heal my face and make me rich,” said Rokan. “I will act the part of his lackey, and when the moment comes, I will snap his neck or drive a blade into his ribs.”
“Leave me out of it,” said Vorlak. “I have had enough of this whole thing. I am done with it.”
“You will be done with it after the elfling is dead, and not before!” said Rokan, grabbing him by the throat. “After that, you can all rot for all I care!”
“All right,” said Vorlak in a constricted voice. “The elfling dies. But I want no part of trying to kill the templar.”
“None of us do,” said Gavik. “Suit yourselves,” said Rokan, releasing Vorlak and continuing on Sorak’s trail. He was almost out of sight now, and they had to quicken their pace to close the distance. The streets had become very dark and almost completely deserted. Lamplight burned in only a few of the buildings. Sorak turned down another street, and they hurried to catch up with him. As they came to the corner, they saw that he had entered a narrow, winding street that ended in a cul de sac. There were several alleyways leading off to either side, between the tightly clustered buildings. It was a perfect place for an ambush.
“Let’s get it over with,” said Vorlak, moving forward and reaching for his blade.
“Wait,” said Rokan, grabbing his arm. Sorak had gone into a wineshop, the only building on the street that still had lights burning within. Several people came out as he went in. The marauders watched quietly as they passed.
“We shall wait until he comes out,” Rokan said. “Vorlak, you and Tigan get ready in that alley over there.” He pointed to the dark and refuse-strewn alleyway across the narrow street. “Devak, you and Gavik take your posts in the alley on the other side. I will wait in the street, beside the entrance to the wineshop, and pretend to be a drunk. When he comes out, I’ll let him pass and then come up behind him while the rest of you come out and cut him off.”
“What if he should not come out alone?” said Tigan. “What if anyone is with him?”
“Then it will be their hard luck,” said Rokan.
* * *
Sorak paused briefly outside the entrance of the wineshop. It was an aging, two-story building of plastered, sun-baked brick, and like many of the buildings in the area, much of the plaster had worn or flaked away, exposing the bricks and mortar beneath. The entrance was not protected by an overhang. A short flight of wooden steps led to an arched, recessed opening with a heavy, studded wooden door. Above the door hung a wooden sign on which was the image of a drunken giant, rather inexpertly painted. There were two windows in the wall on either side of the door, now tightly shuttered against the night chill and the swarms of nocturnal bugs.
A couple of patrons came out of the wineshop and passed by Sorak. They were walking a bit unsteadily. As they came out, Sorak heard shouts and laughter coming from inside the shop. He went up the steps and through the doorway.
He paused a moment within the alcove and looked around. The shop was laid out in a long, open rectangle, with battered wooden tables and benches to the left and a long bar to the right. Behind the bar were crude, dusty wooden wine racks holding a vast array of bottles. A few oil lamps provided illumination in the bar area. Large, square candles, thick enough to stand by themselves, stood in the center of each table, dripping wax onto the tabletops. The interior walls, as those on the outside, were made of plastered brick, with the plaster flaking off in many places. The wood-planked floor was old and stained.
The atmosphere was a far cry from the elegance of Krysta’s dining room, and the patrons seemed to fit the atmosphere. It was a rough, surly-looking crowd, and Sorak noticed a couple of brawny half-giants at each end of the bar, keeping an eye on the customers. Each of them had a club within easy reach, and several obsidian-bladed knives tucked into his belt. The one nearer the door gave Sorak an appraising glance as he came in. His gaze lingered for a moment on the sword, its hilt just visible beneath Sorak’s open cloak. A number of people looked up at him as he came in. Sorak paused