Dash looked up and saw a face he knew. “Talwin?” The former prisoner walked past the two constables sitting at the table drinking coffee and getting ready for their next patrol. “Can I speak to you in private?” asked the man who had vanished right after Dash escaped from Krondor.
“Sure,” said Dash, standing up and waving the man to a far corner of the converted inn. When they were out of earshot of the constables, Dash said, “I wondered what happened to you. I left you and Gustaf outside a tent when I went in to report, and when I came back out I found only Gustaf.”
Talwin reached inside his tunic and pulled out a faded parchment, obviously old. Dash read:
To whoever reads this:
The bearer of this document will be identified by a mole on his neck and a scar on the back of his left arm. He is a servant of the crown and I request all aid and assistance asked be given to him without question.
Signed,
James, Duke of Krondor
Dash’s eyebrows rose. He glanced at Talwin and saw the man pointing to the mole on his neck, then rolling up his left sleeve to show the scar on his arm.
“Who are you?” Dash asked quietly.
“I was your grandfather’s agent, and your father’s after him.”
“Agent?” asked Dash. “One of his spies, you mean.”
“Among other things,” said Talwin.
“And I don’t suppose Talwin is your real name,” said Dash.
“It serves,” said Talwin. Lowering his voice he said, “As Sheriff of Krondor you need to know that I am responsible for intelligence within the Western Realm, now.”
Dash nodded. “Knowing my grandfather, he didn’t hand out a lot of cartes blanches, so that makes you a very important spy. Why didn’t you show this to me before?”
“I don’t carry it on me; I had to go dig it out of its hiding place. If I’m searched and it’s found on me by the wrong people, I’m dead.”
“So why now?”
“This city is barely intact, and while it appears to be crawling back from oblivion, it’s very vulnerable. Your job is to insure order, and my job is to ferret out enemy agents.”
Dash was silent for a moment. “Very well. What is it you need?”
“Cooperation between us. Until the palace staff is restored and I can work out of there unseen, I need to work someplace where I can be seen poking around in all parts of the city without people asking too many questions.”
“You need a job as a constable,” supplied Dash.
“Yes. When the present danger is over and the city more secure than it is, I’ll move back to the palace and get out of your hair. Right now I need to be a constable.”
“Do you report to me?” asked Dash.
“No,” said Talwin. “I report to the Duke of Krondor.”
“There is no Duke of Krondor,” said Dash.
“Not at present, but until there is, I report to Duke Brian.”
Dash inclined his head to show that made sense. “Have you alerted him to your existence?”
“Not yet,” said Talwin. “The fewer people who know of me, the better. Rumor has it the King is sending Rufio, Earl Delamo, from Rodez to take the office. If true, I’ll let him know who I am as soon as he arrives.”
Dash said, “I’m not happy with having a constable here under false colors, but I know the business. Just make sure if there’s anything going on out there I should know about, you tell me.”
“I’ll do that,” said Talwin.
“Now, what else do you need from me?”
“I need to know who killed your two men.”
Suddenly Dash had an insight. “You mean who killed your two agents, don’t you?”
Talwin nodded. “How did you guess?”
“The Mockers. Someone told me I needed to find out what Nolan and Riggs did before joining up.”
“They spent a lot of time working the docks for your grandfather and your father. We kept low during the fall of the city and managed to stay alive. I was captured and stuck on the damn work gang until you showed up. I couldn’t risk showing anyone I knew the way out, and I couldn’t get free of guards and other prisoners, but when you organized that break, it was a godsend. Getting us past the Mockers was a bonus.”
“Glad to be of service,” Dash said dryly.
“Nolan and Riggs were also in work gangs, and they got sprung when Duko made his deal with the Prince. I put them into your service because I need to get my network reestablished.” He looked pained as he said, “They were my last two agents in this city.”
“So you have to start from scratch.”
“Yes,” said Talwin. “It’s the only reason you’re being told all this.”
Dash said, “I understand. Look, circumstances say we must work together. Someone killed one of my better snitches when I started asking about who murdered your men.”