I laughed as I set out for my table. To be quite honest, Gozmo had only got what he deserved that night. But I was still glad to know the sly old dog and his establishment were alive and well.
The beer was brought to me, and for the next few minutes I did nothing but enjoy it. Then suddenly someone sat down in the empty chair beside me. I looked up from my beer mug and glanced at the face of my uninvited guest. Small, with dark hair, bushy eyebrows that ran together above his nose and a stony face.
Oho! What an important personage had decided to honor me with his presence! Urgez, the head of the Guild of Hired Assassins in person!
“Beer?” I asked him.
“Thank you, some other time,” he said.
I wondered what he wanted.
“The word was out that you were back in town—I decided to check.”
“Rumors certainly spread fast.” It was less than ten minutes since I appeared in the Knife and Ax, and the entire underworld of the city already knew about it.
“Yes, rumors, that’s what I wanted to have a word with you about. If you have no objections, master thief?”
“None at all, master assassin.” It’s always best to be polite with people like Urgez.
“There was a rumor going round that a certain hired assassin was trying to get your head. They also say that the shrine of Sagot was attacked. A few brave young fellows tried to get to old man For. I want to tell you that those men have nothing at all to do with the guild. My lads have no reason to get on the wrong side of the thieves, and certainly not the servants of Sagra.”
“I know they weren’t your lads.”
“Well, that’s just grand. I also want to say, from myself, that the guild has a couple of questions to ask this vagrant. They say he made use of my name, and I don’t like that. So we’re looking for him.”
“Don’t bother. He won’t cause you any more trouble.”
“All the better.” The head of the guild was not surprised in the slightest. “Keep well, Harold.”
“And you, Urgez.”
The head of the assassins had done what he came for, and he left. To be honest, I was glad that Urgez’s lads had nothing to do with the attempts on my life that had almost dispatched me to the light last summer. Fighting with Urgez was bad for the health.
“Mind if I take a seat?”
It looked like this was my day for unexpected visitors. This time it was Sheloz standing beside the table. With six beefy young bodyguards hovering behind him.
“Please, sit down.”
Sheloz sat down, the bodyguards remained standing.
“The word was out that you were back in town—I decided to check.”
Were they in this together, or what? For those who don’t know, Sheloz was the lad who was fighting Markun for the right to run the Guild of Thieves.
“I’m back.”
“I’ve always respected you, Harold.…”
“Likewise.”
Sheloz was a pretty decent man and thief. I thought the guild would be a lot better off under his management than with Markun.
“I know you’ve had difficulties with the guild in the past, but then, haven’t we all? That fat swine Markun just stole all the money for himself. But everything’s different now. So I want to tell you that if you should feel the desire to return to the bosom of the old hearth and home, we’ll be glad to see you. Naturally, we’ll take you without any membership fees or levies on your Commissions.”
“An honorary member?” I laughed.
“Why not? Respected masters of the trade shouldn’t have to pay to work. It’s enough for them to be members of the guild and make its reputation.”
“Why so generous all of a sudden, Sheloz?”
“Well…” He hesitated. “To lay my cards on the table, Harold, I’m personally obliged to you for getting rid of Markun. And so are lots of the lads, believe me. With that fat leech gone, everything’s taken a turn for the better. Consider it a little token of my gratitude. I don’t like being in anyone’s debt. So you think about coming back.”
“All right. I’ll think about it.”
“Excellent. See you around, master thief.”
“See you around.”
It was dark and there weren’t so many people around now. It had started snowing. There was no wind and the snowflakes glided smoothly down onto the pavement in absolute silence. Ah, darkness! I must have sat in Gozmo’s establishment a bit longer than I meant to. I had to hurry.
I set off through the side streets to take a shortcut. Although, in a rather large percentage of cases, strolling through the alleys of the Port City could lead to the loss of your purse, or even your life, if you were inexperienced. So as I threaded my way through the dark and empty spaces, I kept my wits about me and one hand on my crossbow. There’s always some greedy idiot desperate to get his hands on other people’s money.
But Sagot was good and I didn’t meet anyone on the way. Although at one point I had the great pleasure of running into a unit of guards. The lads watched me go by with extremely uncharitable expressions on their faces, but they didn’t ask any questions this time. I turned into Stinking Bedbug Street, came out onto the Street of the Apples, cut across Little Sour Street, turned into a dark archway, and …
And then someone very deft took a very strong grip on my shoulders from behind. I gave a jerk and reached for my weapon, and the stranger immediately blocked my movement with one hand and squeezed my neck so tight with the other that I could hardly even breathe, let alone struggle. The lad behind me was monstrously strong.
“Your weapon probably wouldn’t be any use to you, Harold,” a mocking voice said, and I shuddered and stopped trying to resist.
The Messenger! May the darkness devour him!
“Mmmm? I see you’ve recognized me, thief. Well, that’s all to the good. I’ll let you go now, but don’t think of doing anything stupid. You’re an intelligent man, aren’t you?”
I didn’t answer.
“All right then,” the Master’s chief servant chuckled. “I see you got the Horn.”
“Believe it or not,” I said, desperately trying to figure out what he could want from me. “You and your lord didn’t think I could manage it, did you?”
Another quiet chuckle.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Harold. Do you think the Master doesn’t know which way the Game is going to go? You only had the Horn because he wanted it that way.”
The powerful brute released his grip and I took a step away from him and turned round. He was standing in the shade again, and all I could see was a dark shadow and two golden eyes.
“Why did you come here?”
“Aren’t you glad to see me?”
I didn’t answer.
“All right, Harold,” the Messenger sighed, and his eyes glinted. “Time to pay your dues.”
“What dues?”
“Surely you haven’t forgotten our agreement?”
“I remember our agreement, Djok,” I said, calling the Messenger by his real name without thinking.
“That’s good.” He didn’t seem to have noticed my slip of the tongue. “The Master wants you to carry out his Commission.”
I sighed. I really didn’t want to do anything for any master, but a deal is a deal. And it wasn’t that easy to get away from the Messenger; he could turn up anywhere at any time. As bad luck would have it, there was no one else in the alley but us.
“What are the conditions of the Commission?”
“Oh, it’s all very simple, thief. Before midnight today you have to steal the Rainbow Horn from the Tower of
