Royce stopped walking and abruptly raised his hand. Both men looked around and, without a word, drew their weapons as they moved back to back. Nothing seemed amiss. The only sound was the roar of the tumultuous waters that rushed and churned below them.
“Impressive, Duster,” a man said, addressing Royce, as he stepped out from behind one of the bridge lampposts. His skin was pale, and his body so slender and bony that he swam in his loose britches and shirt. He looked like a corpse someone forgot to bury.
Behind them, Hadrian noted three more men crawling onto the span. They all had similar appearances, thin and muscular, each in dark-colored clothes. They circled like wolves.
“What tipped you off we were here?” the thin man asked.
“I’m guessing it was your breath, but body odor really can’t be ruled out,” Hadrian replied with a grin while noting their positions, their movements, and the direction of their eyes.
“Mind yer mouth, bub,” the tallest of the four threatened.
“To what do we owe this visit, Price?” Royce asked.
“Funny, I was about to ask you the same,” the thin man replied. “This is our city, after all, not yours—not anymore.”
“Black Diamond?” Hadrian asked.
Royce nodded.
“And you would be Hadrian Blackwater,” Price noted. “I always thought you’d be bigger.”
“And you’re a Black Diamond. I always thought there were more of you.”
Price smiled, held his gaze long enough to suggest a threat, and returned his attention to Royce. “So what are you doing here, Duster?”
“Just passing through.”
“Really? No business?”
“Nothing that would interest you.”
“Well now, you see, that’s where you’re wrong.” Price stepped away from the swan lamppost and began slowly circling them as he talked. The wind blowing down the river whipped his loose shirt like a flag at mast. “The Black Diamond is interested in everything that happens in Colnora, most particularly when it involves you, Duster.”
Hadrian leaned over and asked, “Why does he keep calling you Duster?”
“That was my guild name,” Royce replied.
“He was a Black Diamond?” asked the youngest-looking of the four. He had round, chubby cheeks blown red and blotchy and a narrow mouth wreathed by a thin mustache and goatee.
“Oh yes, that’s right, Etcher, you’ve never heard of Duster before, have you? Etcher is new to the guild, only been with us, what—six months? Well, you see, not only was Duster a Diamond, he was an officer, bucket man, and one of the most notorious members in the guild’s history.”
“Bucket man?” Hadrian asked.
“Assassin,” Royce explained.
“He’s a legend, this one is,” Price went on, pacing around the stone bridge, carefully avoiding the puddles. “Wonder boy of his day, he rose through the ranks so fast it unnerved people.”
“Funny,” Royce said, “I only remember one.”
“Well, when the First Officer of the guild is nervous, so is everyone else. You see, back then the Jewel had a man named Hoyte running the show. He was an ass to most of us—a good thief and administrator, but an ass just the same. Duster here had a lot of support from the lower ranks and Hoyte was concerned Duster might replace him. He began ordering Duster on the most dangerous jobs—jobs that went suspiciously bad. Still, Duster always escaped unscathed, making him even more a hero. Rumors began circulating we might have a traitor in the guild. Rather than being concerned, Hoyte saw this as an opportunity.”
Price paused in his orator’s trek around the bridge and stopped in front of Royce. “You see, at that time there were three bucket men in the guild and all of them good friends. Jade, the guild’s only female assassin, was a beauty who—”
“Is this going somewhere, Price?” Royce snapped.
“Just giving Etcher a little background, Duster. You wouldn’t begrudge me the chance to educate my boys, would you?” Price smiled and returned to his casual pacing, slipping his thumbs into the loose waistline of his pants. “Where was I? Oh yes, Jade. It happened right over there.” He pointed back across the bridge. “That empty warehouse with the clover symbol on its side. That’s where Hoyte set them up, pitting one against the other. Then, like now, bucket men wore masks to prevent being marked.” Price paused and looked at Royce with feigned sympathy. “You had no idea who she was until it was over, did you, Duster? Or did you know and kill her anyway?”
Royce said nothing but glared at Price with a dangerous look.