‘He’s likely to finish that first one fairly fast. If he’s drinking the way he used to, he’ll wake up in the mornings feeling a bit unwell.’ Sparhawk looked around the busy square. ‘Let’s go on up that street a ways where there aren’t quite so many people and wait for him. As soon as he runs out of wine, he’ll come out for more.’

‘Won’t he see us? He knows us both, you know.’

Sparhawk shook his head. ‘He’s so shortsighted that he can barely see past the end of his nose Add a flagon of wine to that, and he wouldn’t be able to recognize his own mother.’

‘Krager’s got a mother?’ Kalten asked in mock amazement. ‘I thought he just crawled out from under a rotten log.’

Sparhawk laughed. ‘Let’s go find someplace where we can wait for him.’

‘Can we skulk?’ Kalten asked eagerly. ‘I haven’t skulked in years.’

‘Skulk away, my friend,’ Sparhawk said.

They walked up the street the wine merchant had indicated. After a few hundred paces, Sparhawk pointed towards the narrow opening of an alley ‘That ought to do it,’ he said. ‘Let’s go do our skulking in there. When Krager goes by, we can drag him into the alley and have our little chat in private.’

‘Right,’ Kalten agreed with an evil grin.

They crossed the street and entered the alley Rotting garbage lay heaped along the sides, and some way farther on was a reeking public urinal. Kalten waved one hand in front of his face. ‘Sometimes your decisions leave a lot to be desired, Sparhawk,’ he said. ‘Couldn’t you have picked someplace a little less fragrant?’

‘You know,’ Sparhawk said, ‘that’s what I’ve missed about not having you around, Kalten – that steady stream of complaints.’

Kalten shrugged. ‘A man needs something to talk about.’ He reached under his azure doublet, took out a small, curved knife and began to strop it on the sole of his boot. ‘I get him first,’ he said.

‘What?’

‘Krager I get to start on him first.’

‘What gave you that idea?’

‘You’re my friend, Sparhawk. Friends always let their friends go first.’

‘Doesn’t that work the other way around, too?’

Kalten shook his head. ‘You like me better than I like you. It’s only natural, of course. I’m a lot more likeable than you are’

Sparhawk gave him a long look.

‘That’s what friends are for, Sparhawk,’ Kalten said ingratiatingly, ‘to point out our little shortcomings to us.’

They waited, watching the street from the mouth of the alley It was not a particularly busy street, for there were but few shops along its sides. It seemed rather to be given over largely to storehouses and private dwellings.

An hour dragged by, and then another.

‘Maybe he drank himself to sleep,’ Kalten said.