Part 13 (2/2)
”I don't think so,” said William. He had an idea what they were, but thought better of saying anything to the men. He stood and said, ”Let's get this place as secure as we can.”
The two men nodded and one tried a salute, but William waved it off. ”Get yourself bandaged.”
William inspected the kitchen. Besides the bodies of the innkeeper, his wife and the serving-girl, three more a.s.sa.s.sins lay dead, as did the two guardsmen he had stationed there originally.
William stuck his head out of the door that opened onto the stabling yard and saw the sky to the east was lightening. He heard the horses snort in the stable and counted himself fortunate that he hadn't put men needlessly in the stable. Two or three less men in the inn and they might not have survived.
William returned to the common room and looked around. ”Someone's missing,” he said to Matthews. ”Where's Sidi?”
”Vanished during the fight,” said one of the soldiers. ”Faced one of the killers with a dagger and when I killed the man trying to kill him, he runs off into the night without so much as a thank you.”
William nodded. ”Given the circ.u.mstances, I don't blame him. Maybe he'll come back.” William doubted it. From what he had said, the man skated along the edge of the law and with this many dead, there was bound to be too much royal scrutiny for him to welcome it. William looked at Matthews. ”How do we stand?”
”There are five men still living, and you and I, sir.”
”Sun's coming up. I think we're safe until reinforcements arrive.”
”I'll see to the men, sir. You could use some rest.”
William nodded, then stood. ”We all could use some rest.” He started to pull bodies out of the inn and then said, ”Sergeant, I want these a.s.sa.s.sins searched.” He was almost certain they'd find nothing but swords and daggers, no personal items, jewelry, or anything else that might reveal who they were.
As Matthews set about tending the men, William went to the first attacker outside. He knelt next to the body and removed the head covering. He then pried open the mouth and saw the man's tongue had been cut.
William sat back on his heels and shook his head. Looking toward the south, he said to himself, ”What are Kes.h.i.+an a.s.sa.s.sins doing trying to kill a Prince of Olasko?”
NINE - Decisions Arutha frowned.
He stood to one side of the Duke of Olasko's bed and watched as a priest of the Order of Prandur examined the duke.
The priest was new to Arutha's service, having been selected by his order to serve for a year as Arutha's spiritual advisor. The position rotated through the various major temples in the city, each sending an advisor for a year's term-though some chose not to-and this year it was Father Belson.
The slender, black-bearded cleric stood up, his purple and scarlet robes s.h.i.+mmering with reflected torchlight, and turned to the Prince. ”There is infection and something else, a magical element that keeps the wound from healing properly.” Then, looking at William, the priest said, ”The powder you saw sprinkled upon the wound was green, you say?”
”Yes, Father,” William replied.
He had returned to the palace less than an hour ago, bone-tired and filthy. When relief under Captain Treggar had arrived at the inn at dawn, the healer who had accompanied the relief column had p.r.o.nounced the duke's condition beyond his ability to improve, and urged Captain Treggar to return the duke to Krondor as quickly as possible. The captain had utilized a wagon out behind the inn to carry the duke and his family, and while the inn's wagon was being made ready to carry the duke and his family, William had made his report.
Treggar had said nothing to him after that, save direct orders regarding the return to Krondor.
William waited silently while the priest again examined the duke. ”I have magic that will burn out the contamination,” he said to Kazamir who stood at his father's bedside. ”But like most magic practiced by my temple, there is little in it that is gentle.”
”Will it work?” asked the young Prince, obviously worried but trying to hide it.
”Yes, but it will leave a scar.”
”My father has many scars. Do what you must to save his life.”
Belson nodded. ”Highness, I will need a brazier and a clean blade that I may heat.”
Arutha called for the required items, and nodded at James.
James motioned to William and said, ”Come with me.”
William followed James from the duke's bedchamber and when they were outside, James said, ”You did well, w.i.l.l.y.”
William looked at James in open-mouthed astonishment. ”Well? According to whom?”
James grinned. ”According to Captain Treggar. He says the fact you managed to keep half your company alive and, more importantly, kept the duke's family alive, was commendable.”
William sighed. ”I thought I was going to be cas.h.i.+ered right out of the army. It doesn't feel like I did much commendable. All I can think about is the men who died.”
James said, ”I don't want to sound like the old veteran, but I've seen enough warfare in my life to know that you'll probably never get past that. Just keep in mind that you're a soldier and your line of work isn't known to have a long life-expectancy. Now, come along.”
”Where are we going?”
”The Prince's office.”
”Like this?” asked William, indicating his dirty appearance.
James smiled. ”Remember, I've crawled through sewers with His Highness. Right now, expedience outweighs fastidiousness.”
They reached the entrance to the Prince's private chambers, and one of the pages flanking the portal opened it. James led William into the Prince's receiving room.
Princess Anita and the twins were waiting. ”Cousin Willie!” shouted Borric, followed an instant later by Erland. The boys jumped up from where they had been sitting as their mother read a story to them, and hurried over to inspect the young soldier.
”You've been in a battle!” shouted Erland. ”Outstanding!”
William gave the nine-year-old a frown. ”Not if you'd been there. We lost some good men.”
That calmed the twins down a little. ”Did you kill anyone?” asked Borric.
William nodded, looking regretful. ”I did.”
Anita rose and said, ”James, you and William refresh yourselves until Arutha gets here.” She indicated a washbasin that had been placed on a table in the corner. ”I'll deposit these two thugs elsewhere.”
”Aw, mother,” began Erland.
Anita held up a ringer to her lips for silence. ”Business of the court. You can annoy James and William at supper.” Looking at the two young men she said, ”You will come?”
James nodded. ”Unless your husband has other plans for us, of course.”
William hurried to the washbasin and attempted to clean himself as much as possible. A page appeared with a clean tabard, and he stripped off his blood-covered one. He washed his face, hands, and the back of his neck, not wis.h.i.+ng to sit at the royal table looking as if he had just come from a slaughterhouse. He was toweling off his face and hands when Prince Arutha walked in. ”The duke will live,” he said without preamble. With a wave of his hand he indicated that the two young men should sit on the divan vacated by his wife and sons.
They sat and Arutha said, ”From everything that has occurred in the last two weeks, I can see that we face as big a danger to the sovereignty of our realm as we did from the moredhel recently.
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