Read Online Jimmy and the Crawler by Raymond E. Feist - Free Book Online

or,’ he held up a second finger, ‘I’d be dead, because someone would have tumbled to the fact I was poking around before I noticed.’ With a grin he added, ‘The first is rather more likely than the second.’
    ‘So, what have you found?’ asked William, sitting on the bed beside James as Jazhara pulled up the single chair.
    ‘Nothing. There’s nothing going on in Durbin to suggest there’s any sort of organization of criminals here, like the Mockers, or the Ragged Brotherhood in the City of Kesh.’
    William laughed. ‘Perhaps it’s because everyone in Durbin is a criminal?’
    Jazhara threw him a dark look.
    James said, ‘Well, Willy, as much as we love to malign this fair city, that may not be far from the truth. The Captains of the Coast are pirates, but all carry marques from the governor, making them “merchant privateers”, whatever that means. And the Kingdom’s navy is content to ignore them as long as they don’t trouble Kingdom-flagged ships. Let them annoy the Quegans and the merchants of the Free Cities, and look the other way at the rare transgression against the Kingdom, and we have peace on the Bitter Sea, or at least what passes for it.
    ‘And there are the merchants’ societies, all of them secret, and some guilds, and all of them have people working in the governor’s customs house and the like, but nothing on enough of a scale to cause the status quo of business in Durbin to be upset. So if there’s a dominant criminal gang worth the name in this city, I’ve not found it.’
    ‘I don’t understand,’ said Jazhara. ‘Everything we’ve uncovered said there was Keshian complicity in the Crawler’s activities.’
    William said, ‘You don’t suppose your uncle . . .?’
    She looked embarrassed. ‘My uncle is a very powerful man. He’s the de facto ambassador to Prince Arutha’s court in the west, but the rumours about him being the head of imperial intelligence . . .’
    ‘Which does not exist,’ said William and James simultaneously.
    Jazhara said, ‘What?’
    ‘Old joke in the prince’s palace,’ said William.
    ‘Very old joke,’ said James. ‘Your uncle is undoubtedly the master of the Empire’s spy network, but he’s so gifted we can’t even prove that the network even exists.’ He stood up and looked at William. ‘However, everything we do know about Keshian intelligence tells us they wouldn’t be that artless. No, Lord Hazara-Khan has nothing to do with the Crawler; I’d stake my life on it.’
    He moved to the door and opened it for them, indicating their meeting was at an end. ‘You two, run off and shop or eat in a public place or do whatever it is you’d expect a pair of runaway lovers to do. You have two more days to linger in Durbin before the governor becomes suspicious about your tale about travelling to see your family, Jazhara.’ He grinned. ‘I’d tell you to try to be convincing, but I guess we’re long past that.’ As the pair reached the door, he added, ‘You might spend some time thinking up what you need to tell your families and the prince.’ With a grimace he added, ‘It’s at times like this I’m rather pleased I don’t have a family.’
    They left and he threw himself across the bed. The last remark made him think that the only person he ever needed to convince of anything was Prince Arutha, which at times was probably worse than having an angry father.
    He rolled over on his back, kicked off his boots, and was asleep in minutes.

• CHAPTER SIX •
Ambush
    J AMES JUMPED FROM THE ROOF .
    The sound of boot heels on tiles echoed behind as he struck the cobbles below, rolled and came up running. He’d have a nasty bruise on his shoulder to show for this night’s foray into the seediest part of town, but it was better than a broken ankle with three murderous thugs only seconds behind him.
    He gained a few more seconds as they hesitated at the roof’s edge. A nasty cracking sound and a howl of pain told James one of the