“I’ve heard of him, too,” said Arutha. “He works from the Free Cities or Queg, so he doesn’t have to deal with Kingdom laws on mercenary service.
“What I want to know, though, is what Murmandamus needs a corps of high-priced engineers for. If he’s working this far west, he must needs come through Tyr-Sog or Yabon. Farther east, the Border Barons. But he’s still on the other side of the mountains and won’t need them for months if he’s going to siege.”
“Maybe he wants to make sure no one else hires this Segersen?” ventured Locklear.
“Maybe,” said Laurie. “But most likely he needs something Segersen can provide.”
“Then we must make sure he doesn’t get it,” said Arutha.
Roald said, “We go half a day to Tyr-Sog, then turn back?”
Arutha only nodded.
Arutha signalled.
Roald, Laurie, and Jimmy moved slowly forward, while Baru and Martin moved off, to circle around. Locklear stayed behind to tend the horses. They had spent half the day moving along the road to Tyr-Sog; then at a little past noon, Martin had cut off the road and dropped back. He had returned with the news the man called Crowe had turned back. Now they stalked him through the night as the renegade met again with his moredhel employers.
Arutha moved up silently to look over Jimmy’s shoulder. Again the Prince observed one of Murmandamus’s Black Slayers. The iron-clad moredhel spoke. “Did you follow that band?”
“They trundled up the road to Tyr-Sog, right proper. Hell, I told you they was nothing. Wasted a whole day tagging after.”
“You will do as our master orders.”
Jimmy whispered, “That’s not the same voice. That’s the second voice.”
Arutha nodded. The boy had explained the two voices, and they had seen Murmandamus take control of his servants before. “Good,” the Prince whispered back.
The moredhel said, “Now wait for Segersen. You know -”
The Black Slayer seemed to leap forward, to suddenly be caught by Crowe, who held him a moment, then dropped him. The startled renegade could only stare in wide-eyed wonder at the cloth-yard shaft protruding from below the edge of the creature’s helm. Martin’s arrow had punched through the Black Slayer’s neck coif of chain mail, killing him instantly.
Before the other four moredhel could pull weapons, Martin had a second down, and Baru was leaping from the woods, his long sword blurring as he struck a moredhel down. Roald was across the clearing and killed another. Martin shot the last moredhel while Jimmy and Arutha charged the renegade, Crowe. He made little attempt to defend himself, being shocked by the sudden attack and recognizing quickly he was outnumbered. He seemed confused, especially as he saw Martin and Baru begin to pull off the Black Slayer’s armour.
Fear was replaced by shock as he saw Martin cut open the Slayer’s chest and remove its heart. His eyes widened as he recognized who had taken the moredhel band. “You, then –“ His eyes searched each face as they gathered around him, then he studied Arutha’s face. “You! You’re supposed to be dead!”
Jimmy quickly stripped him of hidden weapons and searched about his neck. “No ebon hawk. He’s not one of them.”
A feral light seemed to kindle in Crowe’s eyes. “Me, one of them? No, by no means, Your Worships. I’m only carrying messages, sir. Making a little gold for myself, is all, Your Kindness. You know how it can be.”
Arutha waved Jimmy off. “Fetch Locky. I don’t want him out there alone if there are other Dark Brothers about.” He said to the prisoner, “What has Segersen to do with Murmandamus?”
“Segersen? Who’s he?”
Roald stepped forward and, with a heavy dagger hilt in his gloved fist, struck Crowe across the face, bloodying his nose, and shattering his cheek.
“Don’t break his jaw, for mercy’s sake,” said Laurie, “or he won’t be able to tell us anything.”
Roald gave the man a kick as he lay writhing on the ground. “Listen, laddie, I don’t have time to be tender with you. Now, you’d best answer up, or we’ll be taking you back to the inn in little pieces.” He stroked the edge of his dagger for emphasis.
“What has Segersen to do with Murmandamus?” Arutha repeated.
“I don’t know,” said the man through bloody lips, and he yelled again when Roald kicked him. “Honestly I don’t. I was only told to meet him and give him a message.”
“What message?” asked Laurie.
“The message is simple. It was only “By the Inclindel Gap.” “
Baru said, “Inclindel Gap is a narrow way through the mountains, directly north from here. If Murmandamus has seized it, he can keep it open long enough for Segersen’s crew to get through.”
“But we still don’t know why Murmandamus needs a company of engineers,” observed Laurie.