The scribe collapsed and William said, “I’ll ask the captain to get this one to the palace and keep him under close watch.”
James nodded. “He speaks to no one.”
William picked up the limp scribe and hoisted the dead weight over his shoulder, and carried him down the steps. Jazhara shook her head and said, “A mystery.”
James said, “Whatever secret Knute hid, Bear wanted it badly enough to be named the most wanted man in the Western Realm. If I know Arutha, by tomorrow there’ll be a price of at least ten thousand golden sovereigns on Bear’s head. Every mercenary will give long thought as to whether they should serve Bear or turn him in.”
“What do we do now?”
James glanced around and cocked his head toward the scribe’s desk. “First I write a note to Arutha. Then we search every paper here, just in case our friend downstairs left something useful. And then I propose we start looking for two things.”
Jazhara held up one finger. “Number one: Knute’s secret.”
James nodded and held up two fingers. “And number two: Lucas. Talia’s father.” Thoughtfully, he said, “And I’m not going to be surprised if finding one doesn’t lead us to the other.”
Ye Bitten Dog was as run-down a tavern as existed in Krondor, and that was no mean feat. James shook his head. “Not my favorite drinking hole.”
William indulged in a rueful chuckle. “From what I’ve heard, James, you used to frequent worse.”
James grinned and pushed open the door. “There are no worse places. Keep your wits about you; we’ll not be welcome here.”
He entered, the others close behind, and instantly it was apparent what he meant. Every eye was fixed upon William, or rather upon the tabard he wore: that of the Prince’s Household Guard. The blood splatters and burns didn’t escape notice, either.
At the far end of a long common room a band of men huddled around a high circular table, designed so that one could drink while standing up. Their garb and bare feet identified them as sailors.
Three other men, apparently workers, stood before the fireplace, and they also stared at the newcomers.
Near the door two heavily armed men had ceased their conversation upon William’s entrance.
For a long moment, silence reigned in the tavern, then slowly voices could be heard as men started speaking in low murmurs. James spied the tavern keeper and moved to the long bar.
“What the hell do you want?” was the barkeep’s welcome.
James smiled. William recognized that smile. It meant trouble was coming.
“Drinks, for me and my friends.”
The tavern keeper was a dark-haired man, with a thick thatch that appeared as if it hadn’t been visited by a comb in a year. His chin was covered in stubble and his heavy jowls and deep circles under his eyes gave the impression of one who sampled his own ale far too regularly. He placed three full flagons on the bar and growled, “That’ll be six coppers. Drink up then shove off; we’ve no love for stooges of the court in here.”
“Charming,” muttered Jazhara as she sipped at the ale. It was thin and bitter, so she placed it upon the bar and stood back to watch.
James said, “You the chap they call Lucky Pete?”
The puffy face split into a smile. “Ay, Lucky Pete, on account o‘ me skills with the fair sex.” He winked at Jazhara and said, “Come see me later, darlin’, and I’ll show ya me peg leg.”
He put his hand over hers. She smiled, leaned forward, and whispered, “You’ll have two to show me if we don’t find what we’re looking for.” She removed his hand.
Pete grinned and chuckled, which did nothing to improve his appearance. “Got fire, do you? I like fire in me women.”
William said, “We heard a fellow named Knute lodges here.”
Pete cocked his head. “Knute? Did you say Knute? I’m hard of hearin‘, you know, an’ me memory ain’t what it used to be, lad.” He made a show of cupping his hand behind his ear.
James glanced around and saw others in the room were quietly watching the conversation. He had been in enough dives like Ye Bitten Dog to know that if they tried to bully Pete there would almost certainly be a brawl in short order. He reached into his belt purse, pulled out two gold coins, and placed them on the counter.
Pete’s expression brightened. “Ah, yes, me hearin’s improvin‘ by the moment!” He lowered his voice. “Yeah, I knew ol’ Knute. Jes’ a small-time pirate, but he did all right for himself for the most part. At least until the bloody guards caught up with him.” He glanced at William. “No offense, of course.”
