'How could you arrange an assassination? We don't have anyone else here.'
'I'm an agent of the Grail Emperor, too. He sent me here. He knew Bishop Serifs was a pederast.'
'You're the reason the Patriarch's assassins didn't get Immaculate. You warned him.'
Osa smiled wickedly. 'I make life difficult for the enemies of al-Prama. And of the Empire, when that's convenient'
'You may not have your bishop much longer.'
'I know. I've been trying to decide what to do if he doesn't survive.'
'He's over there. The sorcerer is over there. Doneto is at my mercy downstairs. If all three of them die …'
'That can't happen. If the disaster is complete Sublime might forget the Connec and focus on an eastern crusade.'
True. Yet Sublime could not be allowed to succeed here, either. Conquest of the End of Connec would give him the wealth to finance other adventures. If the Connec ceased to distract Sublime, only Calzir and the Grail Emperor would remain as brakes on his ambitions in the east.
'Explain your business with the Grail Emperor.'
'Gordimer gave me to Johannes. As a gift. As a weapon to use as he saw fit. At the Emperor's request. A man came to al-Qarn. He spoke to the Lion but he really was talking to er-Rashal. He wanted to acquire a special slave.'
'Ah. So they trained you and put spells on you before they sold you. Was someone named Ferris Renfrow involved?'
'He was the go-between who arranged everything.'
'You actually met him?'
'Yes. I still see him sometimes. When there's going to be a change in the way things are set up. Why?'
'Gordimer and er-Rashal told me to find out anything I can about Ferris Renfrow. They're worried about him.'
'He's devious and clever but he's devoted to me Emperor. They don't need to worry about him. The Emperor isn't interested in anything but thwarting the Patriarchs and widening the influence of the New Brothen Empire. He couldn't care less if the rest of the world vanishes under the ice.'
Else decided to let that rest. Osa had some emotion invested in Johannes Blackboots. 'Does the name Starkden mean anything?' He had not forgotten the incident in Runch.
'Starkden? I've heard it It's the name of a smuggler, I think. Is it important?'
'It is to me. Starkden tried to kill me. In Runch. The Special Office was particularly interested.' Else still wondered if there was a connection with Grade Drocker's emergency passage to Sonsa.
'I can ask Ferris Renfrow. He knows everybody on the underside of the world.'
'You do that. Without mentioning me.'
Else had a feeling that Renfrow would be in touch soon.
Osa asked, 'How long before they come looking for you?'
'You're right. I didn't find you. You don't know me. I'll talk to you again, if I can. If Bishop Serifs gets himself killed, maybe you can catch on with Doneto.'
'Maybe. But it wouldn't be the same way. That man has no sexual side at all.'
Plnkus Ghort asked, 'Where've you been? I was about to send out a search party.'
'Lost, sort of. This dump is a warren upstairs. And totally indefensible. If the people of Antieux come after us, we're dead. I say we fill our pockets and run.'
'A couple of faint hearts came back. I guessed right. Antieux is going to wipe out those idiots who charged in there. But I took care of us.'
'Uhm?'
'We're fixed. We're Principate Doneto's new bodyguards. And our new boss wants us to take him home to Brothe. Now.'
Else was stunned. 'You're a genius, Pinkus. An evil genius.'
Ghort shrugged modestly. 'It was the obvious thing to do. You'd rather be in Brothe. I want to go to Brothe. The Principatл doesn't want to stay here. He claims he'd rather die on the road than stay. He's worked up a real strong dislike for the End of Connec. It might go real bad for the Connec if he does make it back and starts blowing in his cousin's ear.'
'Good. Excellent. And I don't see how we could be held accountable by the Brotherhood.'
'That's a real, big-time cluster fuck going on over there, Pipe. And we were ordered to protect Doneto.'
'I'm in. All right. What about the rest of these guys?'
'Some of them want to sit right here and see what happens. They smell plunder. But the smart ones know it's time to go. Even if our guys come out on top. Because everything has changed. Because now these people, these peaceful fools, these Connectens, will know that the Brothen Church considers them resources that it can exploit There's going to be a backlash against all things Brothen. So we need to be somewhere else.'
'You're probably right. When were you figuring on leaving? And can Doneto handle the stress?'
'I'm thinking we should move out as soon as there's light enough to see. Unless that mess over there looks like it's headed this way before that. As for Doneto handling it, we can baby him along for a while. But it don't matter much if he makes it, I figure. As long as we show up in Brothe with his body, looking like we tried real hard.'
Just Plain Joe and Pig Iron helped Else stare at the burning city. Else said, 'I wish there was some way to fish those idiot kids out of there. If they haven't gotten themselves killed already.'
'Don't beat yourself up 'cause you couldn't keep them from being stupid, Pipe.'
'Easier said than done, Joe. You seen Bo?'
'Him and Ghort was seeing if they couldn't find the Brotherhood's war chest.'
'Of course. I'll find them. You be sure you're ready if we need to take off in a hurry.'
13. Near Rhecale, on Arnhand's Southern Border
Finnboga was first to waken. He was terrified. His mind remained engulfed in the nightmare. It took him a while to realize that he and his companions lay tumbled in a grove of trees in a land unlike any he had seen before. The sun was too bright. The hillsides were covered with tawny brown grass. The trees all seemed old, gnarled, and not evergreen. There was no sign of human habitation. But a paved road slithered through the valley below. An arched aqueduct spanned that valley, three tiers high, in the distance.
Finnboga did not know that it was an aqueduct, never having seen or heard of such a thing.
The twins recovered next. Finnboga watched their horror fade. Sigurdur asked, 'Where are we?'
Finnboga responded, 'I don't know. In the realm of the living. Maybe Grim knows. They talked to him.' The horrors of the Hall of Heroes were fading from memory already, leaving only chills and a vague recollection that heaven was not what it was supposed to be.
Svavar and Hallgrim also awakened before Shagot. All five tried to figure out where they were, why, and, most of all, what had happened to them.
Finnboga muttered, 'Surrender to the Will of the Night.'
'What?' Sigurjon asked.
Finnboga frowned, baffled by his own remark. 'I don't know.'
They concluded that they must have been out of the world for months. Possibly even for years.
Shagot took much longer to recover. The sun reached its zenith, then sank halfway to the ridgeline behind the band before Shagot was upright and sufficiently in touch to answer questions.
Finnboga asked, 'How about it, Grim? You got any idea where we're at? Or when? Or why?'
Shagot could not see well. He felt like he was stinking drunk. But he was the captain. He was the one the gods had entrusted with the mission.
