have developed an itch in a certain place, if you take my meaning. They are wondering if you will go with them or join them later?”
The jester’s eyes simply screamed that it would be better for us to go with them. What could possibly have happened?
Eel yawned wearily, casually covering his mouth with his glove, and nodded.
“Unfortunately, count, I am obliged to leave your remarkable house. You know what these elves are like.”
“Well then, if you are ever in Ranneng you must pay me another visit.”
“Definitely. At the very first opportunity,” said Eel, taking his leave of our host.
I don’t think Balistan Pargaid has any idea of just how soon we’ll be paying our next visit to his estate.
Kli-Kli went galloping on ahead of us, jangling his little bells and waving a soft roll that he had grabbed off the table.
“Make way for the highly talented jester of Duke Ganet Shagor! Make way!”
He carried on shouting like that until we were out of the hall.
“What’s wrong, Kli-Kli?”
“Paleface is back.”
I forced myself to keep on walking without looking round.
“Are you sure?”
“Oh yes! He arrived half an hour ago with that lady you were drooling over.”
So that’s where Rolio went! He was meeting Lafresa.
“Then we’ve left the party just in time.”
“Did you find the Key?”
“Yes.”
“The gods be praised!”
Our carriage was standing at the entrance. Miralissa and Egrassa were already inside it. The Wild Hearts on horseback made up a guard of honor.
As usual, old woman weariness arrived unexpectedly. I only realized how dangerous what I had just done was after I got into the carriage.
“Harold, did you find the Key?” Miralissa asked.
“Yes,” Kli-Kli answered for me. “Can’t you see that he’s asleep?”
I sank down into the deep whirlpool of sleep before the carriage had even left the count’s estate.
9
And The Key Will Decide Who To Help
“Don’t even think about it, you’re not coming with me,” I hissed at Kli-Kli.
“That’s what you think! But I’m coming anyway!” the jester retorted.
“I told you, stay here!”
“Harold, you can leave me here, but I’ll still follow you, no matter what you do! And what’s more, you’ve got my favorite medallion hanging round your neck now. If you don’t let me come, then I’ll take it back.”
I gritted my teeth and gazed at the wall surrounding Balistan Pargaid’s estate. Not for the first time in the last five minutes.
Night. Silence. The moon and the stars were hidden behind the clouds. Only the light from the large lanterns hanging beside the gate made it possible to see anything. Ideal conditions for my kind of work. The darker it was, the easier it would be to get the job done. Although when Kli-Kli’s around, it’s best to forget about words like “easy.”
Almost a full day had gone by since we attended the count’s reception, and now here I was, lying on my stomach beside the wall of his estate. This was the perfect time to steal into the mansion house and take back what belonged to us. To be quite honest, I’d wanted to take the risk and break into the count’s home on the night of the reception, but Miralissa had insisted that we mustn’t act in the heat of the moment. Even the fact that Lafresa had shown up didn’t persuade her. When I told her about it, the elfess simply laughed and said that breaking the bonds was not that simple and the Master’s envoy would have to wait for an auspicious conjunction of the stars.
While I was making genteel conversation with the nobility, the others hadn’t wasted any time. Miralissa checked the house for magical surprises and discovered that all the windows on the second floor were protected by defensive spells. Egrassa got hold of a detailed plan of the house from somewhere (how he managed that, I have no idea!), and the Wild Hearts, who had smuggled a couple of bottles of fine wine from Master Quidd’s cellar into the estate, got talking with five of the guards and found out the actual routes followed by the patrols, as well as their schedule. So now I was all set. All I had to do was get in, take the Key, and get out before it was missed.
Really, what could be simpler than that?
And then, when everything was ready, and I was all set to get started, Ell, Egrassa, Markauz, Eel, and Arnkh announced that they were going with me. Of course, I was indignant at the very idea and fervently opposed it. The last thing I wanted was an entire crowd tagging along!
“And what if they spot you? Who’s going to cover you, Harold?”
“They won’t spot me,” I insisted stubbornly, but it was no use. The five of them set off with me, while the others started hastily packing all our things, so that when we got back we could leave the city immediately.
The elves dressed up in their dark green traveling outfits, smeared some dark gunk on their faces (which were already swarthy enough anyway), slung their s’kashes over their shoulders, and picked up their bows. Alistan set aside his sword of singing steel, armed himself with the battle-ax that had belonged to Tomcat, and dressed himself all in black, then he and Eel and Arnkh, who had pulled on a black tunic over his beloved chain mail, set off to protect poor little Harold.
His Grace was not at all concerned that this would effectively make him an accomplice to a burglary, a fact that was surely enough to dishonor any decent noble’s line for the next ten generations. (But then, if you think about it, there was no real disgrace involved: Everybody knows that most noblemen steal on a much bigger scale than ordinary commoners.)
The elves swarmed up the wall like two shadows and froze on top of it, with their bows drawn at the ready, covering Arnkh, Eel, and Markauz as they clambered over the obstacle. Then the dark ones jumped down into the count’s park and I was left alone. Egrassa had asked me to wait for a couple of minutes while they reconnoitered (meaning, while they got rid of anybody they came across). Well, I didn’t mind; I wasn’t going to weep bitter tears if the yellow-eyed archers took out a few patrols.
And that was when Kli-Kli showed up. I’ve no idea how the goblin managed to escape Miralissa’s vigilant eye, but a fact is a fact—the jester was lying there beside me in the bushes, stubbornly arguing that without his help I didn’t have a chance. The two minutes that the elf had given me were already long over, and I was still arguing with this little walking disaster.
“All right!” I said eventually. “You can go with me. But only as far as the house! If you make noise or get under my feet, I’ll strangle you with my own bare hands.”
Kli-Kli nodded.
“And if you fall behind, that’s your problem,” I warned him.
Without bothering to wait for an answer, I skipped out of the bushes, jumped up, and clung to the top of the wall with my fingertips. Fortunately, none of the count’s servants had thought of scattering broken glass along the wall—which in my opinion left a serious gap in their defenses. If that rotten crud had been there, not even my gloves could have saved me. Finely milled pigskin is no defense against sharp glass. And in any case, the fingers of my gloves had been cut off—it’s more convenient that way for working with locks.
I pulled myself up, threw my right leg over, and climbed on top, taking care not to impale myself on the spiky figures. I had to throw my arms out and bend my knees to keep my balance and avoid injury.
“Harold,” Kli-Kli whined, jumping up and down desperately, “I can’t reach!”
