Laurie said, “Guy must have been fit to burst at the news.”
Lucas’s smile vanished. “Well, he was, Laurie. He’d tossed Prince Erland into the dungeon to get his permission to marry Anita. He kept him there after he heard of Anita’s escape. I guess he thought the girl would come back rather than let her father stay in a damp cell, but he was wrong. Now the word’s on the street the Prince is near death from the chill. That’s why the city’s in such a state. No one knows what will happen if Erland dies. He’s well liked, and there might be trouble.” Laurie looked at Lucas with an unspoken question. “Nothing like rebellion,” Lucas answered. “We’re too dispirited. But a few of Guy’s guards may turn up missing at muster, and there’ll be many inconveniences getting supplies to the garrison and palace and the like. And I wouldn’t wish to be the Viceroy’s taxman when he’s next sent into the Poor Quarter.”
Laurie considered what he had heard “We are headed east. What about conditions on the road?”
Lucas slowly shook his head. “There is still some traveling done. Once past Darkmoor, you should have scant trouble, I’m thinking. We hear that things in the East are more as they used to be. Still, I’d move carefully.”
Kasumi asked, “Will we be troubled leaving the city?”
“The north gate is still the best way. It is undermanned, as usual. For a small fee, the Mockers can see you safely through.”
“Mockers?” asked the fighter.
Lucas raised his brows in surprise “You are from a long way off. The Guild of Thieves. They remain in control of the Poor Quarter, and the Upright Man still has influence with the merchants and traders, especially along the docks. The warehouse district is their second home, after the Poor Quarter. They can get you out, if you have any trouble at the gate.”
Laurie said, “We will keep that in mind, Lucas. What of your family? I have not seen them around.”
Lucas seemed to shrink into himself, “My wife is dead, Laurie, of the fever, a year ago. My sons are both in the army. I have heard little of them in a year. Last time I received a message, they were in the north with Lords Borric and Brucal.
“The city is full of veterans of the war. You can see them everywhere. They are the ones with missing limbs, or blind eyes. But they always wear their old tabards. And a pathetic sight they are, too.” He got a faraway look in his eyes. “I just hope my boys don’t end up like that.”
Laurie and Kasumi said nothing. Lucas came out of his reverie. “I must return downstairs . . . Supper will be ready in four hours, though nothing like I used to serve.” As the innkeeper turned to go, he said, “If you need to contact the Mockers, let me know.”
After he had left, Kasumi said, “It is a hard thing to know your country, Laurie, and still look upon the war as glorious.”
Laurie nodded.
The warehouse was dark and musty. Except for Laurie and Kasumi and two fresh horses, it was empty. They had stayed at the Rainbow Parrot the night before and had purchased new mounts at great expense, then had tried to leave the city. When they had reached the city gates, they had been stopped by a detachment of Bas-Tyra’s guards. When it was obvious that the guards were not likely to let them leave without trouble, Laurie and Kasumi had broken away from them, and a mad dash through the city had followed. They had lost their pursuers in the Poor Quarter and had returned to the Rainbow Parrot. Lucas had sent word to the Upright Man, and now they waited for a thief to guide them out of the city.
A whistle broke the silence, and Laurie and Kasumi had their swords in hand in an instant. A high-pitched chuckle greeted them, and a small figure dropped from above. In the dark it was difficult to see where the figure sprang from, but Laurie suspected their visitor had been hiding in the rafters for some time.
The figure stepped forward, and in the dim light they could see it was a boy, no older than thirteen. “There’s a party at Mother’s,” the newcomer said.
“And a good time will be had by all,” Laurie answered.
“You’re the travelers, then.”
“You’re the guide?” asked Kasumi, taking no effort to hide the surprise in his voice.
The boy’s voice was filled with bravado. “Aye. Jimmy the Hand is your guide. And a better one in all Krondor you’ll not find.”
Laurie said, “What’s to be done?”
“First there’s the matter of payment. It’s a hundred sovereigns each.”
Without comment Laurie dug out several small gems and handed them over “Will these do?”
The boy turned to the warehouse door and cracked it slightly, admitting a shaft of moonlight. He inspected the gems with an expert’s eye and returned to stand before the two fugitives. “These’ll do. For another hundred, you can have this.” He offered a piece of parchment.
Laurie took it, but couldn’t make out what was written on it in the dim light. “What is it?”