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"The docks. I'm chasing the Elves. They've got the Cloth. Probably the dwa as well." #52 | | |
Makri finds it hard to believe that the Elves are criminals. "Callis is a healer." #53 | | |
"He'll need healing when I get through with him. Can you think of anyone better qualified to sneak up unnoticed behind Hanama and Sarin? And don't forget the way the Elves mysteriously appeared when Sarin had us cold outside the city. They'd been following us. They've used me all along, Makri. #54 | | |
Representatives of an Elf Lord indeed. They're after the Cloth for themselves." #55 | | |
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"That's right. I was a fool to take them on face value." #57 | | |
Makri asks me why I didn't check their credentials in the first place. "Because they handed over a load of money of course. Now, stop asking stupid questions." #58 | | |
We're next to the harbour. Just as well as the horse absolutely refuses to take another step. We dismount and look around. Several ships have been sunk in the harbour and a few more are smouldering at their berths. Only one vessel seems to be in good shape and the captain is obviously keen to get out of the city fast because he's preparing to weigh anchor as we approach. #59 | | |
He looks at us curiously: a large fat man, ragged and filthy, dripping with sweat, and an exotic young woman with a chainmail bikini and a sword sticking out from under her cloak. #60 | | |
"Travelling far?" he says. #61 | | |
"Not travelling at all," I reply. "Just looking. For Elves. Any aboard this ship?" #62 | | |
He stares at me blankly, the universal sign in Turai that a bribe is called for. I pass him a guran. #63 | | |
"Just got on," he says. "Cabin at the front. We're sailing in three minutes, with you on board if you're still here." #64 | | |
Makri and I rush along the deck past various surprised-looking sailors who are making ready to cast off. Most of them are bruised from the riot but work away busily. You have to be tough to sail these seas. #65 | | |
There's only one cabin door at the end of the ship—most passengers on a trader like this would simply bunk down wherever they found an empty piece of deck—and we kick it open and stride right in. #66 | | |
I'm not prepared for what we find and am rendered temporarily speechless. #67 | | |
I unsheathe my sword almost involuntarily, although there is obviously no one here to fight with. No one here at all except two dead Elves, each with a knife deep in his heart. They've both been stabbed in the chest, I mean; I'm not absolutely certain if Elves' hearts are in the same place as ours. They're dead anyway. #68 | | |
I catch a momentary flicker of sadness passing over Makri's face at the sight of the young healer dead on the floor, but she's too hardened to death to show much emotion. Myself, I'm not sad at all, but I'm sure as hell puzzled. From the lack of outcry outside I presume that no one on the ship knows what's happened, but it can't be an easy thing to kill two Elves without making the slightest sound. I study the weapons. Small throwing knives, unleashed with murderous accuracy before the victims knew what was happening. #69 | | |
"Looks like they met their match in sneaking," I grunt, and start searching the cabin. #70 | | |
They've stashed the dwa under their bunks. There's no sign of the Cloth. A call comes from the ship's mate that they're about to sail. I'd like to take the dwa but it's not strictly necessary and I don't want to draw attention to myself by struggling off heavily laden. I notice the healer's pouch lying spilled open on the floor. There's a few lesada leaves among a bunch of other herbs. I pick them up and stuff them into my own pouch. #71 | | |
"Shame to waste them," I tell Makri. "Very good for hangovers." #72 | | |
"You don't have to explain, Thraxas. I never expected you to have any qualms about robbing the dead." #73 | | |
We leave the cabin and stroll off the ship as though nothing has happened. #74 | | |
"Shouldn't we inform the Captain his passengers are dead?" #75 | | |
"What for? Just make trouble all round. For two dead Elves the authorities will be crawling all over the ship. It'll be weeks before he can sail. And we'll be answering questions from the Guard for a month. #76 | | |
This way he gets to dump the bodies out at sea as soon as they're discovered. I expect they already paid for their passage. And he's got six bags of dwa to make up for his trouble. Much easier all round." #77 | | |
I'm more tired than a man should be. I have difficulty walking home. #78 | | |
Large parts of Quintessence Street are unrecog-nisable, mere burned-out shells. The municipal carts haven't got round to collecting the bodies from Twelve Seas yet, so the place is quite a mess. The Avenging Axe is badly damaged but at least it survived. When Gurd went mad and started swinging his axe around not many of the locals fancied taking him on. #79 | | |
I walk in, climb upstairs and fall asleep on the remains of my couch. #80 | | |
