The Dusk Watchman

CHAPTER 19

They arrived with the last rays of evening bestowing an orange halo on the great oak that spread its protective branches over the heart of the village. The village was quiet, but not deserted. Faces peered at them from several windows and a handful of children stopped their play at the stream to stare at the newcomers. Nearby a clutch of splay-toed geese waddled towards them, honking, which in turn prompted barks from somewhere out of sight, but instead of dogs racing out to circle the party of horses, they were swiftly quietened.

Child Istelian nodded approvingly and gestured for the riders to halt. He was a man of middle years who’d been a labourer all his life until the First Disciple had plucked him from the crowd and handed him a white robe. Istelian’s heart still soared at the memory: the approbation in Child Luerce’s eyes and that fleeting, electrifying smile on the face of the sacred one himself.

‘Captain,’ Istelian said softly. The soldier hurried to his side and Istelian granted him a benevolent smile. ‘You will wait for us here.’

‘Wait?’ Captain Tachan repeated in surprise. He was a burly, bearded Chetse, but there was no doubting his loyalty to the Knights of the Temples. ‘Sure about that? This is Narkang territory now; best my men check the village out first.’

Istelian frowned, the expression enough to halt Tachan’s protests. Twenty soldiers to command, the proud warrior heritage of the Chetse tribe, years of wearing a Devoted uniform — yet he found himself taking orders from a commoner. He chafed at the change, but Istelian was pleased to see him recognise his place.

We are remaking the Land, Captain, Istelian said to himself, and your noble lineage means little now. It is the pure spirits who lead, those without might or riches, and Ghenna shall welcome those who oppose our will.

‘These are poor folk, and pious, cherished by the Gods. They will welcome the message of our saviour.’

‘Certainly,’ Tachan agreed hurriedly. ‘I meant only that King Emin’s men might be hiding among them. Our enemies will seek to harm one as blessed as you.’

‘The Gods will see me safe,’ Ilstelian replied, dismounting. The remainder of the white robed preachers, seven in all, followed suit, and fell in behind their leader.

‘As Ruhen walked out to face the army of daemons, so I shall face our enemies without fear. The Child’s grace shall carry me through.’

‘But in case-’ The soldier didn’t get any further.

Ilstelian raised a hand and cut him off. ‘Come, Children of Ruhen,’ he said, holding his oak staff high, ‘let us visit peace upon these tormented lands.’ And with the rest trailing along behind he headed down the dirt track that led into the heart of the village. A long wicker fence served as the village perimeter, encircling the two dozen houses, while cultivated hedgerows penned several tracts of land beyond.

‘These are honest, Gods-fearing folk, ’ Istelian announced to his followers. ‘Their only loyalty to the distant king will be born of fear.’ He passed through an open gate, crossed the bridge and walked onto the common land, where a cluster of villagers were already awaiting him. Istelian walked up to them, observing the apprehension on their faces with a slight satisfaction. His stature was clear to these people, his purpose obvious in every step he took.

‘Good folk, may I ask the name of this village?’ Istelian asked them loudly.

The villagers glanced at each other like nervous sheep, before one found the courage to speak up. ‘Tarafain,’ said the youngest man, a broad shouldered individual with a rolling local accent.

‘How can we help you, sir?’

‘ Sir’ — these people know their place.

‘I seek the village elders. I would speak to you all of peace.’

The farmer’s eyes widened and he pointed mutely towards a stone fronted building, clearly a tavern, on the far side of the green. There were a handful of people sitting outside and watching life in the village pass by.

With a curt nod to his guide, Istelian continued on.

The tavern was the only two storey-building in the village; blackened beams protruded out from lime-wash walls and smoke rose from a chimney at each end of the building. A youth lounged at the stable door, watching them with an insolent expression on his face.

‘You are the village elders?’ Istelian enquired of the four lounging outside the tavern door.

A middle-aged couple were sitting furthest from him, with an old crone on their right and a greying man opposite her. The elder two seemed to be scowling at him; the woman through poor eyesight, the man perhaps due to the mug of beer he gripped.

‘I’m the headman,’ the younger man said in a deep voice. At last he did stand, and offered a bow of sorts. His wife jumped up beside him, but the other two made no such effort. ‘Hesher Vres at your service.’

‘I am Child Istelian,’ he said, inclining his head to return the greeting. ‘The Gods have favoured me to number among the ranks of Ruhen’s Children. I would speak to you and your vil lage of peace.’