“None taken . . . yet,” William replied. “Did Knute say anything unusual over the last few days?”
Pete said nothing. After a long silence, James put another coin on the bar. More silence and James pulled out a fourth coin. Pete gathered up the gold pieces and said, “Ha! He drank so much, who could tell? I know I’ve never seen him so jumpy an‘ the funny thing of it was, when the guards nicked him, he seemed relieved; almost like he was aimin’ to get nicked. Started a tussle right outside that door, he did.” Pete pointed to the front door. “Most fellows like Knute, well, they jus’ go to lengths to avoid jail, you know what I mean?” James nodded. “But ol‘ Knute just started a fuss an’ then hung around ‘til a watchmen comes along, then he throws a drink in the lad’s face, kicks him in the shins, all manner of dotty nonsense. Knute’s not a scuffler, if you know what I mean. He’s a thinker, but this time he was right off his head, from what I could see.”
James said, “Can we see his room?”
Pete made a display of indignation. “You must be daft! I can’t be lettin‘ folks wander through me guest’s belongin’s!”
James slid two more coins across the bar. “Your guest lies dead, hacked to pieces.”
Pete swept up the coins. “Well, in that case, I guess he won’t be mindin‘. Go along. Got the key right here.” He slid it across the bar. “Left door at the top o’ the stairs. You can look, but make it quick, an‘ don’t be botherin’ me other guests. An‘ bring the key back directly, else I’ll send me friends t’see ya!”
They climbed the stairs and found themselves on a small landing, with four doors, two ahead, and one to the left and one to the right. James turned to the left door and inserted the key.
As he turned the key, James heard a sound from within. He stepped back, drew his sword in a fluid motion, and kicked the door open. Inside the room a large man was rummaging through a chest placed atop an unmade bed. He turned, pulling out a large knife as the door slammed open.
James shouted, “Drop that blade!”
The man reversed the dagger, holding it by the point, drew back his arm, and threw it at James. James shouted, “Down!” and went limp, dropping to the floor. The blade flew through the door inches above James’s twisting body.
James heard the sound of glass shattering as the man hurled himself through the small window overlooking the rear courtyard of the inn. William leapt over James and was at the window before James could rise.
“Damn,” said William as he looked through the opening.
James came up behind him and said, “What?”
William pointed and James looked out. The man lay sprawled upon the cobbles below, his neck obviously broken from the angle at which his head was twisted.
James said to William, “Look around and see what’s here, while Jazhara and I examine our friend below.”
James and Jazhara hurried downstairs and past Lucky Pete, who asked, “Where’s me key?”
“William will bring it when he’s done,” said James. Pointing at a door next to the bar, he asked, “That the way to the rear courtyard?”
“Yes, why?”
“Because you’ve got a corpse back there,” James replied, pushing through the door.
Pete put his elbows on the bar and said, “Happens all the time, lad.”
James reached the body and knelt next to it. A small pouch was still clutched in the man’s hand. He prie
d open the man’s fingers and removed it, examining the contents. Inside was a simple key.
“What do you think it’s for?” asked Jazhara.
“I’m not sure, but there’s something familiar about this key.”
William appeared. “Nothing up there worth stealing. Just some clothes.”
“There’s this,” said James, holding out the key.
William examined, then said, “Come over here into the light.”
They moved to the rear door of the inn, where a single lantern burned, and William took the key from James and indicated a mark on it. “See this symbol?”
James took it back from him and peered more closely. “That’s Lucas’s key! The one that unlocks his passage to the sewers!”
Jazhara said, “Then this must be what that villain was looking for. What does it mean?”
James tapped the key against his cheek. “Lucas has a secret entrance to the sewer, in the storage room behind the bar. He used to charge people for the use of the key, this key.”
William, “So Knute has been using Lucas’s slip-me-out to get into the sewers.”
