“And I says to him, why are you acting like such a bonehead? You lost, didn’t you? So pay up!”
“And what did he say?”
“What did he say? He went for his knife, and—”
“Listen, Hart, if the captain of the watch finds out who killed Radish…”
“He won’t find out, if you keep your mouth shut. And it’s not my fault! Why bet on a cock fight, if you can’t cover your losses?”
“Radish is a fine one, grabbing his knife like that.… He was always a fool, and he died a fool! I won’t tell anyone, don’t you worry.”
“Thanks, friend,” the first guard said with feeling.
I started slithering slowly along the wall, covering myself and Kli-Kli with my cloak. I had to take my hand away from the goblin’s face, there was no other way I could load the crossbow. I held the little darling in my hand and tried to pull back the lever with as little noise as possible, drawing the string toward myself. A faint click told me that the bolts had slipped into position. If Sagot was feeling well-disposed, I’d have enough time to silence two of them, but that still left the third one, and the lad would have a sword.
The guards drew level with our flimsy cover and my finger involuntarily tightened on the trigger.
“Kind of cool tonight,” muttered the one with the torch.
“We’ll finish this round and drop into the guard room. I’ve got a little bottle tucked away there, ’specially for a moment like this.”
“What if Meilo nabs us?”
“He won’t,” the first guard answered jauntily.
The lads tramped past us and went on their way. Not one of them even looked in our direction. After all, what danger could possibly be lurking over by the wall?
“Meilo? He’d nab his own father, never mind a thickhead like you!”
“There’s no sign of Klos and his two.”
“Klos and his lads were unlucky today, Meilo sent them into the park—to protect milord from the savage squirrels!” the torch-bearer chortled.
“They should have been back ages ago. Maybe something’s happened?”
“Of course something’s happened! Do you think you’re the only one with any brains? Klos has a little bottle of his own, stashed away under a tree somewhere. And more than one! I reckon the lads will be sleeping the rest of the night on the grass.”
I’m afraid that after meeting Ell and Egrassa, Klos and company are never going to wake up again.
“Shall we go and look for them?”
“What for? Do you feel like wandering around in the dark?”
The guards’ voices faded away into the distance.
“Phew,” Kli-Kli sighed. “Are all guards born blind, or is it just them?”
“It varies. We’re almost there.”
All we had to do now was turn the corner and run along the far wall of the building until we reached the right window. I lay down on the ground and warily stuck my nose round the corner to check that the way was clear.
No one there.
There wasn’t a single light on at this side of the house.
“Here.”
I took out the cobweb and flung the free end of the rope upward, aiming at the balcony jutting out above our heads. The magic rope took a solid grip on the stone, without any grapnels or hooks. For my own peace of mind, I tugged on it a few times, checking the reliability of my stairway to the heavens. I couldn’t pull it off—I certainly hadn’t wasted my gold on that marvel.
“Stay here. Don’t make any noise and don’t even think of getting up to any tricks!” I said, glaring at the goblin menacingly.
“Yes, Harold.”
“And no matter what happens, don’t you dare climb up after me.”
“No, Harold.”
“If I’m not back in an hour, find Markauz and clear out of here.”
“Yes, Harold.” The little goblin looked like the most miserable creature in the whole of Siala.
“I’m going up. If anything happens, whistle. Only quietly.”
“But Harold, I don’t—”
“Kli-Kli, just do as I tell you.”
“All right, Harold,” the goblin agreed meekly.
I opened the clasp holding the cloak on my shoulders. It was a good cloak, no doubt about that; it was ink- black, like all my clothes, but climbing up a wall in it, especially a high wall, was rather awkward.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” was my final instruction to the jester before I jerked on the spider web and sent it a mental instruction.
The rope shuddered and started lifting me upward. All I had to do was brace my feet against the wall and watch the balcony moving toward me.
About halfway up, when I was poised between heaven and earth, I heard a loud hiss below me, something between a red-hot frying pan and an expiring viper. I had to stop and look down. Kli-Kli had almost all his fingers stuck into his mouth and his cheeks were puffed out, as if he was trying to look like a bugler.
“What’s wrong with you?” I hissed down at him.
“Danger!” said the jester, pointing in the direction from which we had just come.
There was a lone guard walking along the path that ran round the house. I don’t know what he was looking for, but it certainly wasn’t adventure. The lad was staring down at his feet, so he hadn’t even seen the goblin standing there right in front of him.
Kli-Kli started dashing from side to side, not knowing where to hide, and I gritted my teeth in annoyance.
“Where can she be?” the guard exclaimed. I couldn’t make out his face, but his voice was young.
Didn’t I tell everybody I’d have problems if the goblin was with me?
“Hey! You there! What are you doing here?” the guard said, lowering his hand onto the hilt of his sword.
“Come here,” Kli-Kli said, gesturing to the guard conspiratorially.
Sagot! What is that idiot doing?
The man started moving toward the goblin, without taking his hand off his sword or his eyes off the intruder. He was confused, because his enemy was so short and didn’t attempt to run away or draw a weapon when he was caught red-handed.
“Come on, come on. I don’t bite.”
“Bah, you’re that duke’s jester!” the guard said, stopping right underneath me.
“Of course I’m a jester! Who were you planning on meeting here? A h’san’kor?”
I tugged on the rope, giving it the mental order to lower me down.
“What are you doing here, you little rogue?”
There was no more than a yard left to the nitwit’s head.
The goblin kept one eye on my miraculous balancing act.
“Want a gold piece?” A disk of yellow metal glittered between the fool’s fingers.
Kli-Kli’s calculations were absolutely correct. There are some specimens of humankind who only have to be shown a coin and they completely lose their head.
“Yes!”
I wasn’t surprised in the least to see him staring hard, desperately trying to follow the movements of the coin.
I hit him with both feet, aiming at the back of his head. He was wearing a light helmet, so the blow wasn’t all that powerful, but it was quite enough for him. He slumped to his knees, clutching at his head. I opened my fingers and fell onto him, pressing him down with all my weight.
“Finish him!” Kli-Kli squealed, jumping up and down nervously. “Finish him!”
“What a … bloodthirsty … goblin,” I spat out, shaking my bruised fist.
The lad was surprisingly strong. I had to punch him twice on the back of his head, which was as hard as oak,