‘Got enough o’ that already,’ the old woman croaked. ‘Don’t need no more; be off with you.’

Istelian turned to regard the crone. She lacked the tattoos or charms he’d expect of a witch, but he knew in rural places those too stubborn to die were permitted much freedom to speak.

‘And you are?’

‘A woman who’s seen enough o’ this Land ta know we don’t want nothing from the east.’

Istelian sniffed. ‘You have no wish for peace? You would prefer King Emin steals your sons for his army of daemons? Are you a heretic?’

The old woman hissed and rapped her knuckles on the tabletop. ‘My sons died in the king’s service,’ she screeched, ‘and I’ll have no false priest diminish their sacrifice!’

‘I am no priest,’ Istelian replied smoothly, ‘and I know your sons served their king faithfully, but it is this king who now betrays those he should protect.’

The older man growled and drained his beer. ‘Better watch your tongue, boy — some folk round here won’t take kindly to you bad-mouthing the king.’

‘I know the thrall you are under, the fear of his armies you all feel.’ Istelian threw out an arm to gesture back the way he had come. ‘But I bring peace in my wake — the word of Ruhen to set you free, his servants to stand beside you against the tyranny of the great heretic.’

‘Great heretic?’ the man echoed, rising from his seat to glare at Istelian eye to eye. ‘That’s the twist o’ your dogma now, is it? Make him out to be Aryn Bwr?’

‘Ruhen’s peace will free you all,’ Istelian insisted. He stepped back and raised his voice so those inside the tavern, no doubt listening intently, could clearly hear him. ‘Ruhen will free you from the cares of this Land, free you from the tyranny of war that has so plagued us, and drive off the daemons that continue to torment us.’

‘Hah!’ spat the old woman, jabbing a thumb at her fellow doubter, ‘he’s already seen those buggers off.’

‘You have faced down daemons?’ Istelian asked, astonished by the outrageous claim.

‘A few,’ the old man confirmed with a deepening scowl. ‘So what’s this peace you offer then? Might it be the rule of the

Knights of the Temples rather than Narkang? Tribunals and inquisitors? Religious law and counter-insurgency? How many’ll die while you enforce your peace?’

‘How dare you make such claims?’ Istelian spat. ‘Ruhen is the emissary of the Gods and I am his mouthpiece. To question me is to question the blessed child, and that is heresy of the foulest kind.’

‘Not allowed questions under your peace, eh?’

‘Honest devotion to the Gods is Ruhen’s way. To accuse and undermine, to whisper and lie, that is the work of daemons and all such heresy must be rooted out.’

The old man scratched his white stubbled-chin. ‘Aye, thought as much.’

Istelian felt the fury erupt within himself; it was all he could do not to strike the man down where he stood. ‘Henceforth this village is under the protection of the Knights of the Temples!’ he declared loudly, ‘and you are all now subject to the laws of the Gods. Rejoice, people of Tarafain, you are free from the tyrant of Narkang and protected by the peace of Ruhen!’

He spun around and snapped at the nearest of the Children behind. ‘You, summon Captain Tachan; inform him there are heretics in his village!’

‘Heretics?’ the old man mused as the Child ran back the way they had come. ‘Well, I must admit, Lord Death weren’t so happy to see me last time He did.’

‘Silence!’ Istelian bellowed and backhanded the old man across the mouth. ‘You dare speak of the Chief of the Gods in such irreverent tones? Headman Vres, this man is a poison thorn within your community. Assemble the village. His re education must be witnessed by every man, woman and child.’

The old man slowly spat a gobbet of bloody spit onto the ground at his feet. ‘Now that weren’t so peaceful.’

‘You are a heretic!’ Istelian hissed, grabbing him by the arm. ‘There can be no leniency shown to the enemies of the Gods — the daemon within you must be scourged from your body!’

The old man gave him a blood-tinted grin. ‘Daemon? Not quite.’ His weathered face twitched strangely, his cheeks shuddering as though something was fighting to escape from within. A white patina appeared on his skin, the lines around his eyes smoothing away as his brow softened and become narrower.

Istelian staggered back into his remaining attendants, one hand raised protectively. ‘What magic is this?’ he screeched. ‘You are damned! Sold to some creature of the Dark Place!’

‘It’s more of a loan,’ the old man said, his voice higher now, almost feminine, ‘and I believe “Goddess” is the appropriate term.’