James nodded. “Yes. Probably so he could hide the treasure from his last raid, the booty he was talking about to that drunk Scovy. The one that would buy him Arutha’s pardon.”
“Do you think he stole the key from Lucas?” asked Jazhara.
“No, they must be in this together. Knute’s murderer wanted to know where ‘it’ was; I wager ‘it’ is the treasure.”
William said, “So Lucas must have escaped into the sewers when Bear attacked. But then why hasn’t he contacted you or the Prince?”
Jazhara said, “Perhaps he can’t.”
James shook his head. “Lucas is the only man who is not a member of the Mockers who knows the sewers as well as I. He’ll have several places to lie low.” James’s voice got lower as he thought about it. “He must know what sort of man Bear is. And he must know that if he’s been involved in piracy, even just fencing stolen goods, Arutha would be unlikely to afford him significant protection. Lucas has spent his life walking a fine line between lawlessness and legitimate business, but this time he’s crossed that line.”
William spoke bitterly, “And his daughter paid the price.”
James put his hand on William’s arm. “And Lucas will have to live with that for the rest of his life.”
Jazhara said, “Which will not be long if Bear finds him. Our task is clear; we must find Lucas - and quickly.”
James nodded agreement. “Pray we get to him before Bear does.”
“Where do we start?” asked William.
James gave his friend a wry smile and pointed downward. “The sewers.”
Blood still stained the floors of the Rainbow Parrot Inn, but the bodies had been removed. A soldier stood beside the door as James, William, and Jazhara approached.
“Simon!” said William as he recognized the soldier. “How goes it?”
“Quiet, here, Lieutenant. Got the bodies out and taken to the Temple of Lims-Kragma, so’s they can be properly sent on their way.”
“Where are the other guards?” asked James.
“Well, Jack’s at the back door, and that’s it, Squire. Sergeant Tagart had the rest of the lads take the bodies to the temple. I guess the sergeant didn’t think much of anyone trying to rob an inn that was already ransacked. A couple of lads will relieve us at the end of our shift, then we can go down with the others.”
“Down where?” asked James.
“Why, the sewers. Ain’t you heard, Squire?”
James said, “Heard what?”
“Some bloke was cut loose from the jail a few hours ago. He got someone to stand for drinks at an alehouse in exchange for telling why the jail was attacked.”
James winced. “Scovy.”
“Could be that’s the fellow,” said the soldier. “Anyway, there’s been rumors aplenty. Pirate treasure in the sewers. Mountains of jewels and gold. Says a pirate named Bear hit the jail because someone there knew where the treas-
ure was.“
“So the sewers are now crawling with treasure hunters,” said William.
“That’s a fact, Lieutenant,” said Simon. “Heard from one of the city watch who passed by a few minutes before you got here that a band of blokes came hobbling out of the big grate near Five Points, all cut up and bleeding. Word is the Mockers are trying to keep everyone else out of the sewers so they can find the treasure themselves.”
James sighed. “Well, I wonder what else could happen to make finding Lucas more difficult.”
“Well, someone said there’s a monster down there, too, Squire.”
James looked at Simon and said, “You’re joking, right?”
“On my honor, Squire,” said the soldier. “Seems two nights ago they found a body floating in the bay, all chewed up the way a cat does a mouse. Then they heard some fellow over at Ye Bitten Dog heard from another bloke that a band of smugglers was attacked by something that was big as a bull, with long arms and big teeth.”
Jazhara asked James, “And you want to go down there?”
“No,” answered the former thief, “but we have no choice. If we’re going to catch Bear, we need to find Lucas before he does. I have an idea where Lucas may be lying low.”
William nodded. “Even if Bear doesn’t find Lucas, if Lucas was in cahoots with Knute and is sitting on that treasure, anyone else who finds it before we do will probably kill Lucas.”
James said, “No more delays. Come on.” To Simon he said, “When your relief shows up, tell the duty sergeant that we’re in the sewers hunting the killer. I want word sent back to the palace asking the Prince to send a company down after us to help clear out these treasure hunters.”
