'Getting old, Hawk,' said Burns casually. 'You weren't even bothering to watch
the door. There was a time we wouldn't have caught you this easily.'
'We're not caught yet,' said Hawk. 'But I'm glad you're here, Burns. There's a
lot of things Isobel and I want to discuss with you.'
'The time for talk is over,' said Burns. 'In fact, your time has just run out.'
'Drop your weapons on the floor, please,' said ap Owen steadily. 'You're under
arrest, Captains.'
Burns looked around, startled, and glared at ap Owen. 'Those were not our
orders! You obey Commander Glen's orders, or I'll have you put under arrest!' He
gestured quickly to the watching Constables. 'You have your instructions. Kill
them both.'
Hawk's axe was suddenly in his hands, the heavy blade gleaming hungrily in the
lamplight. Fisher stood at his side, sword at the ready. Hawk grinned nastily at
the other Guards.
'When you're ready, gentlemen. Who wants to die first?'
The Guards looked at each other. Nobody moved.
'I think we'll be leaving now,' said Hawk calmly. 'If anyone tries to follow us,
I'll take it as a personal insult. Now, stand clear of the door.'
He almost brought it off. He was Hawk, after all. But Burns suddenly stepped
forward, sword in hand, and his angry voice broke the atmosphere.
'What the hell are you waiting for?' he said to his men. 'You outnumber them ten
to one, and they're both dog-tired from chasing round the city all day! Now
carry out your orders, or I swear I'll see every man of you arrested for aiding
and abetting known traitors!'
The Constables' faces hardened, and they moved slowly forward, fanning out to
attack Hawk and Fisher from as many sides as possible. Hawk and Fisher moved
quickly to stand back to back. Fisher looked appealingly at Captain ap Owen.
'Listen to me, ap Owen. You know this isn't right. This whole thing's a setup.
There are things going on here you don't know about. Listen to me, please, for
Haven's sake.'
Ap Owen looked at her uncertainly. Burns glared at ap Owen.
'Don't listen to her. The bitch would say anything to save her neck.'
'Watch your mouth, Burns,' said ap Owen. 'Stay where you are, men. No one is to
start anything without my order. Unless any of you really want to go one-on-one
with Captain Hawk.'
The Constables lowered their swords and relaxed a little, some of them looking
openly relieved. Burns started to say something angrily, and then stopped when
he realized ap Owen's sword was pressed against his side.
'I think we've heard enough from you, Captain Burns,' said ap Owen. 'Now please
be quiet, while I listen to what Captain Fisher has to say.'
'To start with,' said Fisher, 'take a look at Hawk. Does he really look like
he's gone kill-crazy? The only person here who fits that description is Burns,
the very person who's been supplying all the evidence against Hawk. As for me, I
was set up. Do you really think I'd have stuck around to defend the Talks if I'd
known there was an army of mercenaries on the way? Or retreated into the pocket
dimension with you if I'd known it was going to be under attack, too? No,
there's only one traitor here, and he's standing right beside you.'
'You see,' said Burns. 'I told you she'd say anything. She'll be accusing you
next. We have to kill them, or the Outremer delegates will walk out! Dammit, ap
Owen, you follow your orders or I swear I'll see you hanged as a traitor
yourself!'
'Oh, shut up,' said ap Owen. 'I'm getting really tired of the sound of your
voice, Burns.' He looked at Hawk and Fisher. 'Let's assume, just for the moment,
that there may be something in what you say. That buys you a reprieve. But I've
still got to take you in. If you'll hand over your weapons, I give you my word
that I'll get you back to Headquarters alive and unharmed, and you can tell your
story to Commander Glen. Sound fair to you?'
'Very fair,' said Fisher. 'I promise you, you won't regret this.'
Ap Owen smiled slightly. 'I'm already regretting it. Ah hell; I was never that
interested in promotion anyway.'
Burns stepped forward suddenly and addressed the Constables, who were stirring
uneasily and looking at each other. 'Men, Commander Glen himself put me in
charge of you, along with ap Owen. You know what your orders are. Now, whose
orders are you going to follow—your Commander's, or a Captain who is clearly
allied with the traitors Hawk and Fisher?'
The Guards looked at ap Owen, and then back at Burns. They didn't have to say
anything; Burns could see the decision in their faces. They didn't trust him,
and they weren't going to take on Hawk and Fisher if they didn't have to. Burns
turned suddenly, slapped ap Owen's sword aside, and ran for the door. The
Constables moved instinctively to stop him, and Burns cut about him viciously
with his sword. Hawk and Fisher charged after him. Men fell screaming as blood
flew on the air. Burns plunged forward, his eyes fixed on the door.
He'd almost made it when Hawk brought him down with a last, desperate leap. They
rolled back and forth on the floor, kicking and struggling. The Constables
crowded in around them, hacking and cutting at Burns, furious at his treacherous
attack. Hawk fought back with his axe, as much to protect himself as Burns. He
shouted that they needed Burns alive, but the Guards were too angry to care. Ap
Owen yelled orders that no one listened to. Fisher threw herself into the fray,
hauling Guards away from the fight by main force and sheer determination, but
there were too many Guards between her and Hawk, and she knew it. The Constables
fought each other to get at Burns, blinded by blood and rage. Hawk tried to get
his feet under him, and failed. Swords flew all around him, and blood pooled on
the floor. He braced himself for one last effort, and hardened his heart at the
thought of the innocent Guards he'd have to kill. He couldn't let Burns die.
And then a thick fog boiled in through the open door, filling the inn in a
matter of moments. A hundred clammy tentacles tore the combatants apart and held
them firmly in unyielding misty coils. There was a pause as they all struggled
futilely, and then the sorceress Mistique stepped delicately in through the open
door. Hawk relaxed and grinned at her.
'I was wondering when you were going to turn up again.'
'You didn't think I was going to miss out on the climax, after all I've been
through today, did you, darling?' Mistique smiled back at him, and then looked
around sternly. 'I'm going to let you go now. But anyone who misbehaves will
regret it. Is that understood?'
The Constables nodded, their anger already cooling rapidly. Some of them
realized they'd been fighting Hawk and Fisher, and went pale as they considered
how lucky they were to still be alive. Mistique gestured gracefully, and the
mists fell away from everyone, dissipating quickly on the warm air. Hawk and
Fisher pushed the Guards out of the way and knelt down beside Burns. There was a
