Secret of the Towers by E. C. Tubb

Author:E. C. Tubb [Tubb, E. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780575107304
Publisher: Orion
Published: 2014-01-30T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

He stood smiling down at the frightened face of the dark haired woman, a little frown between his eyes, and both his hands in full view,

“Have you forgotten?” He glanced once at Fenshaw, then back to the woman. “I am your personal guard.”

“You are an assassin! I saw you when Statander was killed, and I would have known you before but I didn’t recognise you with that cap.”

“Are you certain?” Altair stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Nylala backed away, and Fenshaw fumbled in his pocket.

“Are you sure that I killed Statander? Or is it that you saw me as I passed you on the street at the time he was killed?”

“You bumped into us, I saw you, and he was killed just afterwards.” She backed to the edge of a chair and almost fell into it, her eyes still wide and dark with fear. Altair shrugged and smiled, then stared at the young man.

“Put away that gun, Fenshaw. Put it away man! I haven’t come to kill either of you, I am here to help.”

“Help?” Fenshaw laughed grimly as he drew his hand from his pocket, and light splintered from the short barrel of his weapon. “Kill us you mean! Aren’t you Burtard’s man? To obey his every whim? I know that he doesn’t like me, he doesn’t like anyone who doesn’t jump to his wishes at council, and so he sent you to kill me.” He raised the pistol licking his thin lips with nervous eagerness.

“Well you have killed your last man, now it’s your turn.”

“Fenshaw!” Nylala rose from the chair and stepped between the two men. She was pale, but she carried her head proudly as she looked at Altair.

“You said that you wanted to help us. How?”

“Statander was killed,” said Altair slowly. “He died just after having talked with you. Something he said must have given you a clue to his death, perhaps some trivial thing, but whatever it was you must know why he was killed.” He looked at the woman, his grey eyes hard and cold.

“What was that thing?”

She shrugged, plucking at the wic1e belt around her slender waist and gnawing at the soft bloom of her lower lip.

“He asked me to marry him.”

“Is that all?”

“No.” She frowned as she tried to remember what the dead man had said.

“He was worried about something, he didn’t like the towers and he said that Burtard was trying to make himself a dictator.”

“Yes?” Altair stared at her eagerly, half-tensed as if he felt like shaking the information from her slender body. “What else did he say? He didn’t like the towers. Why?”

“I don’t know, just said that he didn’t like them. He was worried too, seemed to think that something was going to happen to him.”

“It did,” said Altair grimly. He strode about the room ignoring the young councillor’s weapon. “Did he say anything to you before he died? A last word, a message, anything?” He gripped her smooth shoulders and looked down at her perfect features.

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