Barbarian!
Jommy grinned. Been called that more than a few times since I got to Kesh.
What do you wish to know? asked the desertman.
One thing only, said Jommy, losing his grin. Wheres Jomo Ketlami?
I dont know! shouted the man as he tried to gain purchase for his feet in the dangling cargo net.
We know hes somewhere in the city! shouted Jommy. We know he hasnt got out of the city. And we know that you have been doing business with him for years. Heres the deal: you tell us where he is, we pull you up. Then we go find him, get what we want to know from him, and kill him. Youve got no worries.
Or you dont tell us and we leave you hanging. You might climb up to the top of this derrick, and get down from there somehow, but even if you do, well just start spreading the word you sold out Ketlami. So well just keep an eye on you, wait until he kills you, and well have him, anyway. Jommys grin returned. Your choice, mate.
I cant! cried the terrified trader.
Five imperial silvers he doesnt die when he hits the rocks, said Tad.
I dont know, Zane replied. Seems like thats a bit better than even money.
What say you to my five against your four?
Zane nodded enthusiastically. Done!
Wait!
Jommy said, Yes?
Dont cut the rope, please. I have children to care for!
Liar, said Zane. Its well known you tell the girls at the bordellos youre without a wife.
I didnt say I had a wife, admitted the little man. But I do care for the handful of bastards Ive sired.
You are the soul of generosity, mate, observed Jommy.
There are men who do far less for their get, replied the dangling trader. I have even taken the eldest into my house to learn a craft!
Which? asked Zane. Trading, spying, lying, or cheating at cards?
You know, asked Tad, that as we stand here jibber-jabbing, the tides coming in?
So? Jommy looked at his friend with a narrowing gaze.
Well, if we dont cut the rope soon, then the chances are hell just drown, and that means the bets off.
Cant have that, said Zane. He flourished the large hunting knife he was holding, twirled it like an expert, and began sawing at the heavy rope that ran up through the block and tackle below the topmost pulley of the derrick.
No! shouted the panic-stricken little man. Ill talk!
So, talk, returned Jommy.
Not until you pull me up!
Zane glanced at his companions. A reasonable request?
Well, I dont think hes going to be able to best all three of us, said Tad. After all, hes an unarmed, skinny little fellow and were, what did he call us?
Murderous cut-throats, supplied Zane.
Pull him up, then, said Jommy.
Tad and Zed both gripped the heavy crank used to raise the netting, and turned it. Being well oiled, it moved freely and the little man quickly rose the dozen feet necessary to bring his head above the edge of the dock.
Jommy had his sword out and pointed to a spot on the dock. Put him there, lads.
Tad and Zane ceased cranking, set the lock to keep the net from falling back, and then grabbed the long wooden arm used to swing cargo around. When they had the trader safely above the docks he let go of the net, dropping a few feet to the stones.
Before Aziz could think to flee again, Jommy had his swords point at the mans throat. Now, you were going to tell us the whereabouts of Jomo Ketlami.
With eyes downcast Aziz said, You must find him and kill him quickly, and those who serve him, for if any of those murderers linger, my life is over.
Thats our plan, said Jommy. Now, where is he?
You were mistaken about him still being in the city. He has more ways through the walls than a sewer rat. There are caves in the hills above the beach a half-days ride to the southwest, and there he has gone to ground.
And you know this how? asked Tad.
He sent word, before he fled. He has need of me. Without me, he has no way to send messages to his confederates in other cities on the Bitter Sea. I am to find my way to those caves in two nights, for he has messages he must send to his murderous brothers.
I think we should just kill him, said Zane. Hes in a lot deeper than we thought.
No, said Jommy, putting up his sword as Tad gripped Aziz by the shoulder. I think were going to take him back to the inn and have him sit down with your dad, and well let him decide this. To the trader, Jommy said, Its all the same to me if you live or die, so if I were in your place, Id put some effort into convincing us its better for everyone involved if you stay alive.
The man nodded.
Come along, said Jommy. If youre lying to us, your bastards will have to learn to fend for themselves.
On their heads, I will tell you only the truth.
No, said Jommy. Its on your head, Aziz.
As the sun vanished below the western horizon, the four men moved away from the docks into the pest hole of a city that was Durbin.
