But Wen Chang soon gave up his lamenting and went to work, examining every centimeter of the scene with a thoroughness Kasimir found surprising-not so Almagro, who had evidently seen similar performances in the past.
Soon the Magistrate was able to discover, on an inner wall of exposed brickwork, a place where Stonecutter had left its distinctive marks. Kasimir could easily imagine the great Sword, swung in combat, taking a small chunk neatly out of the solid wall-and then, its energy unslowed, going on to cut down someone.
Almagro, scowling, looked at the place. He said: “I think you’d better tell me the whole story.”
“We shall,” Wen Chang promised.
Kasimir asked, “But then who has the Sword now?”
“Someone who was strong and fierce and cunning and lucky enough to survive that meeting yesterday. It seems that our task may be only beginning.”
CHAPTER 9
STILL standing in the room where the fight had taken place, Wen Chang and Kasimir completed the job of taking Captain Almagro into their confidence regarding the true nature of their mission in Eylau. The Captain, naturally anxious to hear the whole story, listened eagerly.
He had of course heard of the Twelve Swords, and was naturally impressed with the value of such a treasure. “Small wonder, then, that these scum are killing each other over it. And you say the dead man with the red hair was really a foreman on one of the Hetman’s stone quarry gangs?”
“I have no doubt that it is the same man. He and a companion brought the Sword here to the city. Doubtless Kovil-that was the foreman’s name-expected that his absence from his post would not cause any problems until they had completed the sale-and once he had his fortune in hand it would no longer matter.”
The Captain shook his head. “As a rule those convict-labor places are not very well supervised. Not even the ones with the really dangerous people in them. I don’t doubt he thought he could get away with it.”
“And is the quarry in question populated with really dangerous people, as you call them?”
“Ardneh bless you, Magistrate, that one gets some of the worst. The worst in the line of ordinary, nonpolitical crooks, I mean. I heard a judge tell a convict that hanging was too good for him, and then send him there for ten years-which in the quarry is the same as life.”
“And where, I suppose, even the worst offender may be almost forgotten, and ignored.” Wen Chang looked worried. “Almagro, I want you to arrest Kovil’s hand-picked replacement, Umar, now, and bring him into the city. Preferably to some quiet place where I may be able to question him in privacy, and no one else will pay too much attention. Meanwhile it might be a good idea to preserve the body of the red-haired man, so that Umar can be confronted with it, and shown that at least he has nothing to fear from that quarter any longer. Then, perhaps, he will tell us who Kovil took with him as a companion from the quarry. If Umar still hesitates to tell us the truth about that, a matching of the records at the quarry with the prisoners still actually there may be necessary to tell us who is missing. I want to know the identity of the second man.”
“Because he’s most likely the one who has the big knife now.”
“Exactly. And, by the way, there is something else that you should know, my friend. A large reward has been promised me if my search in this city can be brought to a successful conclusion. You will remember from our past dealings that I am inclined to share such rewards generously.”
“I remember that fact very well, Magistrate! And I’ll certainly see what I can do about fulfilling all your requests. But reward or not, remember that I can promise nothing.”
On leaving the riverside building, the three separated. Almagro had plenty of official work to occupy him. Kasimir had an appointment in the afternoon to meet Natalia, and he did not want to miss it. And Wen Chang was now rather anxious to get back to the inn, fearing that in his absence the elderly caller of yesterday might return, and Lieutenant Komi would after all not detain him.
Kasimir, hearing this fear expressed as the two walked toward the inn, remarked: “You have little faith in Komi, then?”
“I admit that I have some doubts about him.” The Magistrate refused to elaborate on that.
As soon as Kasimir and his mentor arrived at the Inn of the Refreshed Travelers, Wen Chang fired questions at Lieutenant Komi, but the replies were disappointing. The Firozpur officer said he had seen nothing of yesterday’s elderly visitor. There had been a couple of other people in today asking about antique weapons, but when Wen Chang had heard the details of these inquiries he judged neither of them to be of any importance.
When Kasimir asked Komi a routine question about his men, the lieutenant responded in a satisfied voice that almost all of them had so far kept out of trouble-the one exception was of small moment, involving as it did only one trooper, and a minor altercation in a tavern, which fortunately had been resolved before anyone had called in the Watch.
Wen Chang put in a question: “I don’t suppose it had anything to do with the sale or purchase of antique weapons?”
“Nothing whatsoever, sir.”
“I thought not. You are continuing to send out winged messengers to your prince?”
“I’ve dispatched a couple, sir.”
“Have any yet returned?”
“No sir.” For the first time in Kasimir’s experience, Komi looked worried. “They say that there are sandstorms over the desert. Flyers going either way might have trouble getting through.”
“Too bad. And are your men all present and ready for duty now?”
“Yes sir. With one exception.” The lieutenant went on to assure the Magistrate that the one exception was only a trooper-not the same one who had had the fight-who had relatives in what was called the Desert Quarter of the city. It was called that because of the high proportion of former nomads among its population. That trooper had gone, with Komi’s leave, to pay his relatives a brief visit.
Wen Chang ordered the officer to grant no more leaves for the moment-the one already authorized could remain in force-and turned to gaze out the third-floor window. The intermittent rain had now stopped for the time being, leaving picturesque puddles in the courtyard. Now, as the sun emerged briefly from behind a cloud, some of these puddles turned to rainbow pools, stained with spilled dye from the cargo of some merchant’s load beasts.
Without turning from the window, the Magistrate said to Kasimir: “So far we have observed three different groups in the city, any one of which in my opinion is likely to have the Sword in their possession now, or to very shortly gain possession of it from our mysterious former quarry man. For the time being I intend to concentrate our investigation upon these groups.”
Already the sun was gone behind clouds again, and already rain had once more begun to fall, making a steady drip from eaves and gutters just outside the window. Kasimir said: “The first group, I take it, are the authorities at the Red Temple.”
“If you wish you may count them as the first-if you include with them the sculptor Robert de Borron.”
“Then is it true that you don’t think the Red Temple are really the most likely candidates?”
“I did not say that.”
Kasimir sighed. “Well, I shall of course find out all that I can about them-and about the sculptor-from Natalia when I see her today.”
“Do so by all means. But if she tells you nothing of interest, we may have to institute some stronger measures there-you see, I am interested in the Red Temple. Where and when are you going to meet her?”
“Inside the White Temple, in about an hour and a half.” Kasimir at the window tried to judge the height of the clouded sun. “It seemed a good place to arrange a casual encounter.”
Wen Chang nodded his approval. “No doubt it will serve.”
“So, then, we come to the second group under suspicion. I presume them to be the people at the Blue Temple?”
“Yes. Naturally their leaders would want to gain such a treasure if they could. They have probably already convinced themselves that their organization has an inherent right to possess anything so valuable. And I am sure that Mistress Hedmark would seize any opportunity that might arise to use the Sword in her work. Whether she knows that it is nearby and might be available …” Wen Chang shrugged.
“I suppose there’s no doubt that Stonecutter would carve a small stone as neatly and easily as a great one?”
“In my mind there is none. It is my understanding that the god Vulcan forged that blade to cut stones, and that is precisely what it will do, with divine power. Though neither of us has ever seen the Sword or handled it, we have now seen enough of its work to feel confident on that point.”