Part 16 (1/2)
Jaet pen and paper and copy these By noon tomorrow I'll knoho these e scurrying off In less than five minutes he was back and he said, ”Squire, I've just been told they've been looking for you all evening”
Arutha glanced over and said, ”Who are 'they'?”
”Jailer Morgon, sire, and his ht s for you, Jao find out” He handed the pen and paper to William and said, ”Do your best”
James left the exa after the page They parted coe headed upstairs to the main floor of the palace, while Jaeon He reached the door to the jailer's small apartment and knocked
”Who is it?” came the voice from the other side
”Squire James You sent for on the Chief Jailer looked out He was dressed for bed in a gray flannel nightshi+rt ”Just turning in, squire I sent that boy to find you hours ago”
”I was out of the palace until a while ago What can I do for you?”
The jailer said, ”Nothing for me, but there's a bloke down in the lock-up claion was a narrow-facedyears, but his hair had stayed almost uniformly black in all the tiht across the forehead and down before the ears, so he looked as if he earing a black hat with ear flaps ”Bit odd, if you ask me He's been in lock-up for al to anybody But his trial's to for you”
”Do you know his na off a yawn ”Should I have?”
”I'll go see who it is Who's on duty?”
”Sikes He'll take you to hiht, squire,” said the jailer, closing the door
Jae that led to the stairs down into the deeper dungeon The dungeon had two levels The upper level was excavated so that narros in the cells let in light, and through which courtyard hangings could be watched by those in the death-cells
The lower level was pitch black Here the palace dungeon was really a vast gallery with four largeA cross formed by two paths divided the cells from one another A torch at the foot of the stairs at the end of one of the as the only source of light for the entire vast dungeon A solider stood beneath the torch and turned as Ja
”So for me down here?” asked James
”Bloke in the far cell I'll take you there”
James followed as the soldier took the torch from its wall holder and led him past the first two cells, both of which were e, and a feoether for mutual protection in the corners These were the brawlers, drunks and trouble as to be facing the Prince's justice Sonored
The soldier led Jaewith his hands on the bars
When he stopped before him, James heard the man say, ”Glad to see you, Jione”
The former Abbot of Ishap, former basher in the Mockers, said, ”As did I, but the Gods have other plans for us”
”Us?”
With his chin he ot Kat and Limm with me”
”When's your trial?”
”Toes Unlawful flight, resisting arrest, battery, rioting, and probably treason as well”
Jauard and said, ”Get the theet the them to my quarters Put men outside uard still seemed uncertain
”Would you like ned order?”
The guard, like alet the Prince's warrant if he needed to, so he thought better of delaying the inevitable and said, ”I'll get so them to you”
”See you upstairs, Ethan,” James said and left
A short time later there was a knock at the door of James's room Graves, Kat and Limm stood before him, shackled and cuffed in irons ”Remove the irons and wait outside,” ordered Jauard
After the irons were off and the door closed, Jaot there, upon which was a pitcher of ale, cheese, bread and cold beef Li in without hesitation Graves loaded up a platter for hions
”Last I saw you, Ethan, you were going to get Kat and head for Kesh”
Graves nodded ”That was the plan”
”What happened?”
Graves said, ”It took me almost a week to find Kat, and then set up thelow, had a nice little place in the poor quarter, waiting for the day our shi+p was heading out Then the murders started” He looked at Limm and indicated the boy should continue the story
Liainst this Crawler and his men for a while now, squire You remember last month when Old Donk turned up dead?”
Jaue as to who Old Donk had been and when he had died
”Then you must have heard how some bashers were killed out at the docks?”
Ja that was related to what Walter Blont had told hiroup and the Crawler's men
”Well then, when the Crawler's men hit Mother's we all scattered I'd been fetchin' for Kat and Graves while they was hiding out, getting ready to go to Kesh, and then the Nightmaster is killed They find hiether with Mick Giffen, Reg deVrise, and Phil the Fingers and they went soht Man is dead, and next thing you knoar's on in the sewer Most of the boys are dead and all the bashers are too” Limm paused to catch his breath, then carried on ”Graves and Kat andthe part of a proper faht up in a riot at the docks You know the rest”