The man’s pale, ghostly colour increased with every word and as he stepped forward, the fading light seemed all the more pronounced. ‘You claim to speak in the name o’ the Gods, but you know nothing of them,’ the man said in a voice that cut the air like the crash of thunder. ‘The shadows in Ruhen’s eyes are born of Ghenna’s darkness, and I’ll not leave this village to fall under the rule of a shadow. We don’t submit to shadows here.’

Istelian gaped, looking left and right in his astonishment. Faces had appeared at doors and windows, the ignorant rustics all staring at him without any of the respect due to him.

‘You will hang,’ he croaked through the deepening gloom of evening. ‘It’s a crime against the Gods to speak such things. Your tongue will be torn from your mouth and fed to the dogs — your eyes will be put out, your body driven onto a stake. All these torments await you in the next life, and so they will be visited upon you in this one too.’

The sound of running feet seemed to spur him into movement and Istelian straightened up. ‘Captain…’ The words faded in his throat as he saw only one figure approaching.

‘Child Istelian!’ the captain called, sleeves flapping as he made up the ground. ‘They’re gone — the soldiers, all gone!’

The old man stepped forward, a knife appearing from nowhere. Quick as a snake he slashed open Istelian’s cheek, and the preacher fell back with a cry But the old man didn’t follow up his assault; he just stood before the table with a satisfied look on his face, his knife still at the ready.

‘Looks like your soldiers have learned to fear the ghosts of dusk,’ the old man said evilly, ‘but I think that’d be too easy for you. So let’s find out how strong your faith really is, how much this peace of the shadow’s really protects.’

He grabbed Istelian in a surprisingly powerful grip.

Despite his desperate efforts, he couldn’t break free, and when a second man, barefoot and dressed all in black, took his other arm, Istelian felt the strength drain out of his body. He was dragged back to the gate, and beyond it he saw the horses they had arrived on, those of the preachers and the Devoted soldiers too, all riderless and whickering nervously. The old man and his fellow daemon-worshipper took him past the horses and tossed him down into the dirt beside the road.

‘See the trees?’ the evil old man rasped, his face shining with what looked to Istelian to be a terrible delight. ‘The light’s fading now. Might be you start to see eyes, appearing in the shadows below them.’ He grabbed Istelian’s hand and slapped the bloodied dagger in it, closing it around the grip.

‘There’s your path, back through the trees. Lead your preachers that way and protect them with the peace you offered these folk today. Best you run, though — see if you can outrun ’em — for I swear on my tarnished soul you’ll suffer if you ever come back here.’

He gave Istelian a shove with his boot and sent him sprawling in the dirt.

‘Go!’ the old man roared. ‘Run back to your shadow and tell him we’re coming for him next!’

Vesna watched his friend slump against a tree and sink to the ground, his weight pushing the tip of the black sword a foot into the earth. Their makeshift camp was quiet, a full night and day of travel enough to drain them all. Hulf crept up to his master’s thigh, instinctively wary of the terrible weapon Isak held.

‘Isak,’ Vesna began before tailing off. He squatted down in front of the scarred man and tried to make Isak look at him, but the white-eye stared forward at nothing, while his left hand idly stroked Hulf’s back. The dog’s ears were flat against his head; his whole manner had changed, for he felt the loss of Mihn as deeply as the rest of them.

‘You’ve hardly spoken since we left Vanach,’ Vesna said at last.

In the failing light Isak’s right hand looked excessively shadowed. Perhaps it was just the comparison with his bone-white left, but to Vesna the skin looked darkened beyond the shadows of deep scars. The Mortal-Aspect’s eyes were constantly drawn back to the black sword in Isak’s hand. Nartis’ lightning had burned the colour from Isak’s left arm, imbued the skin with its own colour. Who could say what effect the Key of Magic, Death’s own weapon, might have?

‘There’s nothing to say,’ Isak said, at last looking up at him. ‘He’s gone.’

The sun had gone down and the broad canopy of the fir trees under which they sat advanced the gloom further. Fei Ebarn was in the process of setting a fire while Zhia teased forth the shadows of the forest to hide its light. Isak’s face was blank, drained of anger or any form of animation; that was what Vesna feared more than anything in a white-eye: dull, passive acceptance.

‘You don’t know that,’ Vesna tried, but Isak didn’t even bother responding.

