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Authors: Alan Gordon
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floor. I stretched in every direction, then did a standing back flip, just to make sure that I still could.
“I was always grateful that no one ever expected me to do one of those,” commented Scarlet as I landed. “Another advantage to being a dwarf: one’s appearance is sometimes all that is needed.”
“Do you juggle?” I asked as I collected my gear.
“Of course,” he said. “Brother Timothy didn’t slack off on anyone at the Guild. He always said if I didn’t master juggling, he would start juggling me along with a couple of axes. He was a great one for incentive.”
“We’ll have to work on some two-man routines,” I said. “Now that I’m staying for a while.”
“Let’s go,” said Scarlet. “It’s a bit of a climb.”
It was seven flights of stairs. No, it was six flights of stairs, and just when my legs were starting to scream, we arrived at a rickety ladder on the seventh floor leading to a hole in the roof. Scarlet scampered up with no sign of weariness. I sucked in my complaints and followed him.
On the roof of this large building, he had a small one of his own, a two-room cottage that had been slapped together by an untalented mason. But it was just high enough to give us a panoramic view, the sea to the west, the plains to the east, and the coastline stretching out to either side.
“Spectacular,” I said.
“I’m glad you like it,” he replied. “It’s not necessarily the most convenient location, but only a truly determined thief would bother with the climb. I also keep a coop for my carrier pigeons on top. And at night I can draw the ladder up for safety. But I think it’s worth it for the vista alone. I’ve spent so much of my life with my view of the world blocked that I find it truly liberates the spirit to have it all on display.”
We unloaded our gear. I put together my working kit and, with a sigh, followed my leader back down to the street.
“A question, my liege,” I said.
“Speak, minion,” he replied.
“How much does Conrad know about the Guild?”
“He knows nothing,” he said. “He’s an untrustworthy, deceitful, scheming, and occasionally vicious despot. At least, until you get to know him better.”
“Oh,” I said. “Then how did you end up running errands for him?”
“It suited my purposes,” he said. “In his eyes, I’m not only a fool but a truly talented thief.”
“Can’t understand where he got that idea,” I said, laughing. “So, am I to be your brother in larceny as well as motley?”
“As far as he is concerned, yes,” he said. “I’m also going to be using you as my eyes, ears, and much longer legs in town and in the tents.
Conrad is everything I said he is, but he’s also smart enough to know that the only way he’ll maintain control of Tyre is to make peace with Saladin. That makes him the best candidate for the throne as far as the Guild is concerned. So, I want to make sure he stays on top, no matter how much I distrust the bastard. Guy de Lusignan still has supporters here, and there are plenty of other sources of trouble. We’ll keep busy.”
“What about when my crusading patron returns?”
“We’ll worry about that when it happens.”
If it happens, was the unstated thought in both of our minds.
The castellum was back near the northern end of the innermost wall, allowing it to defend both the wall as well as the approach from the north by sea. Towers of recent construction stretched above everything, and the guards swarmed about the entrances. Yet Scarlet passed through unchallenged, greeting many of the soldiers by name and introducing me to the various captains and sergeants.
“Well?” he said as we entered through the kitchens, where an array of cooks boiled fish into stew.
I rattled off the names and descriptions of every man we had met.
“Good,” he said.
We entered the great hall and marched past a line of petitioners. At the far end, a grizzled, bearded man in his late fifties sat on
“I was always grateful that no one ever expected me to do one of those,” commented Scarlet as I landed. “Another advantage to being a dwarf: one’s appearance is sometimes all that is needed.”
“Do you juggle?” I asked as I collected my gear.
“Of course,” he said. “Brother Timothy didn’t slack off on anyone at the Guild. He always said if I didn’t master juggling, he would start juggling me along with a couple of axes. He was a great one for incentive.”
“We’ll have to work on some two-man routines,” I said. “Now that I’m staying for a while.”
“Let’s go,” said Scarlet. “It’s a bit of a climb.”
It was seven flights of stairs. No, it was six flights of stairs, and just when my legs were starting to scream, we arrived at a rickety ladder on the seventh floor leading to a hole in the roof. Scarlet scampered up with no sign of weariness. I sucked in my complaints and followed him.
On the roof of this large building, he had a small one of his own, a two-room cottage that had been slapped together by an untalented mason. But it was just high enough to give us a panoramic view, the sea to the west, the plains to the east, and the coastline stretching out to either side.
“Spectacular,” I said.
“I’m glad you like it,” he replied. “It’s not necessarily the most convenient location, but only a truly determined thief would bother with the climb. I also keep a coop for my carrier pigeons on top. And at night I can draw the ladder up for safety. But I think it’s worth it for the vista alone. I’ve spent so much of my life with my view of the world blocked that I find it truly liberates the spirit to have it all on display.”
We unloaded our gear. I put together my working kit and, with a sigh, followed my leader back down to the street.
“A question, my liege,” I said.
“Speak, minion,” he replied.
“How much does Conrad know about the Guild?”
“He knows nothing,” he said. “He’s an untrustworthy, deceitful, scheming, and occasionally vicious despot. At least, until you get to know him better.”
“Oh,” I said. “Then how did you end up running errands for him?”
“It suited my purposes,” he said. “In his eyes, I’m not only a fool but a truly talented thief.”
“Can’t understand where he got that idea,” I said, laughing. “So, am I to be your brother in larceny as well as motley?”
“As far as he is concerned, yes,” he said. “I’m also going to be using you as my eyes, ears, and much longer legs in town and in the tents.
Conrad is everything I said he is, but he’s also smart enough to know that the only way he’ll maintain control of Tyre is to make peace with Saladin. That makes him the best candidate for the throne as far as the Guild is concerned. So, I want to make sure he stays on top, no matter how much I distrust the bastard. Guy de Lusignan still has supporters here, and there are plenty of other sources of trouble. We’ll keep busy.”
“What about when my crusading patron returns?”
“We’ll worry about that when it happens.”
If it happens, was the unstated thought in both of our minds.
The castellum was back near the northern end of the innermost wall, allowing it to defend both the wall as well as the approach from the north by sea. Towers of recent construction stretched above everything, and the guards swarmed about the entrances. Yet Scarlet passed through unchallenged, greeting many of the soldiers by name and introducing me to the various captains and sergeants.
“Well?” he said as we entered through the kitchens, where an array of cooks boiled fish into stew.
I rattled off the names and descriptions of every man we had met.
“Good,” he said.
We entered the great hall and marched past a line of petitioners. At the far end, a grizzled, bearded man in his late fifties sat on
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