“As you say, Squire.” Simon saluted.
James started to turn away, and Simon added, “One other thing, Squire.”
“What is it?”
“There’s a rumor surfaced a bit ago.” He glanced around as if ensuring no one else was listening. “Seems a bunch of drunken lads from up Fishtown way came out of the sewers over near Five Points, dragging some fellows with them. They were pretty messed up.”
“Mockers?” asked James, wondering if the fishermen might have run into the Guild of Thieves.
“No, not Mockers, Squire.” He lowered his voice. “They said it was that monster I was telling you about. Went over to the Temple of Dala and had to give the priests every copper they had just to keep their friends from bleeding to death.”
“The monster again?” William looked dubious. “Stop that nonsense.”
Simon shrugged. “Just telling what I heard, Lieutenant. Some sort of . . . thing, bigger than a man by half. One fisherman said it just showed up in the tunnel with them and started breaking bones and biting off fingers.”
“Great,” said James. “Just great.” Shaking his head, he led his companions into the back room and to a wall lined floor to ceiling with shelves full of dry food, extra crockery, and bottles of wine. He produced the key they had found in Knute’s room and moved aside a bag of dried beans. Behind it was a keyhole large enough to accommodate Knute’s key.
He inserted the key and turned it. A soft rumbling sound and a loud click followed, then James gripped the side of the shelves and pulled it to the right. It slid effortlessly to the side, revealing a half-height passage and steps leading down. “You’ve got to duck a bit to get down these steps,” he said. “William, go fetch us a light.”
William returned to the inn’s common room and reappeared a moment later with a lantern. James said, “We could enter at any one of a dozen places, but picking up Lucas’s trail might be easier here.”
He motioned for the lantern, took it from William’s outstretched hand, and led them into the darkness.
“‘Ware the drop,” James whispered, as he jumped three feet down from the tunnel from Lucas’s inn to the sewer floor. He turned and offered his hand to Jazhara, who took it, and using her staff for balance jumped
nimbly down. William leapt after her and landed on something that squished under his boot.
“What a stench!” William complained as he scraped his boot on the stones rising above the inch-deep liquid.
James turned to Jazhara and said, “I’m afraid this isn’t exactly what I meant by a tour of the city. But duty calls . . .”
She asked, “Do you truly think your friend Lucas has fled down here?”
James peered around through the gloom. After a moment said, “He knows these sewers almost as well as the Mockers do.” He peered at the walls and floor as if seeking a sign of where to begin. “Back at the time of the Riftwar, Lucas worked with both the Mockers and Trevor Hull’s smugglers. He built up a lot of goodwill with the Mockers and so they leave him alone down here. Not many can claim that. This is where he’d go if he were in trouble.”
William said, “We’ve a lot of ground to cover, so we’d best get started. Which way first?”
James pointed. “That way, downstream.”
“Why?” asked Jazhara.
“There are some old smugglers’ hide-outs that Lucas knows. Not many, even in the Mockers, know exactly where they are anymore. I’m betting Lucas is holed up in one of those secret rooms.”
“You know where they are?” asked William.
James shrugged. “It’s been years, but I sort of know their general location.”
William let out his breath in an exasperated way. “Sort of?”
Jazhara laughed. “Better than no idea, it seems to me.”
They made their way through the sewers, the sound of their passage masked by the drips, splashes, and gurgles of the water echoing off the stones. Every so often, James would raise his hand to halt them, and listen.
After nearly a half-hour of careful movement, they entered a large tunnel. The sound of rushing water came from ahead. James said, “The center of the sewer system lies up there. A half-dozen large tunnels empty into it, and it leads out to the south end of the bay. From there we will take another tunnel to the old smugglers’ landing. The outflow is big enough for a boat to enter, which is why the smugglers had their landing at the opposite end, near the eastern wall of the city.”
Krondor Tear of the Gods Page 9