Armed men moved silently through the night. Before them lay a small cave, large enough to admit one man at a time, half-hidden under an overhanging cliff, where a knoll rearing up over the beach had been worn away by years of erosion. Above the cave two archers crouched, ready to fire down on anyone attempting to exit the cave without permission.
Mist rolled in off the Bitter Sea, and no moon was visible though the overcast. The night was coal-mine dark and the men surrounding the cave could barely make out one another in the murk.
Caleb, son of Pug, motioned for his three boys to wait. Behind him his brother Magnus stood ready to answer any magical onslaught that might be forthcoming. A dozen other men were also moving to form a semi-circle around another exit to the cave a hundred yards down the cliff.
The two brothers bore a strong resemblance to one another. They were tall and slender yet strong, with hair to the shoulders, an almost regal bearing which they had inherited from their mother, and eyes that seemed to look through you. The one startling difference was in their colouring. Caleb had dark brown hair and eyes, while Magnuss hair was the palest blond, looking white in the sun, and his eyes were the palest blue. Caleb wore hunting garb, tunic and trousers, knee-high boots, and a floppy-brimmed hat, while Magnus wore simple black robes with the hood thrown back.
Caleb had spent most of the night before interrogating the trader Aziz with the help of his brother. Magnus lacked the special art to determine if the trader was telling the truth or lying, but the trader didnt know that, and after a simple demonstration of Magnuss magical ability Aziz was convinced the magician could parse falsehood from sincerity. Magnus came back with Caleb before dawn and the two brothers had employed their respective skills tracking and magic to ensure their quarry was, indeed, inside those caves. Just before dawn, two assassins had exited the cave and made a quick sweep of the surrounding terrain. Magnus had employed a spell of levitation to lift his brother and himself a hundred feet above the knoll, so there was no sign of them when the patrolling sentries reached the top of the knoll. In the dark even if they had looked straight upward there was little chance they would have been seen.
A single lookout had been stationed a short distance down the coast to ensure that no one had fled while Magnus had returned to the City of Kesh to get Chezarul, an erstwhile trader from the City of Kesh, who was one of the most trusted agents of the Conclave, and his most reliable warriors, returning within hours by magic. At dusk they had approached these caves and taken up position after nightfall.
Their best estimate was that Jomo Ketlami was holed up in a warren of caves with at least half a dozen assassins, waiting for Aziz to arrive so the fugitives could arrange safe passage out of Kesh. And given the events of the past month, these would be the toughest, wiliest, most fanatical survivors of the Nighthawks.
Since the attempt on the Emperor by the sorcerer Leso Varen, and his role in leading the Nighthawks, soldiers of the Empire, under direction from Keshian spies and agents of the Conclave of Shadows, had been rooting out every last hiding place in Kesh. By imperial decree, these men were under an order of summary execution.
Similar campaigns had been underway in the Kingdom of the Isles, as well as Roldem, Olasko, and several of the other larger cities in the Eastern Kingdoms. The Conclave was certain they had identified every last headquarters but one: the ultimate source of this murderous brotherhood, where their Grand Master sat like a giant spider in the centre of a web that stretched over an entire continent. And the man in the caves just a few dozen yards away knew where the headquarters for the Guild of Death was hidden.
Caleb signalled. A sentry standing behind the archers above uncovered a lantern and the men down the beach slowly entered the second cave mouth. Magnus had used every art he possessed to determine there were no magical snares waiting for them. He was less confident about more mundane traps. The dozen men entering the cave were among the most skilled agents of the Conclave in Kesh, and perhaps the most experienced hand-to-hand fighters in the Empire. They expected to give their lives if necessary, for they were committed to the undertaking of ridding the world of Midkemia of the Nighthawks for well and good.
Another half-dozen men took up positions before the second cave mouth, with another pair of archers poised above on the cliffs as well. The orders were clear: to defend their own lives, but Jomo Ketlami must be taken alive.
Caleb motioned for his men to move towards the mouth of the smaller cave, ready to receive anyone fleeing. With hand gestures, barely seen in the faint lantern light, he instructed them to stand ready, taking up their positions on either side of the cave. He motioned to the man carrying the lantern, who shuttered it again, plunging the beach into blackness once more.
