“We do,” said the merchant. There was a note of anger mixed in with the resignation.
“Then let me give you some good news,” came James’s voice, accompanied by the sound of a chair being pushed back. “For ten minutes after I leave, the door to one of your bolt-holes—the one that starts in the basement below and leads to the sewers—will be left uncovered. While I know exactly who you are, I am the only one. Flee to your next identity, and after you’ve cooled down and given some thought to what I’ve said, send me a message. If you understand, leak word on the street that the Sagacious Man has fled and the Upright Man has returned—tell your Daymaster and Nightmaster that it’s to lead the authorities to think they’ve successfully driven you off. If I don’t hear that message from you by this time tomorrow night, I will know that either you’ve been betrayed by your own people or you haven’t taken my warning seriously. Either way the Mockers had best prepare for war.”
There was a pregnant silence, and James finally said, “Good. I know if I were you I’d have thought for a brief second about going for that dagger, but I also judged you would decide against it. No one who is stupid rises to rule the Mockers.”
“It was a close call.”
“You wouldn’t have lived; trust me. Now, as I was saying, you have ten minutes to flee. Go to Mother’s and establish whatever new identity you need; those agents of mine who know you by sight do not know who you really are. They know you only as a merchant I wanted watched. Some no doubt think you to be an agent of Great Kesh or some other political foe. Those who know you by reputation and deed have no idea what you look like. I’m enough of a Mocker at heart to give you that much.
“But I will always be able to find you. Never for a minute doubt that, Lysle—for that’s how I always think of you.”
“I don’t doubt that for a moment, Jimmy the Hand. One thing.”
“What?”
“Were all the things they said about you true?”
There was a ironic laugh. “Not half of the truth, Lysle. Not a half of it. I was a better thief than I thought I was, and not half as good as I claimed, but I’ve done things no other Mocker has ever attempted, let alone succeeded at.”
“Gods, that’s the truth,” came the grudging reply. “No man can argue that; never been another thief who’s risen to the rank of bloody damn Duke and single most powerful man in the Kingdom next to the King.”
“Now, where’s Tannerson?”
“You’ll probably find him hiding out in a whorehouse called Sabella’s—”
Across the porch from Roo, de Loungville turned and hissed into the darkness, and then said quietly, “Sabella’s!” A figure Roo hadn’t seen there a moment before scurried off into the darkness.
“I know where that is. Have a witness for me first thing in the morning.”
“She’s dead, you know. If she rats out Tannerson and the others I have to put the death mark on her; you know Mockers’ law.”
“Get me a young one,” said James. “If she’s pretty and smart, I’ll find a home for her in a distant city; maybe even save her from a whorehouse and put her with a noble family as a companion for their children. You never know. But she’d better be young enough she’s not too set in her criminal ways.” A pause, then, “After all, I was fourteen when I met Arutha, and I haven’t forgotten a thing.”
“That’s the gods’ truth, Jimmy, that’s the truth,” said Lysle.
Suddenly the door opened and Lord James, still covered from head to knee in a great cloak, swept down the steps. He paused for a brief moment next to Robert and said, “You heard?”
“I heard. Word’s been passed” was all de Loungville said, and then the Duke of Krondor vanished into the night. In the gloom down the street, Roo could see others fall in around him, and in a moment the street appeared to be empty again.
Roo glanced at de Loungville, who held up his hand, signaling they should wait. The next ten minutes dragged by; then suddenly de Loungville put two fingers to his mouth and blew a shrill whistle. From a side street a squad of soldiers ran up, while Jadow and Erik dashed from across the street. To the soldiers de Loungville said, “You! Into that building and arrest anyone you find there. Confiscate every document you find and let no one in or out of this building after you seal it.” To Roo, Jadow, and Erik he said, “Come with me.”
Roo said, “Sabella’s?”
“Yes. And if we’re lucky, your friend Tannerson will resist arrest.”
Jadow said, “Man, don’t he sound happy at that prospect?” De Loungville said, “Haven’t had a good excuse to kill anyone in too long a time, Jadow.”
In silence, they hurried deep into the Poor Quarter.
Roo followed close behind de Loungville and they reached the street where Sabella’s occupied the first third of the block.