He did know; anyone could just by looking at Hulf, but Isak’s soul had been tied to Mihn, and now the white-eye looked as though it had been cut out. Anger, even violence, Vesna could understand; that was how a white-eye reacted to loss, but not this: quiet surrender was reserved for those last moments of death, when all was done and all that remained was the spark in their eyes to fade. To see Isak so defeated troubled the Iron General side of Vesna as much as Mihn’s loss wounded the mortal side of him.

‘He had his reasons,’ Vesna persisted.

‘Oh good. Reasons.’

Vesna felt his hand start to shake. His grief at Isak’s death had barely started to wane when Tila’s murder gutted him entirely. Only the spirit of Karkarn had kept him moving, driving him to march west with the Ghosts, but the more he numbly obeyed his duty the more he had felt a part of himself wither.

As I hide from the pain, Vesna realised, and put it aside in favour of duty, less of a man is left. I can feel the God inside me swallowing the loss, but it’s an indiscriminate beast. Tila would never forgive me if I let the man she loved slip away. I have to endure this pain somehow, and so must Isak.

‘You had reasons too,’ Vesna said hoarsely, ‘reasons you didn’t share with me. You left me to mourn your loss, to be the one Carel blamed for your death.’

‘I know.’

‘That’s all you have to say?’ Vesna asked after a long pause.

‘What else is there? This is a war, people die. It’ll claim more before it ends.’ Isak raised the black sword. ‘I hold death in my hand; can it be much surprise when those close to me are lost?’

‘And you can just accept them?’

‘We’re close to the end now. I’ll have time to mourn when I’m dead.’ He tugged his cloak a little more over himself and Hulf and the dog settled down at Isak’s side to share in the white-eye’s body heat.

‘I’m so tired. Please, just let me sleep.’

A part of Vesna wanted to smash his iron fist into Isak’s face, to wake the monster inside him — anything to dispel this meek, empty shell of a man. But the general at the back of his mind told him it was time to retreat and fight another day; there was no point forcing the issue, not so soon after Mihn’s loss.

Feeling like an old man, Vesna rose and left Isak to his sleep. At the fireside Veil and Doranei huddled together on a fallen tree and warmed themselves. They had watched the exchange without comment.

‘Not what you expected, eh?’ Doranei asked.

Vesna glanced back. ‘What I feared, maybe. Mihn was an anchor for him, just as Tila was for me.’ Even speaking her name twisted like a knife in his gut, but the pain was no stranger to Vesna these days and he wouldn’t hide from it, not any more. ‘And Carel too. Without them, he’s adrift.’

‘If he don’t look dead, he’s angry,’ Veil commented, ‘that’s we always said about Coran, the king’s former bodyguard, when someone asked his mood. True enough for lots o’ white-eyes — but Isak ain’t like most of ’em.’

‘He don’t look either,’ Doranei said, ‘and that makes me worry. We might have the means to kill Azaer, but without the will, that could mean nothing. There’s a lot of death ahead of us yet — a whole lot of death, if what those Byoran soldiers said is true. The shadow won’t care how many die to defend it; whole cities could fall and it’d just make us look like the Reapers or daemons it claims we are.’

Veil clapped his remaining hand on his Brother’s shoulder. ‘Aye and Isak can’t follow your example. There are no wine cellars round here for him to crawl into for a month.’

Doranei shrugged the man off, but he made no retort. He wasn’t proud of how he’d dealt with his own mourning, Vesna knew that, but the look on the faces of both King’s Men showed he wasn’t living in shame either. It had happened, then Doranei had found a way through and not let his comrades down. Everything else was just pride.

An object lesson for the rest of us, Vesna thought, seeing once more the last flutter of pain on Tila’s eyelids. Face it all, and overcome. His stomach felt hollow and a sour taste filled his mouth. He fought the urge to bend and retch, to empty a stomach that had barely been able to manage breakfast. The War God’s chosen looked away, hiding the tears that threatened in his eyes as Tila’s voice echoed through his mind.

‘Let’s find some other way then,’ Vesna said in a choked voice, ‘lest the end in sight isn’t the one we’re hoping for.’

Doranei reached into his tunic and pulled out his pack of cigars. He shook out the last one and lit it from the fire. ‘Give him time,’ he said at last. ‘The fire running through him from that damn sword, the shock of mourning — the man needs time. He came back from the Dark Place, that’s a punch none of us could ride so easily. I’ll never bet against him.’

‘In time to win this war? Azaer’s forewarned, and everything you’ve told us says it’s not one for a single, simple plan but has contingencies built into every scheme.’

