The blond man shrugged. ‘That’s why they call it night.’

‘Why doesn’t somebody put up some torches?’ Talen complained.

‘What for’ So the rabbits can see where they’re going?’

Lycien’s house stood in the deep shadows of the surrounding evergreens with only a single torch at the gate. Talen was visibly relieved when they walked into the gravelled yard in front of the entrance.

‘Any luck?’ Tynian asked, emerging from the main entrance.

‘We ran into some trouble,’ Sparhawk replied. ‘Let’s go inside’

‘I told you that you should have let the rest of us come along,’ the bulky-shouldered Alcione said accusingly as they entered the building.

‘It wasn’t that much trouble,’ Kalten assured him.

The others were waiting in the large room to which Lycien had first led them. Sephrenia rose to her feet, looking closely at the blood spatters on the two Pandions’ cloaks. ‘Are you all right?’ she asked, her voice mirroring her concern.

‘We ran into a group of sportive fellows,’ Kalten replied lightly. He looked down at his cloak. The blood is all theirs.’

‘What happened?’ she asked Sparhawk.

‘Adus tried to ambush us when we got to the inn,’ he told her. ‘He had a group of waterfront toughs with him.’ He paused reflectively. ‘You know, we’ve been running across Krager just about every time we turn around. Once – or even twice – might have been sheer coincidence, but it’s starting to happen just a little too frequently, and every time we try to follow him, there’s some kind of ambush.’

‘You think it’s deliberate?’ Tynian asked.

‘It’s beginning to look that way, isn’t it?’

‘Would this Martel put a friend in such danger?’ Bevier sounded surprised.

‘Martel doesn’t have any friends,’ Sparhawk told him. ‘Adus and Krager are hirelings, nothing more. They’re useful, but he feels no particular attachment for them. I don’t think he’d shed many tears if something happened to Krager.’ He began to pace up and down, staring thoughtfully at the floor. ‘Maybe we can turn the tables on him.’ He looked at Kalten. ‘Why don’t you let yourself be seen in the streets of Madel?’ he suggested. ‘Don’t take too many chances, but let people know you’re in town.’

‘Why not?’ Kalten shrugged.

Tynian grinned. ‘Martel and his hirelings don’t know the rest of us, so we can sort of loiter along behind Kalten without attracting attention. Is that the idea?’

Sparhawk nodded. ‘If they think Kalten’s alone, it might bring them out into the open. I’m getting a little tired of Martel’s game, so maybe it’s time for us to play a few of our own.’ He looked at Bevier’s cousin. ‘How excited do the local authorities get about street brawls, my Lord?’ he asked.