“You don’t know,” Jack screamed, then his voice fell off to a half-sob. “I was dead. Do you understand? That bastard shot me instead of Jimmy and I was dead.” He looked at those around the room. “None of you can know. I could feel life slip away, and then he came. When I was almost dead, he took me to this cold, dark place and he . . . hurt me. He showed me . . . things. He said I could live and serve him and he’d give me back life, or he’d . . . he’d let me die and leave me there. He couldn’t save me then, for I wasn’t his. But now I am. He’s . . . evil.”
Julian, the priest of Lims-Kragma, came up behind the King. “He lied to you, man. That cold place was of his fashioning. Our mistress’s love brings comfort to all who embrace her at the end. You were shown a lie.”
“He’s the father of all liars! But now I’m his creature,” Jack sobbed. “He said I had to go to the palace and kill the Prince. He said I was the only one he had left and the others would arrive too late, wouldn’t be here for days. It had to be me. I said I would, but . . . I botched it and now he wants my soul!” The last was a piteous cry, a plea for mercy beyond the power of the King to grant.
Lyam turned to Julian. “Can we do anything?”
Julian said, “There is a rite, but . . .” He looked at Jack and said, “You will die, man, you know that. You died already and you are here because of an unholy compact. What will be will be. You will die within the hour. Do you understand?”
Through tears and spittle Jack sobbed, “Yes.”
“Then you will answer our questions and tell us what you know, and die willingly to free your soul?” Jack’s eyes screwed shut and he cried like a child, but he nodded his head.
“So tell us what you know of the Nighthawks and this plot to kill my brother,” demanded Lyam.
Jack sniffed and gasped for air. “Six, seven months ago, Golden Dase tells me he’s tumbled to something that could make us wealthy.” As he spoke, Jack’s voice lost the hysterical quality. “I asked him if he’d cleared it with the Nightmaster, but he says it’s not Mocker business. I’m not sure it’s a good idea playing fast and loose with the guild, but I’d not mind an extra sovereign on the side, so I say Why not?” and I go with him. We met this fellow Havram, who’d worked with us before, and who asks a bunch of questions but isn’t giving with answers, so I get ready to chuck the whole deal, before I even know what’s going on, but then he lays this bag of gold on the table and tells me there’s more to be had.” Jack closed his eyes and a half-choked sob came from his throat. “I came with Golden and Havram to the Willows, through the sewer. I nearly messed myself when I saw the goblin kissers, two of them, in the cellar. They had gold, though, and I will put up with a lot for gold. So they tell me I’ve got to do this and that and listen up to what’s coming along from the Upright Man and Nightmaster and Daymaster and tell them. I tell them that’s a death warrant, then they pull out their swords and tell me it’s a death warrant if I don’t. I thought I’d go along, then turn my bashers loose on them, but they took me up to another room in the Willows, and this fellow, all in robes, was there. I couldn’t see his face but he sounded funny, and he stank. I smelled that stink once when I was a kid, and I’ll never forget it.”
“What?” said Lyam.
“In a cave once I smelled it. Snake.”
Lyam turned to Tully, who gasped. “A Pantathian serpent priest!” The other priests in the room looked aghast and began speaking quietly with one another. Tully said, “Continue; time grows short.”
“Then they start doing things like I never seen before. I’m no misty-eyed virgin, thinking the world’s pure and lovely, but these blokes were something I’ve never dreamed of. They brought in a kid! A little girl, no more than eight or nine. I thought I’d seen it all. The one in the robes pulls a dagger and . . .” Jack gulped, obviously fighting down the contents of his stomach. “They drew these diagrams with her blood and took some sort of oath. I’m not one for the gods, but I’ve always tossed a coin to Ruthia and Banath on the high holidays. But now I’m praying to Banath like I’m robbing the city treasury in broad daylight. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, but they didn’t make me take the oath . . .” His voice broke into a sob. “Man, they were drinking her blood!” He took a deep breath. “I agreed to work with them. Everything went all right until they told me to ambush Jimmy.”
“Who are these men and what do they want?” demanded Lyam.
‘This goblin kisser tells me one night that there’s some sort of prophecy about the Lord of the West. The Lord of the West must die, then something’s going to happen.”
Lyam shot a glance at Arutha. “You said they called you Lord of the West.”
Arutha had regained some measure of self-control and said, “Yes, they have, twice.”
Lyam returned to the questioning. “What else?”
“I don’t know,” said Jack, nearly exhausted. “They would talk among themselves. I wasn’t properly one of them.” Again the room shuddered and the coals and torches flickered. “He’s here!” Jack shrieked.
Arutha came to stand at Lyam’s shoulder. “What about the poison?” he demanded.