Marl sat very still. He could feel the tension in the two men on either side of him. Here they were, three Redeemers in a room, alone with the man they had come to kill. And he was taunting them.
‘An interesting story, my lord,’ said Marl. ‘Respectfully, however, there are flaws in it.’
‘Pray, enlighten me.’
‘First, the duel with Lord Person followed Gaise Macon’s accusation of cowardice. Lord Person had no alternative but to issue a challenge. Second – though I know of no attack upon the Lord Gaise – if two Redeemers did seek to kill him they could have done so for their own reasons. It does not follow that they were instructed to harm him. The Lord Gaise has a habit of speaking his mind. Perhaps he insulted them. All I know is that I have been instructed to come to you, offering the friendship of my lord.’
‘Splendid,’ said the Moidart. ‘I congratulate you. Had you come alone I might even have been tempted to allow myself to be convinced. Unfortunately you brought these two fools with you,’ he said, waving a hand towards Kurol Ryder and Kannit Persan. ‘Their eyes betray them. Young Ryder is like his father. When threatened his face adopts the look of a frightened rabbit.’
‘Hell! Let’s do it now!’ snarled Kurol Ryder, pushing himself to his feet and drawing a knife from his boot.
Something bright and shining slashed through the air. Blood splashed from Kurol’s open throat. His head lolled absurdly, and his body crumpled. A huge hand grabbed Kurol’s hair. The scythe slashed down again, and the head came clear.
Marl’s heart was hammering, and he felt dizzy. Glancing to his right he saw the huge figure of Huntsekker, a bloody scythe in his hand. Beyond him a hidden panelled doorway lay open. Another man was standing there, small and white-haired. He smiled at Marl, who saw a flash of gold teeth. Huntsekker tossed Kurol’s head to the table top. It rolled to the left and lay there, the sightless eyes staring at Marl.
‘Ah, I see the rogue element has arrived,’ said the Moidart. Kurol Ryder’s headless body toppled to the floor.
Kannit Persan, his face drenched in sweat, was staring at the Moidart, and the long pistol he had produced from beneath the table. ‘So now,’ said the Moidart, with a cold smile, ‘we find ourselves in a pretty fix. Three assassins come to my home, sent by the king’s foremost general. What am I to do with them?’
The small white-haired man moved out from behind the panel, and approached the Moidart, leaning in to whisper in his ear.
‘Ah,’ said the Moidart, glancing up towards the ceiling. ‘Apparently we are joined by Winterbourne himself.’ Transferring his gaze to Marl he asked: ‘Do you wish to commune with your lord? Perhaps he can offer some way out of this predicament.’
‘I feel certain, sir,’ said Marl, ‘that there has been a great misunderstanding. I am sure we can resolve this matter without further bloodshed.’
‘I don’t think so,’ said the Moidart, lifting the pistol. The shot sounded like a thunderclap in the enclosed room. Kannit Persan, his throat torn out, surged to his feet, staggered several paces then pitched to the floor, where he lay for several moments noisily drowning in his own blood. The Moidart laid down the pistol and poured himself a goblet of water. He spoke to Marl, but his words were drowned by the gurgling gasps of Kannit Persan.
‘I did not hear you, sir,’ said Marl.
‘I asked if you would like a little water, sir. You seem pale.’
A growing sense of unreality gripped Marl Coper. He shook his head. ‘No, thank you.’
At last Kannit was silent. The Moidart sipped his water, his gaze never leaving Marl’s chalk white face. ‘I have always been a vastly unforgiving man,’ said the Moidart. ‘I have no ill feeling concerning the attempt to kill me. As I have already said, I would probably do the same if the circumstances were reversed. What does irritate me, however, is the fact that it was organized with such a blatant lack of subtlety. It insults my intelligence.’ The white-headed man spoke quietly to the Moidart once more. ‘Ah, you are alone now, Master Coper. Apparently we have bored Lord Winterbourne.’