right track?”
“It follows the Holy Road. It is heading for Tanyth out beyond Sunhaven in the Sacred Lands. I had hoped to catch it before it made it so far. I was unlucky. So far it has always managed to elude me.”
She laughed. “I have never met a man who thought it unlucky not to meet a demon.”
“If I find it, I can kill it. There are few of its kind I cannot, if I am lucky.”
“A man of your talents could make a good living in this part of the world, providing you did not upset the wrong people, of course. Given your personality you would probably have a very short career.”
“I never expected my life to be a long one.”
“Then why do it?”
“I told you: I swore an oath.”
“Somehow I doubt it is that simple.”
“It’s not. It never has been.”
“You still trying to keep the mystery in our relationship.”
“We don’t have a relationship.”
“And here was me thinking we were becoming friends.”
“What’s your story? You’re not a flower-girl, are you?”
She shrugged. “No. No. I am not.”
“Then what do you do?”
“I get by.”
“Pickpocket? Bawd? Hustler?”
“You don’t have a high opinion of me, do you?”
“I am trying to guess what a young woman your age is doing alone in the streets of the red-light district at this time of night, if she is not a flower-girl.”
“All three of the things you mentioned and some other things too,” she said. “I know people. I put people in touch. I get people things that they want. I find out interesting things and exchange those with interested parties.”
“You’ve a number of sidelines then…”
“A girl needs to get by.”
“Do yourself a favour then, girl and don’t try and pick my pocket. Do right by me and I’ll see its worth your while. Do me wrong and I’ll see you pay for it. On that you have my word.”
“And you’re the man who always keeps his promises,” she said.
“Yes,” he said. “I am.”
“Here we are,” Nuala said. They had stopped in front of a tall, narrow-fronted building so rickety it seemed in danger of imminent collapse. Huge beams had been spread between it and the building on the other side of the alley, seemingly in an attempt to prevent that from happening.
“I can see your friend is successful in his trade,” Kormak said.
“There’s no need to be so ironic. Darien is not that interested in the trappings of success. He is not materialistic.”
“I am guessing he will still want my money though.”
“He needs to pay for his research. All those books and alchemical ingredients cost money. He likes his wine and other things too.”
She walked down a very narrow flight of steps disappearing below ground level. She began to rap on a metal door-knocker. Voices shouted from the windows for her to keep the noise down. A light went on within the cellar. Kormak heard someone move closer to the door, grumbling and cursing. He held himself ready. If there was going to be any treachery it would come now.
A slot in the door opened. There was a muttered exchange and obviously Nuala was recognised for the door opened. A tall, thin man, dressed in a none-too-clean robe stood there. He held a small saucer with a guttering candle on it. He looked up the stairs at Kormak and beckoned for him to come down. The Guardian did so slowly. The man did not look very threatening but if he was a wizard that meant nothing. They could be dangerous even when their hands were empty.
“Come inside, man,” the wizard said. “I do not intend to stand out here all night while you decide to take a swing at me.”
Kormak strode closer, still wary. Close up, Darien looked even less menacing. He was tall and thin and scruffy looking and smelled as if he had not washed in many days. There was wine on his breath and the scent of something else, possibly black lotus, one of the many narcotics to which mages became addicted because they believed it enhanced their powers and their ability to study ancient texts. Kormak began to suspect he knew why Darien had need of money. He did not relax his guard any. He had spent a lifetime in dangerous places with dangerous people where appearance was often deceptive, and wizards had a tendency to be among the most deceptive of all.
“A Guardian, eh?” Darien said. “And that would be a dwarf-forged blade, I suppose.”
It came to Kormak that the man