Kerr, Katharine - Deverry 04 by Dragonspell (The Dragon Revenant)

Author:Dragonspell (The Dragon Revenant) [Dragonspell (The Dragon Revenant)]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-09-05T16:41:44+00:00

already waiting.

‘We want this to be quiet, like,’ the old man said. ‘If you can manage it anyway, captain.’

‘Oh, I think we can trick him, my lord. A pedlar, is he? Everyone knows they’re the first ones

suspected if somewhat’s been stolen.’ He turned to the girl. ‘Think he’ll be in your tavern when we get

there?’

‘He should be. My mam always serves a meal about now.’

When they reached the street of the Three Swans, Cullyn left the girl with Nevyn by the public well,

then sent Praedd, a strong and beefy sort, round to the tavern’s back door while he and Amyr walked in

the front. There was a fair amount of custom in the smoky room: a table-full of sailors drinking by the

door, a couple of longshoremen eating bread and bacon by the hearth and jesting with a grey-haired

woman who already looked drawn and pale with exhaustion, here an hour before noon. At a table by

himself was the man who fitted the description that Glomer had given. As soon as he saw two of the

regent’s men come in the front door the fellow got up and started for the back - only to find it filled with

Praedd, who clamped his massive hands onto the fellow’s shoulders and held him while the captain made

his way over. The longshoremen snickered and the sailors all leaned forward to get a better look.

‘Come along, lad,’ Cullyn said. ‘A merchant over on the street of goldsmiths says someone walked

off with some trinkets of his.’

‘Well, it wasn’t me,’ Merryc snarled. ‘I know a stranger always gets blamed for every cursed thing

that goes wrong, but I didn’t take anything from anyone.’

‘I’ll just be asking you a few questions. Come along nice and peaceful like, and you’ll be back here

by dinnertime.’

Merryc allowed himself to be shoved out the back door. Although he snarled and swore when Cullyn

bound his hands behind his back, he did little else to put up a fuss, at least at first.

‘All right, Amyr. Go fetch Nevyn, and then go upstairs with the old man to get this fellow’s gear.’

Merryc howled and threw himself to one side, kicking out, desperately trying to twist free of Praedd’s

hands, writhing and squeaking like a rat in a terrier’s jaws until Cullyn drew his sword, reversed it, and

knocked him hard over the head with the hilt. Praedd laid the unconscious man down on the ground and

knelt to bind his ankles together.

‘When you’re done, go ask those longshoremen if they want to earn a couple of coppers,’ Cullyn

said. ‘Cursed if I’ll carry this little bastard back to the dun.’

The longshoremen were indeed willing, and once Nevyn and Amyr had retrieved the prisoner’s

belongings, they all set off to carry the sorcerer to justice. Since they collected curious children on the

way, and a gaggle of adult loiterers too, it was in something of a festive parade that Merryc was marched

into the gwerbret’s dun and dumped into a stout cell in the gaol out back of the broch. Nevyn paid off the

longshoremen, sent the children on their way with them, then knelt down on the dirty straw beside their

prize.

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