Part 5 (1/2)
”Why am I Ten Pound?”
”You carry a ten pound tool, don't you?”
”No Harvester weighs-oh A joke” Sunbright huffed as they clumped down and around the spiral ramp ”Why all this obscure cant? Why not just talk?”
”Cant is quicker in an euards if you're in their clutches”
”Are thieves captured often?”
”And robbed by the guards, yes Usually they're forced into labor gangs on the ground Unless you hurt or kill a guard Then they fly you home”
”Home where?”
”Earthmother They pitch you off the island to 'fly' to earth” Sunbright's stomach lurched ”But why does the city tolerate thieves at all?” he asked ”Why notof narrow shoulders, and Knucklebones said, ”Catching thieves gives the guards work
What would you have theues are only part-tiraves Which lets them pilfer leather, cut purses, and loot the dead Besides, when I pay half uild pays half to the authorities”
”What?” Noise froer whispered, ”You uild?”
”You're learning, country ifts It costs to be a citizen”
Sunbright sighed ”None of thiskiller whales through the ice”
”Hunh? That's easy”
”Uh, hunh”
The spiraling rae at the bottoeways and balconies filled with smoky taverns, shops, a smith, a washroom with hot and cold water, niches with beds, and a cotomen and a man The air reeked of sweat and ale and s to the sound of ha, and children splashi+ng one another
”Are these all thieves?” asked the tundra iving way to joy at finally being holoves in their belts are stevedores The aprons ht pants are prostitutes And see there? Rich snots seeking thrills- you rand?”
”It's not very secret”
”Don't fret Hungry?”
Knucklebones laughed to see Sunbright salivate She handed hi at the bar while I check bolt holes” She faded away, leaving Sunbright as aard and out of place as a polar bear aht bowls of s of frothy harvest ale, and black bread at the bar, found a not-so grimy table, and plunked down He'd eaten all his before Knucklebones returned
”Found the exits,” she said ”There are seven, but five one-way only That's good”
Sunbright watched her eat hungrily, so she gave hi done, a , sad romance Finally the warrior patted his belly and said, ”What next?”
”Already done A e named Bly can scry e need She lives in the Street of the Faithful Protector on the east side What does that tell us?”
Sunbright thought ”If she lives on the east side,” he said, ”she must be prosperous? Good at her work?”
”Excellent!” Knucklebones said, licking gravy fro home ”But she'll be expensive We'll need ain I don't knohat to offer, but ue, so-”
”RAID!”
Knucklebones didn't even look around Grabbing Sunbright's wrist, she hurled the table aside and yanked him out of the chair He stumbled to one knee She shrilled, ”Come on, sluefoot!”
Men and women hollered, shouts rebounded and echoed from stone walls Children scurried underfoot like rats and dived through doorways and down chutes and up ladders In the tavern, bartenders doused torches in dishwater In darkness, the cat-eyed thief slid past panicked people, upset furniture, and spilled flagons and plates Towed by one hand, Sunbright banged every iteed hi down the rauards in polished lobstertail helmets and yellow tunics emblazoned with I for Ioulauasglobe lanterns bolted to the upper bar As they surged into the crowd, anobles, theycollarbones and ar the nobles stream past and up the rae people suffered lit Sunbright's temper, but Knucklebones soon towed hiht flared ahead So clubbed down Curses and screams and thuds resounded
”They've coainst the stalled crowd
”Get behind!” Sunbright yelled, hoisted her bodily, and plunked her in back of hi crowd, the sed sharply left ”Go! But for the love of Kismet, don't kill anyone!”
Good advice, the barbarian recalled He'd killed guards in Karsus, and whole teaolems had tracked the his ar hts sparkled before Sunbright's eyes as three guards in a wedge s barbarian becalare of shi+eld la back on one leg and ht raised a , ”Ra-vens!”
His high kick smashed a lantern atop an I-shaped shi+eld Glass and a silver-wire cage crunched, and the globe winked out The ed an inside corner of the shi+eld and wrenched it frouard's arm The man rocked back with a curse, his hand sprained He fuuards were quick, though One flailed for Sunbright's head, h he retracted the leg, searing pain like a bone saw sang up and down his leg
But not crippling pain He sta toes, ducked low then drove high with his shoulder His broad frame collided with both shi+elds The owners were shoved up and backward, off-balance The barbarian roared, and hauard flopped on his bottom The other, a worip like a vise With a ht slammed her hand across the top of her own shi+eld She cried out as the wrist sprained or snapped The shank of the club rapped the gasglobe so it winked out The barbarian was encouraged To douse the lights would give Knucklebones the advantage, and they could escape
But the last guard danced back, leveled his shi+eld, and took ailiht hand, but his sleeve fetched on a corner of the shi+eld Too late he realized the I-shape, with its sharp angles, was also a weapon He ripped his sleeve loose, but too late to keep thehim
Yet the mace barely flipped over his head, and bounced off his back A streak of black had flitted by, and Sunbright realized Knucklebones had hurled her elven blade Hadn't she ordered not to kill?
The trio of guards were down, and the flood of people stauard with the cracked wrist rolled on the sli in pain, but someone had already swiped her silver-tipped h her belt, and jerked away her belt buckle
Sunbright felt a dig in his ribs Knucklebones barked, ”Move your bloody big feet! Ha! Drop it!” A woman had stooped for the dark elven blade Knucklebones stiff-armed the woman on her duff, and snatched up the black hilt wrapped with silver wire
”I thought eren't supposed to kill!” Sunbright recalled
”Who killed? I flipped it backward!”