Tila didn't respond, hut her expression was cool and her eyes fixed on Legana. When the agent turned away, Tila gave Isak a small nod and stepped back out of the conversation again.
'So we have an associate of Malich's in the city, one who was also involved in the death of Lord Bahl and remains an agent of the Menin.' Isak shrugged. 'It's a simple decision then; we kill him first.'
'My Lord, he is under Siala's protection, and a necromancer is con¬stantly on guard; the attack on his house will have made him doubly watchful'
Isak's eyes flashed. 'I don't care. This necromancer is an enemy of the Farlan and a threat to us all.' He pointed a finger towards Tila. 'Those of you who lack any defence against magic will be the ones hurt in the crossfire when he comes after me.'
A furious hammering on the front door broke off the discussion. They could hear angry voices in the street outside, growing louder, then the person beating at the barred door yelled out above the racket, 'For Vellern's sake, let me in; they're going to kill me!'
'It's Mayel,' Isak said, surprised, 'the kid we brought back here the other night. Let him in.'
The guardsmen raised their glaives and one used the butt of his weapon to knock the bolt open and raise the latch. The former novice barrelled through, barging the doors wide open as he rushed in, and Isak caught sight of the figures following him: half a dozen townslolk, armed with clubs and sticks and what looked like meat cleavers. Clearly the madness that had gripped the population was worsening,
One guardsman drove his door shut, but the other had moved outside to see what was happening. Seeing the onrushing mob, In-stepped away and raised his weapon; Vesna shouted for Tila to get up the stairs and pulled out his longsword. Isak had already drawn his, and when the first of the invaders hurtled in, the white-eye spun around as gracefully as a dancer and beheaded him neatly. Blood fountained from the attacker's neck as the body crashed to the marble floor.
As others followed, still shouting and screeching incoherently, they found themselves set upon on from all sides. The guardsmen slammed the door and bolted it against further incursions. By the time they |oined the fight, it was almost all over: Lord Kelet's arrows had taken two down, and a third was gaping down at Legana's knife buried in his chest. Count Vesna had battered aside a club and impaled the owner, while Shinir, leaping down from the balcony and swinging around a pillar into the fray, had used her flail and khopesh to good account, trapping a fat man who looked like a butcher and hacking through his collarbone. She left the khopesh there as she tossed her chain flail around one of the remaining two people and yanked hard; the chain caught the astonished invader under the chin and slammed her against the pillar with a sickening snap.
The last man standing, his bloodstained cleaver raised uncertainly, took a step back. He never even saw the guardsmen behind him, swinging their glaives in unison. The room fell silent as they listened for more voices outside. Vesna looked up to Kelet, who had another arrow nocked and ready.
He made his way around the balcony to a window and peered up and down the street outside for a few seconds. Finally the knight from Torl called, 'Looks clear, my Lord.'
'Shinir, get out to the back and check there,' Jachen said, his voice husky. He had drawn his sword, but he'd not had to fight – Lord Isak had made it clear that he had some very effective killers in his per¬sonal guard now, and that was not his job. He was to watch for what was going on beyond and around any fight, and to guard Tila from any threat.
'Karkarn's black teeth,' breathed Mayel, eyes widening as he watched Shinir scamper up a pillar and vault onto the balcony with consummate ease. 'You're like no mercenaries I've ever met.'
'You were a novice in a monastery; exactly how many mercenaries have you met in your life?' Jachen snapped, advancing on the youth.
'Being a novice doesn't make me brainless,' the boy said. He pointed at Shinir. 'No normal woman does that. Maybe a Harlequin could manage it, but no damned soldier.'
'Congratulations, you've just seen a damned soldier do it,' he said sarcastically.
'I say you're not normal mercenaries. No lord's tart- ah, begging your pardon, Miss,' he added hurriedly as he caught Vesna's expression, 'but no lord's mistress is so valuable she's protected by a white-eye his size-' he jabbed a grubby finger in Isak's direction, 'and a woman touched by magic, not both. Not when the city's terrified the entire Farlan Army's going to appear at the walls at any moment.'
'Why are you here?' Lord Isak interjected. 'I thought you were going to see if your cousin survived the other night?' After the chaos of the night at the necromancer's house, Isak had beaten a hasty retreat rather than get entangled in a fight witb the city guard. He'd seen some of the creatures crashing through the fence and decided on the spur of the minute that it would be too cruel to leave the boy to fend for himself, so he'd dragged Mayel along with him. Mayel had spent half of the next day in shock, huddled in a corner of the room, before he regained some semblance of his normal insouciance. He'd shaken himself all over, like a dog, and announcing he had to find his cousin, he grabbed some food and disappeared before anyone could talk him out of leaving the safety of the house.
'I did, but I hadn't realised the state the city's in. I'd never have made it back here if I'd not known the streets as well as I do. As It was-' Mayel gestured towards the corpses in the middle of the room. 'They came after me because I was alone. No other reason.'
'And your cousin?'
'Dead.' His shoulders fell. 'Dead, with most of his men, when the Dark Place spat out its creatures at them.'
'And he's the only person you know in the city?' Vesna asked, recalling what Ilumene, the supposed King's Man, had said to Isak: a priest on the run. He was beginning to think it was no coincidence that Mayel had been a novice at a monastery. The city was spiralling Into chaos with breathtaking speed, and Vesna was increasingly fearful that it was not by chance. Doranei had already told them Ilumene was now an enemy of Narkang and Morghien had hinted at a shadowy hand behind much to do with Isak too. What if this is only the next Step? Vesna thought.
'Who else could there be?' Mayel replied hotly. 'I've been in a mon-astery for the last few years.'
'IVrhaps someone from that monastery, then?' Vesna pressed. He hadn't sheathed his sword. Now he began to advance on the youth. There was something not right about this boy.
Mayel took a pace back.
'Perhaps someone who needed to hide in the city, someone who needed a native to help them?'
'I don't know what you mean,' Mayel blustered hut his eyes had already betrayed him.
'Balls you don't; you know exactly what I'm on about,' Vesna said angrily. Very deliberately, he tore a strip of clothing from one oi the dead men and used it to wipe his blade clean before sheathing it, Then, before Mayel realised what was happening, he'd stepped for-ward and grabbed the boy by the throat.
'You've been lying to us,' he said, 'so how about you spill what you know or I'll beat seven shades of shit out of you?'
Mayel struggled against Vesna's grip. 'I've not-'
He stopped abruptly as the count punched a fist into his gut, driv¬ing the wind from him.
'Not what?' he roared, shaking the youth like a terrier holding a rat. 'You're not going to tell me the truth?'
'I don't-!'
Mayel's gasping protests were cut off as Vesna slammed him into the wall. Terrified, he cowered, hands held out like a pleading supplicant.
Everyone else in the room kept silent and watched. They had all seen far worse; so far Vesna had been remarkably restrained. Mayel was obviously no trained liar; it wouldn't take much longer to get the truth they so desperately needed to hear.
'Trust me, boy; I can keep this up all day,' Vesna threatened, his voice silky. 'You'll want to give it up long before I do.' He snarled, and punched Mayel sharply.