of the temples keep lights going. There was enough to see by, even upwards a
ways. Nobody else was in sight. Suddenly I heard a kind of whistling, flapping
noise aloft. I looked and -‘
He broke off.
‘And what?’ Cappen blurted. One-Thumb sat impassive.
Hanse swallowed. ‘I don’t swear to this,’ he said. ‘It was still dim, you
realize. I’ve wondered since if I didn’t see wrong.’
‘What was it?’ Cappen gripped the table edge till his fingernails whitened.
Hanse wet his throat and said in a rush: ‘What it seemed like was a huge black
thing, almost like a snake, but bat-winged. It came streaking from, oh, more or
less the direction of Molin’s, I’d guess now that I think back. And it was aimed
more or less towards the temple of Ils. There was something that dangled below,
as it might be a human body or two. I didn’t stay to watch, I ducked into the
nearest alley and waited. When I came out, it was gone.’
He knocked back his ale and rose. ‘That’s all,’ he snapped. ‘I don’t want to
remember the sight any longer, and if anybody ever asks, I was never here
tonight.’
‘Your story’s worth a couple more drinks,’ One-Thumb invited.
‘Another evening,’ Hanse demurred. ‘Right now I need a whore. Don’t forget those
ten royals, singer.’ He left, stiff-legged.
‘Well,’ said the innkeeper after a silence, ‘what do you make of this latest?’
Cappen suppressed a shiver. His palms were cold. ‘I don’t know, save that what
we confront is not of our kind.’
‘You told me once you’ve got a charm against magic.’
Cappen fingered the little silver amulet, in the form of a coiled snake, he wore