‘You want to know one reason why we’re so effective? The King’s Men?’ Veil asked abruptly. ‘Sure, we’re good in a fight, and some of us ain’t got a soul, but that’s not the only reason. We live in a different Land to that of ordinary folk, soldiers too: everything we’ve seen and done sets us apart from the people we protect.’

‘We think different,’ Doranei continued. ‘The job makes you think different, and that’s often the edge that counts. We do the unexpected, tackle problems in a way most wouldn’t, and catch ’em unawares.’

Veil pointed towards Isak. ‘Now just imagine how he thinks now, after all he’s gone through. He saw the holes in his own mind and knew them as a weapon to cripple a man he couldn’t beat in combat — a man none of us could, by design of the Gods themselves. Not even Azaer’s seen that. Not even Azaer’ll see him coming.’

Vesna gaped. ‘And that’s where your faith lies: in the fact that his mind’s been damaged by horrors that might easily have destroyed him entirely? Isak’s my friend, but-’

‘Isak sees the Land different,’ Veil insisted, ‘and King Emin’s genius ain’t for politics, not really. He knows how to use others, how to direct their minds, develop their skills, nudge research or uncover strength they never knew they had. Doranei here, Coran, even Morghien and Ilumene too — we’ve all been refined by the man, all made better and more useful to him. Isak can change the entire Land, and with King Emin’s guiding hand he’ll finish the job.’

‘I’ll never bet against him,’ Doranei repeated firmly, ‘and nor will you, whether you realise it or not.’

Grisat eased his way around the corner table and sat with a view of the door. The evening trade was paltry, just half a dozen others in, along with the landlady. He scowled down at his beer — maybe it was just the stale-smelling piss they served here. The mercenary gingerly sniffed it. Certainly not something to shout about. He took a mouthful and grimaced as he swallowed: piss was just about right.

So much for Narkang folk knowing how to make a decent beer, he thought sourly. I could have stayed in Byora for this sort o’ crap.

Without meaning to, Grisat’s fingers went to the coin hung around his neck. It was still there, lurking under his jacket — a hard presence against the skin over his heart. The First Disciple, Luerce himself, had handed it to him, watched him put it on. It had been some sort of test, Grisat realised now — not of him, but of the coins.

All so eager for the honour now. He took another swig of the beer and shuddered, both at the taste and the memory of the fervent faces within Ruhen’s Children. Their desperate and savage embracing of Ruhen’s message frightened Grisat as much as Ilumene did. He’d not been a willing convert, just a mercenary looking to earn some coin who’d been forced into something more by Aracnan. When that black-eyed Raylin mercenary had died, Grisat had gone into hiding, hoping they would forget about him and the part he’d played in encouraging the Byoran cults’ doomed uprising. The coin he’d taken off, but not daring to throw it away, he’d hidden it in the chimney of the room he’d taken — until Ilumene had tracked him down again.

Should’ve thrown the damn thing away, he thought miserably, prodding again at his chest. Too late now. The leather it was strung on was still around his neck, but it was unnecessary; now the coin stayed where it was, half-embedded in his skin. If Grisat put his finger on the metal surface he could feel the beat of his heart underneath. But some instinct told him to leave it well alone. He had left the leather loop on too, refusing to cut it away out of some desperate hope that he’d wake and find the coin was not slowly being drawn inside him.

If this is a dream, though, what does that make my nightmares?

He swallowed another foul mouthful. In his memory the shadows twitched and moved silently at the corner of his vision — never when he looked directly at them, but he could sense them always behind him. At first he’d thought the shadows some sort of salvation. I suppose in some ways they were.

Aracnan’s mind had been decaying, slowly collapsing in on itself, and the fire of the Demi-God’s increasing madness had been agony when he’d reached out to Grisat’s mind. In his dreams the shadows had muted that touch, dampened the pain of Aracnan’s lingering presence. It was only later the terror had seeped into his bones as a figure of shadow with eyes of emptiness stared through his soul.

The door opened and a woman stood in the doorway. She wasn’t dressed for this part of town; her voluminous dress was of fine green cloth, and it reached the top of high, well-polished boots. Grisat blinked at her as the woman inspected the room, a slight curl of distaste on her lips. A plain grey cloak hung from her shoulders, open enough to see a matched pair of daggers belted to her waist and a fat necklace he guessed was a push dagger.

Mebbe she knows this part of town well enough after all.

