you...?”
”I am the Brother of Death,” Haroun replied. ”Her blind brother. Justice.”
Running feet slapped stone floors.
Haroun fired. The bolt slammed into O s.h.i.+ng's heart.
The dark man drew his sword and smiled his smile. Now there might be time for Bragi and the west. He was sad, though, that he hadn't found Mocker. Where the h.e.l.l was that little tub of lard?
He couldn't know that his bolt had removed the only obstacle to Pracchia control of s.h.i.+nsan. His action would have an effect exactly opposite his intent.
He fought. And broke through, leaving a trail of dead men.
He stayed to find and free Mocker.
He remained at liberty long enough to b.l.o.o.d.y the halls of that fortress, to learn that Mocker wasn't there, and had never been. Long enough to convince his hunters that he was no man at all, but a blood-drinking devil.
THIRTY: The Other Side
The Old Man watched dreamily as the Star Rider reactivated the Power and opened a transfer stream.
A gang tumbled through immediately. A bewildered boy and a maskless Tervola followed. Curses pursued them. Then a javelin flickered through, smashed into the Tervola's skull.
The Old Man and Star Rider froze, stunned. Then, cursing, the bent man scuttled after the boy. Catching him, he demanded, ”What happened?” Panic edged his voice.
Everything was going wrong. The leukemia victim had expired. The Mercenary's Guild had cleansed itself. There had been no time to replace Pracchia members. Now Chin, his most valuable tool, lay dead at his feet. ”Help him!” he roared at the Old Man, before the Fadema could answer his question.
The Old Man knelt beside the Tervola. It was hopeless. The javelin had jellied Chin's brain.
”Ragnarson,” the Fadema whined.
”What? What about him?”
”He crossed the steppes. He made an alliance with Necremnos. He came down the Roe and attacked from boats. He captured the Fadem. We barely held on till transfer time.”
The others began arriving. They milled around, trying to comprehend the latest disaster.”Move along! Move along!” the Star Rider shouted. ”Get to the meeting room.”
Badalamen came through. He looked das.h.i.+ng dressed as a desert general.
”Who's this?” the bent man demanded, indicating the boy.
”The fat man's son. His wife got away.”
”Take him to the meeting room.” He kicked Chin's corpse. ”Incompetent. Can't get anybody to do anything right. Argon was supposed to be ready for war.” Pettily, viciously, he used the Power to murder the Fadema's soldiers.
He asked the Old Man, ”How will I ever get out of here?” Then, ”Drag the bodies to Norath's pets.” He kicked Chin again.
While working, the Old Man slowly put together the thought that he had never seen his master behave this irrationally.
He wandered to the meeting room once he finished, arriving amidst a heated discussion.
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