Dash leaped down from the roof beam upon which he had rested, landing lightly on his feet. “I found out who Nolan and Riggs worked for,” said Dash.
“And?”
“So I know whoever killed them is neither friend to the crown nor the Mockers.”
“So the enemy of my enemy is my friend?”
Dash grinned. “I wouldn’t go that far. Let’s say that it suits our mutual interest to cooperate in discovering who else is using the sewers as a highway, besides the thieves.”
Trina leaned back against the wall and looked Dash up and down in an appraising fashion. “When we were told you were to be in charge of the city’s security, we thought it a bit of a joke. I guess not. You’re more like your grandfather than not.”
“You knew my grandfather?” asked Dash.
“Only by reputation. Our old friend held your grandfather in awe.”
Dash laughed. “I have always understood how special my grandfather was, but I never thought of him that way.”
“Think on it, Sheriff Puppy. A thief who became the most powerful noble in the Kingdom. That’s a tale.”
“I guess,” said Dash. “But to me he was always Grandfather, and those stories were always just wonderful stories.”
“What do you propose?” asked Trina, changing the topic.
“I need to know if you catch sight of any of these strangers in the sewer, especially if you discover where they’re hiding.”
Trina said, “You know who they are?”
“I have my suspicions,” said Dash.
“Care to share them?”
“Would you in my place?”
She laughed. “No, I wouldn’t. What is in it for the Mockers?”
Dash said, “I should think you’d just want them gone if they’re causing you problems.”
“They are causing us no problems whatsoever. Nolan and Riggs we knew because they’ve bought information from us before, and they’ve set up a few deals. We always suspected they were working for some businessmen in the city, like Avery and his bunch, who didn’t wish to conduct business in the usual fashion, or a noble who wasn’t entirely aboveboard in paying taxes. That sort of thing.”
Dash realized she was fishing for information. “Whoever Nolan and Riggs were working for prior to the war, they were my men when they got their throats cut. I don’t care if it was over some old grudge or because they happened to wander into the wrong place at the wrong time. I cannot afford to have people running around this city thinking they can kill my constables. It’s that simple.”
“If you say so, Sheriff Puppy. But there’s still the matter of price.”
Dash had no illusions. It was a waste of his time to make any sort of offer. “Ask the old man what he wants, but I won’t compromise the city’s security or look the other way about a capital crime. I’ll get what I want without your help.”
“I’ll ask him,” said Trina. She started to leave.
“Trina,” said Dash.
She stopped and smiled. “You want something else?”
Dash ignored the double entendre. “How is he?”
Trina lost her smile. “Not well.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
Her smile returned, this time a small one without any hint of mockery. “No, I don’t think so, but it’s good of you to ask.”
Dash said, “Well, he is family.”
Trina was silent for a long minute, then she reached out and touched Dash’s cheek. “Yes, more than I thought.” Then, with a sudden turn, she was out the door and down the street into the darkness.
Dash waited a few minutes, then ducked out the back of the old building. He felt an odd sensation inside. He didn’t know how much of it was concern for the old man’s health, worry over the possible infiltration of Keshian agents into the city, or the woman’s touch on his cheek. Muttering to himself, Dash said, “If only she wasn’t so damned attractive.”
Putting aside the distractions of a beautiful woman, he turned his mind back to the problems of protecting the city of Krondor.
Twenty - Clash
Men shouted.
Erik motioned the third element of the infantry forward and they marched out into the killing zone. The heavy ram had breached the door, and the first and second waves had swarmed the gates and were now inside the barricade. Resistance had been heavier this time, but as with the first two barricades they had encountered, the defense was more for show than for real resistance.
The messages from Subai had Erik and Greylock worried, for his picture of the defenses ahead had Erik concerned that they simply were not equal to the task of breaking through in time to rescue Yabon. The summer was nearly half over, with the Festival of Banapis only a week away. If there were heavy fall rains, or an early winter snow, they could lose Yabon Province for good. And if they lost Yabon this year, it was possible they would lose Krondor again the next.
If not sooner.