Grisat gulped down half of the remaining beer and scowled at it again. The taste wasn’t improving with familiarity. Without looking at the woman he slid two silver coins to the far side of the table. She made no sign of noticing, but went to the bar and ordered herself a drink, casually inspecting the other drinkers there while she waited for it.

Satisfied there was nothing unusual, the woman headed towards a free table, changing direction at the last minute to sit on his left, a seat that gave her the best view possible of the rest of the room. As an idle gesture she flipped one of the coins over so the king’s head was face down and slipped the second in her pocket.

From that she produced a blank coin like the one tormenting Grisat — ground down and scored with a knife so a circle was scratched on one side and a cross on the other. She didn’t place it on the table, just turned it around in her fingers to show him both sides and returned it to her pocket.

‘I was expecting someone else,’ she said coolly, one hand resting on a dagger grip. ‘Who’re you?’

‘Someone sent to pave the way. He’ll be following soon enough.’

‘When I least expect it?’

Grisat grimaced. This woman was far too like Ilumene for his liking; he recognised the calculating eyes of a professional killer, the fondness for knives.

She picked up the small glass of cloudy liquor she’d ordered and knocked it back in one. ‘Orders for me?’

‘Package for me?’ he countered.

She looked at him appraisingly for a long time. Grisat did his best to ignore her scrutiny and knocked back the last of his beer. Seeing his shudder the woman flashed him a predatory smile. ‘Next time, ask for something stronger.’

‘Next time it’ll be him sittin’ here.’

She nodded and reached into a pocket in the inside of her cloak. ‘Good.’ She drew out a flat leather pouch two hand-spans across and put it on the bench beside him. Grisat heard the clink of metal links within. ‘It was expensive,’ she said, touching the package with one finger. ‘Silver isn’t cheap these days, nor are mages. Remind him that when you see him.’

‘You get paid for this?’

She smiled. ‘Handsomely. You one of those who found themselves in too deep before they knew they were even in anything?’

Grisat didn’t reply. The fact that he wasn’t the first, or likely the last, did nothing to cheer him. ‘Your orders,’ he began gruffly. ‘Alert your agents to be ready; get them to join up to a useful part of the army or something, if they aren’t there already. How many knives can you muster?’

‘Depends how good they need to be.’

‘Endgame quality.’

A flicker of surprise crossed her face. ‘I hadn’t realised. If we’re that deep in I’ve maybe five besides me good enough for our friend with the beautiful scars.’

‘Use the best four.’

She nodded. ‘Simple kills?’

‘Each is carrying something the master wants. Securing it is the highest importance, but it’ll never leave their sides, so most likely they’ll need to kill to take it. They’ll need to have time to escape or hand off the prizes.’

‘The targets?’

Grisat counted off on his fingers. ‘The Mortal-Aspect of Karkarn, Count Vesna. An illusionist, Camba Firnin. Some friend o’ the king called Morghien. General Lahk of the Farlan Ghosts. A Brotherhood battle mage called Fei Ebarn. High Mage Tomal Endine. You also need to surveil High Mage Ashain and the scryer, Tasseran Holtai — both likely to be somewhere near Moorview — for when your friend joins you.’

‘That’s a bastard of a list.’

‘If it was easy, you wouldn’t have been brought into play. You and yours have been kept back exactly for this sort of job. For each success you can name your price.’

She raised an eyebrow at that. ‘Don’t think you know our friend so well after all. He doesn’t tend to take kindly to that sort of thing.’

Grisat shrugged. ‘Special case, this one. He knows the value — ’less they ask for something stupid, he’ll be good for it.’

‘That should prove an incentive. I’ll get to work,’ the woman said, smiling. ‘Do I tell them as soon as possible, or a particular day?’

‘They take the opportunities they find.’ With that Grisat rose to leave, the package slipped under his own coat. Before he walked away he hesitated. The woman looked up warily, her hand again on her dagger.

‘Those who get in too deep without noticing — you ever seen one get out alive?’ he asked in a quiet voice.

She gave a cough of surprise, pity and wonder mingling on her face. ‘The reluctant ones? No. That might change with the end in sight, but my advice is to accept it. You look like a mercenary, right? Well embrace the cause and enjoy your pay — there’s no quitting and our friend prefers an agent who needs him, not just fears him. Expensive whores, drugs, jewels — doesn’t matter what, if you’re his all the way and you lose the hangdog face, he’ll not piss you away so easily.’

She looked down and flicked her empty glass with her finger nail. ‘Send the barman over on your way out.’