Blood And Steel by C.L. Werner

Author:C.L. Werner [Werner, C.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-06-29T22:00:00+00:00

WHERE WALKS THE MARDAGG

I

The room was dark, lit only by pairs of pot-like oil jars set at either end of the chamber. What the flickering, dancing light cast by the flames did reveal was expensively furnished. The table that dominated the room was massive, stained cherry-wood imported from across the sea, its claw-footed legs tipped in silver, a great slab of polished black marble set into its surface. Stern-visaged portraits glowered down from the dimly illuminated walls, secure in their gilded frames. The polished wood-floor was barely visible, much of its surface strewn with expensive fur rugs, the gleaming black hide of the Arabyan jackal, the dun hues of the Ebonian lion and the pristine white of the Norscan ice bear.

Seated behind the table in this room of wealth was a nondescript man of advancing age. He held his hands folded before him, the silver-threaded cuffs of his robes drooping from his wrists. An immense gold medallion hung from a heavy chain about the man's neck. His name was Masario, chamberlain to the powerful Merchant Prince of Pavona, Bensario. He regarded the armoured figure standing before him in silence for some time, studying the man with an experienced eye. In his role as chamberlain, Masario had often been called upon to engage the mercenaries who would fight Pavona's wars, years of such duties making him a keen judge of character. The chamberlain could, at a glance, see the limits of a man's courage, the depths of his greed, the shallowness of his loyalty.

Masario nodded in satisfaction. He could see the determination and ruthlessness in the man before him. Such qualities were, in the chamberlain's mind, much more dependable than lofty ideals and foolish notions of honour and chivalry.

'I am pleased that you answered my summons,' the chamberlain spoke, his voice resonating with the authority of his position. He made a pretence of looking at some of the sheets of parchment strewn about the table. 'You are highly spoken of,' he added. 'Apparently yours is a most fearsome reputation.'

The bounty hunter shifted his stance. 'What's the job?' he asked, in a cold tone of voice.

The chamberlain leaned back in his chair. 'I had heard that you were a no-nonsense sort.' Masario leaned forward once more, the subtly amused quality dropping instantly from him. Like the bounty hunter, he too was now all business.

'I wish to hire you to find a murderer, Brunner,' the chamberlain stated. 'I am certain that you have done this sort of thing often before. I wish to employ you, on behalf of his highness, the Prince of Pavona, to find this despicable creature and kill him.'

'Who and how much?' Brunner asked the question without a hint of emotion in his voice.

'Ten thousand gold ducats,' Masario pronounced. The bounty hunter inclined his head slightly, a gesture that indicated the money was good, though he wondered what made the job worth such a price. The chamberlain easily read the gesture. 'You will find the "who" a bit more difficult. You see, we do not know the identity of the murderer.

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