Minutes dragged by slowly, the only sound being the rolling of the surf and the occasional distant sound of a nightbird. Jommy nodded to Caleb, who waited on the other side of the cave mouth, then turned to see how his two younger companions were doing. In the dark he could make out Tad and Zane huddled against the cliff face behind him, ready. In the months he had lived with them, he had come to feel a kinship, and he found himself adopting the role of eldest brother more often than not. Their family had welcomed him and made him feel at home even though home was far from ordinary; but he had come to accept the extraordinary as a matter of course since meeting Caleb and his adopted sons. He knew he would die defending them, and knew in turn each would be willing to lay down his life for him.
Abruptly a shout echoed from within and the sounds of combat followed instantly.
The first assassin to bolt the cave was met with the flat of Calebs blade across his face. Blood fountained from a broken nose as Jommy clubbed him on the side of his head with the hilt of his sword. Zane grabbed the stunned assassin by the collar and hauled him out of the way by main force.
A second assassin saw his companion fall, even if he couldnt see exactly what occurred in the dark, and hesitated before leaping forward, sword at the ready. Caleb barely avoided a thrust to his side, his parry ringing like an alarm. Jommy stepped forward to club the man on the head. He felt something tug hard at his tunic and realized he had almost been skewered by another assassins blade as he crossed before the threshold of the cave. There was a burning sensation across his lower back as the swordsman pulled back his blade.
Ignoring the pain, Jommy slammed his hilt into the back of the head of the man facing Caleb, and in turn felt another burning cut as the swordsman behind him attempted to disengage his sword from Jommys tunic.
Caleb reached out with his left hand, grabbed Jommy by the shirt front and yanked hard, pulling him away from danger. Zane hit the man trying to kill Jommy as another man leapt past him, attempting to run down the beach.
Stop him! shouted Caleb.
A sizzling sound, like a nearby discharge of lightning, filled the night and a bolt of energy sprang from Magnuss hand. Blinding blue light illuminated the cave mouth and beach for an instant as a sphere of energy sped after the fleeing man, overtaking him in an instant. The man screamed and fell, his torso contorting in pain as tiny bolts of energy danced over his torso, a sizzling sound punctuated by crackling adding a sinister note to the display.
Caleb and Magnus hurried to the fallen man, while the boys and the other agents of the Conclave subdued the remaining assassins.
Coming out! shouted a familiar voice, and a moment later Chezarul came out of the cave. How did we do? he asked.
Jommy motioned towards the fallen man as Caleb reached him, shouting, Light!
A pair of lanterns, one above them and another a short way down the beach, were uncovered, and they could see the form of a man writhing on the sand as the energy display faded from sight. Magnus said, Bind him before I release the spell. He is unable to use any poison secreted upon him. Search him well.
Caleb looked down on the man for whom hed been searching for weeks. Jomo Ketlami lay in agony, his face contorted. His fists flailed uselessly in the air, his elbows hard against his sides. His back was bowed and his legs kicked feebly against the sand. He went through the mans clothing quickly and found two poison pills and an amulet, the iron Nighthawk emblem they had come to know so well. He pulled a cord out of his belt pouch, turned the quivering man over as easily as he would a felled deer and trussed him up in the same manner.
Check his mouth, suggested Magnus.
Get me a light.
A lantern was fetched and held above Ketlamis face. Gripping his captives jaw with his right hand, Caleb forced his mouth open and motioned for the lantern to be moved closer. Ah, what is this? he said.
He held out his left hand, and a pair of iron tongs were placed in them. Caleb deftly reached into Ketlamis mouth with them and yanked out a tooth. The captives whimpering increased but otherwise he was unable to react to the extraction. Hollow tooth, said Caleb. He stood up and told Magnus, You can let him go, I think.
Magnus released the spell and the captive fell limp for a moment, panting like an exhausted dog.
As they approached Ketlami, Chezarul said to Caleb, Two of them are dead, one will not live through the night, but three are unconscious and bound.
Caleb nodded. Check them for poison, as well. He glanced at Jommy, Youre injured.
Ive had worse, said the young man with a grin. Last time I crossed swords with Talwin Hawkins he cut me three times, and he wasnt even trying.