way stop for coaches and took some animal trails for the higher country, making wild paths through wet, rocky forest, and found the Green Hall and Bear and Mir waiting. And Sand. The latter hailed me thinly, and my face melted to my own. I nearly fell as I dismounted. ‘Rot reared shit!’ I yelled and pushed the horse. ‘Old damned nag.’
‘Maskan!’ Mir chided me.
I laughed tiredly at Sand. ‘We are about to murder a man, and she thinks of my manners.’
Bear appeared and pushed my bridle into Sand’s hands. He smiled wickedly. ‘It makes you less of a man, boy, to swear so. Makes you seem nervous as a virgin in a wedding bed,’ the Bear said sternly. ‘Only swear at your enemy’s face as you fight him. Mock him after beating him. Or her. Never swear when you have lost or are in trouble. Obey your mother, at least when she is present. Kallir and Molun will do the killing bit; you stop swearing and just get us the king’s gold. But … ’ he began, and I said nothing, looking unhappy.
Yes, there was danger lurking, no matter who did the killing “bit”, and anything could happen inside the mint itself. There, I’d be alone. The Bear hesitated, grunted, grabbed me and took me down a path towards the cascading waterfall and sat me down there on a flat rock. The noise of the waterfall was strangely soothing, and it was not all that loud, for some reason. He was walking up and down, back and forth in agitation until he finally sat down before me with a huff.
‘How are you holding up?’ he asked as sweetly as a man called the Bear can.
I nodded. ‘I’m just fine,’ I lied.
‘Tomorrow, you will attempt a frightening deed. I’m not saying it will be easy. I don’t want to lie to you, boy. It’s a deed that will make the Jesters the most hunted fugitives in the land. But it can go wrong, and Jesters won’t suffer, only us. You understand this. If you fail, they won’t offer you supper and congratulate you for a worthy try. They will hurt you badly if you should trip and get caught,’ he rumbled. ‘I worry for you.’
‘They’ll not take me, sir,’ I told him earnestly, gratefully, for I did like him.
‘The guards stay out, you know this, no?’
‘Yes, they will give me the passphrase and wait in the guardhouse just to the right of the gate to the mint,’ I said. ‘You said you had a way to take out the people inside.’
He rubbed his neck. ‘I do. Hold on. Molun and Kallir will kill the guards in that room. You will have to handle the people inside, indeed, but ...’ he said with some doubt, ‘... I am not sure how many there are or how well armed. I’ve heard a rumor they have a tunnel running up to the Tower of the Temple itself to bring in the gold and silver flans and also to take the coin back, and there is sure to be a guard out there. We’ve never seen anyone take any shipment out any other way. The Master of the Coin and the mint is utterly careful with his establishment and guards his special place with the King and the Lord of the Trade and Harbor. What does he do inside? I do not know. There will be a bunch of workers there, hitting dies together all day long. But we have a tool to take them all out. Ann has one.’
‘I hope so,’ I told the Bear with some concern. ‘That key has me worried. What if I have to change clothes inside, and they see the chain is hanging free?’
‘Perhaps we should weld the key on your skin, just to make it look authentic,’ he said, and his wide, bearded face took on a speculative look.
‘Thank you, no,’ I said. ‘So, you have it? This … A tool?'
‘Here,’ he said heavily, and I stared at his hand. ‘I hate it,’ he said. ‘It’s cowardly. But I see what Ann is saying. Don’t drop it. It breaks very easily. With a good reason.’ There was no mighty weapon of power, no weapons at all. He handed me a clay bottle with a yellow stopper, and I took it in my two hands, for it was precious, despite my disappointment. It was to
‘Maskan!’ Mir chided me.
I laughed tiredly at Sand. ‘We are about to murder a man, and she thinks of my manners.’
Bear appeared and pushed my bridle into Sand’s hands. He smiled wickedly. ‘It makes you less of a man, boy, to swear so. Makes you seem nervous as a virgin in a wedding bed,’ the Bear said sternly. ‘Only swear at your enemy’s face as you fight him. Mock him after beating him. Or her. Never swear when you have lost or are in trouble. Obey your mother, at least when she is present. Kallir and Molun will do the killing bit; you stop swearing and just get us the king’s gold. But … ’ he began, and I said nothing, looking unhappy.
Yes, there was danger lurking, no matter who did the killing “bit”, and anything could happen inside the mint itself. There, I’d be alone. The Bear hesitated, grunted, grabbed me and took me down a path towards the cascading waterfall and sat me down there on a flat rock. The noise of the waterfall was strangely soothing, and it was not all that loud, for some reason. He was walking up and down, back and forth in agitation until he finally sat down before me with a huff.
‘How are you holding up?’ he asked as sweetly as a man called the Bear can.
I nodded. ‘I’m just fine,’ I lied.
‘Tomorrow, you will attempt a frightening deed. I’m not saying it will be easy. I don’t want to lie to you, boy. It’s a deed that will make the Jesters the most hunted fugitives in the land. But it can go wrong, and Jesters won’t suffer, only us. You understand this. If you fail, they won’t offer you supper and congratulate you for a worthy try. They will hurt you badly if you should trip and get caught,’ he rumbled. ‘I worry for you.’
‘They’ll not take me, sir,’ I told him earnestly, gratefully, for I did like him.
‘The guards stay out, you know this, no?’
‘Yes, they will give me the passphrase and wait in the guardhouse just to the right of the gate to the mint,’ I said. ‘You said you had a way to take out the people inside.’
He rubbed his neck. ‘I do. Hold on. Molun and Kallir will kill the guards in that room. You will have to handle the people inside, indeed, but ...’ he said with some doubt, ‘... I am not sure how many there are or how well armed. I’ve heard a rumor they have a tunnel running up to the Tower of the Temple itself to bring in the gold and silver flans and also to take the coin back, and there is sure to be a guard out there. We’ve never seen anyone take any shipment out any other way. The Master of the Coin and the mint is utterly careful with his establishment and guards his special place with the King and the Lord of the Trade and Harbor. What does he do inside? I do not know. There will be a bunch of workers there, hitting dies together all day long. But we have a tool to take them all out. Ann has one.’
‘I hope so,’ I told the Bear with some concern. ‘That key has me worried. What if I have to change clothes inside, and they see the chain is hanging free?’
‘Perhaps we should weld the key on your skin, just to make it look authentic,’ he said, and his wide, bearded face took on a speculative look.
‘Thank you, no,’ I said. ‘So, you have it? This … A tool?'
‘Here,’ he said heavily, and I stared at his hand. ‘I hate it,’ he said. ‘It’s cowardly. But I see what Ann is saying. Don’t drop it. It breaks very easily. With a good reason.’ There was no mighty weapon of power, no weapons at all. He handed me a clay bottle with a yellow stopper, and I took it in my two hands, for it was precious, despite my disappointment. It was to
Similar Books
