other’s waists. One beckoned to him enticingly. He shook his head. A giant strode along, a noble-woman’s palanquin strapped to his back, and a retinue of fork-bearded desert-born guards trailing in his wake.
Kormak saw two monstrous grey-skinned orcs, a head taller than he was and twice his weight. Just the sight of them made his hackles rise. He had fought in the orc wars and the idea of being able to pass them in the street was alien to him. One of the creatures saw him staring and grinned, showing its tusks, wrinkling the multi-coloured scar tattoos on its face. There was no mirth in the expression. To an orc a smile was a challenge. Kormak looked away, and heard the orc grunt contemptuously to its companion. A gobbet of spittle landed on his boots. Kormak forced himself to keep his hand away from his sword hilt and walked on.
A girl grabbed at his arm as he passed. “Looking for some company, mister?”
Kormak turned. The girl did not look like a typical street girl. She was not dressed so revealingly. Her face, though thin, was pretty and there was no makeup. Her eyes had a glint of humour in them and an alertness that made Kormak wary. “You know Ana?”
“You thinking of a threesome?”
“You know her or not?”
“A regular of hers, eh?”
“You seen her?”
“Big Ana: tall girl, red hair, white skin, freckles? Getting a bit old for the game?”
“That sounds like her. Can you tell me where to find her?” Kormak jangled his purse. “There’s something in it for you, if you can.”
The girl looked up and down the street. She did not seem particularly busy. She stuck out a slender hand with bitten nails. “Hand it over.”
Kormak gave her one of his silver pieces. It was the ancient type, with a hole in the middle, meant to be strung on cords around the neck. She looked at it in the torchlight, held it up to her eye and laughed. “This is three hundred years old,” she said. “Reign of Albigen the Third. Where did you get it?”
“Give it back if you don’t want it?”
“I want it. I could sell this to a collector. Got any more? We could split the difference on what Miser Tala pays me.”
“I am looking for Ana,” Kormak said. “Tell me where she is. It’s important.”
The girl looked at him and shook her head. “You got it bad for her, eh? Who would have guessed?”
“Yes. I really want to find her,” said Kormak. “You going to tell me or you going to give me the coin back?”
“You said there was more if I could tell you.”
“If you tell me true, I’ll give you another of those but I need to find her fast.”
“I’ll show you where she is then and you can hand over the gelt.”
The girl turned and walked along ahead of him, pausing occasionally to make sure he was still there. Kormak wondered if he was making a mistake trusting her. After all, she could be making this up or she could be thinking of the wrong girl entirely. He shrugged. What choice did he have? This was the only lead he had and if it was wrong he would need to find another way to pick up the trail. He had already followed it too long. One way or another he was going to end this tonight.
“Where you from?” the girl asked. “Not from around here, I can tell.”
“Aquilea.”
“That’s somewhere far west, isn’t it? An island on the verge of the Outer Ocean where the great waterfall drops of the Edge of the World.”
“It’s a mountain land north of Taurea, keep heading north from there and you’ll reach the Plains of Ice.”
“The way I heard it,” the girl said, “head north from anywhere and you’ll hit the Plains of Ice eventually.”
“I heard that too.”
“So you’re a westerner then. You’re a long way from home. Trading in spice and silks I suppose, looking for a ship back.”
She was fishing for information, he knew. Trying to figure out how much he was worth. A thought struck him. “Lead me into a robber’s lair, girl, and you and your friends will all die.”
She laughed in his face. “You’re that tough, eh?”
“Tough enough,” he told her.
She stopped laughing and looked closely at his scarred face. “Yes, I believe that,” she said. “You’re older than I thought at first and I’m guessing you did not get those grey hairs and those scars by being anybody’s easy mark.