What is it?
You were lost there a moment, said Erik.
I was thinking about Biggo and the others
Erik nodded. I understand.
Maybe some of them will show up when Trenchards Revenge gets here, ventured Jadow.
Roo said, That would be fine. Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he added, But Billy and Biggo wont.
Erik nodded. He and Roo had watched Biggo die in Maharta, and Erik had seen Billy fall from his horse, cracking his head on a rock.
The three men were silent as they climbed back on deck and hurried down the gangway to find Robert de Loungville chatting with Nakor and Sho Pi.
Hey now, you vile runt of a man! said Jadow without ceremony to the man who for nearly three years had controlled his life.
De Loungville turned. Who are you talking to like that, you Valeman scum!
You, Bobby de Loungville, Sergeant sir! snapped back Jadow, but Erik could easily see the mocking humor in both mens expressions. Battle had made him very aware of his companions every mood, and he knew they were having fun with each other. And who are you calling scum"? We men of the Vale are the best fighting men in the world, dont you know, and we are usually wiping our boots to clean them of something that resembles you. He sniffed loudly, bending forward as if to make sure de Loungville was the source of the offending odor. Yes, very much like you.
De Loungville grabbed one of Jadows cheeks and pinched it as a mother does a childs, saying, Youre so lovely I should kiss you. Playfully slapping him on the face, he said, But not today.
To the group, de Loungville said, Where are you off to?
Drinks! said Nakor with a grin.
De Loungville rolled his eyes heavenward. Well, dont kill anyone. He asked Jadow, You coming back?
Jadow grinned. I dont know why, but yes.
His own smile vanishing, de Loungville said, You know exactly why.
Instantly all humor fled. Each man had seen exactly what the others had, and all knew that a terrible enemy gathered across the sea, and that no matter how much had been accomplished in recent months, the struggle had only just started. A decade or more might pass before the final confrontation with the armies gathered under the banner of the Emerald Queen, but eventually every man living in the Kingdom would either stand and fight or die.
After a moments silence, de Loungville waved them down the street. Get away with you. Dont have too much fun. As the men walked off, he called after, Erik, you and Jadow be back here tomorrow to get your papers. On the day after, youre deserters! And you know we hang deserters!
That man, said Jadow as they moved down the street in search of an inn. Always with them threats. He has an unnatural love of hanging, dont you know?
Roo laughed and the rest joined in, and the mood lightened as an inn seemed to appear by magic on the corner before them.
Roo awoke, his head pounding and his mouth dry. The inside of his eyes felt as if someone had put sand behind the lids, and his breath smelled as if something had crawled into his mouth and died. He moved and Erik let out a groan, so he moved the other way, only to find Jadow groaning and pushing him away.
With no other choice, he sat up and instantly wished he had remained asleep. He forced himself to keep whatever was in his stomach from coming up and at last managed to focus his eyes.
Oh, wonderful, he said, and instantly regretted talking. His own voice made his head hurt.
They were in a cell. And unless Roo was mistaken, he knew exactly what cell. It was a long cell, open along one side to a hall, with floor-to-ceiling bars and a door with a heavy iron lock plate. Slightly above head height opposite the bars, a long window, less than two feet in height, ran the length of the cell. He knew the cell was below ground level, as the window was only a foot or so above ground, giving a peculiar angle so those inside the cell could see the scaffold dominating the courtyard beyond. He was now in the death cell beneath the Prince of Krondors palace.
He pushed Erik and his friend groaned as if tortured. Roo shook him insistently and at last Erik came awake. What? he said as he tried to focus his attention on his friends face. Where are we?
Back in the death cell.
Erik looked instantly sober. He glanced around and saw Nakor curled up in the corner, snoring, while Sho Pi lay a short distance away.
They shook the others awake and took stock. Several of them were splattered with dried blood, and they all nursed an assortment of bruises, scrapes, and cuts. What happened? croaked Roo, his voice sounding as if hed eaten sand.
Jadow said, Those Quegan sailors, remember?
Sho Pi and Nakor, who seemed, of the company, the least worse for wear, exchanged glances, and Nakor said, One of them tried to remove a young woman from your lap, Roo.
Roo nodded, then wished he hadnt. I remember now.
Jadow said, I hit someone with a chair
Nakor said, Maybe we killed those Quegans.
Erik tried to stay on his feet by leaning against the wall, his knees shaking from his hangover, and said, It would be just the sort of black joke the gods make that after all we have been through, we end up back here waiting for the gallows again.
Roo felt vaguely guilty, as he always did when he had drunk too much the night before. He was a slight man, so trying to keep up drink for drink with men the size of Jadow and Erik was foolish, even though Erik didnt have much of a head for drink. If I killed someone, youd think Id remember, Roo observed.
Well, what are we doing back here in the death cell, man? asked Jadow from where he sat in the corner, obviously disturbed at their circumstances. I didnt sail around the world and back again so Bobby de Loungville could finally hang me.
As they were attempting to gather their wits, the door to the hall was yanked open, clanging into the wall-hard enough to make every man visibly wince. De Loungville walked into view and shouted, On your feet, you swine!
Without thought, everyone except Nakor leaped to his feet, and each man groaned an instant later. Jadow Shati turned his head and vomited into the chamber pot, then spat. The others stood on unsteady feet, Erik having to grip the bars of the cell to keep himself upright.
With a grin, de Loungville said, What a lovely bunch you are.
Nakor asked. What are we doing back here, Sergeant?
De Loungville moved to the cell door and pulled it open, showing it hadnt been locked, and said, We couldnt think of anywhere else to put you conveniently. Did you know it took the better part of a full watch of the city guard and a squad of the palace guards to arrest you? He beamed like a proud father. Quite a brawl. And you had the good sense not to kill anyone, though you did damage quite a few.
With a wave, de Loungville indicated they should follow him. Prince Patrick and his uncles felt it was better to keep you lot close by for the rest of the night, he said as he led them from the cell.
Roo glanced around and remembered the last time he had seen these passages, as he was being led to the mock hanging that had set his feet upon a path he never could have imagined before leaving his birthplace. The first journey he had made along here was almost lost on him, so far had his mind retreated into terror then. Now he could barely focus because of the abuses of the night before.