Platime looked meaningfully at Kalten’s blood-stained doublet. ‘It looks to me as if somebody saw through your disguises,’ he said, ‘or maybe you just frequent the wrong taverns. Who stabbed you?’

‘A church soldier.’ Kalten shrugged. ‘He got in a lucky thrust. Do you mind if I sit down? I’m feeling a little shaky for some reason.’

‘Somebody bring him a stool,’ Platime shouted. Then he looked back at the two of them. ‘Why would Church Knights and church soldiers be fighting?’ he asked.

‘Palace politics.’ Sparhawk shrugged. They get a little murky sometimes.’

‘That’s God’s own truth. What’s your business here?’

‘We need a place to stay for a while,’ Sparhawk told him. He looked around. ‘This cellar of yours ought to work out fairly well.’

‘Sorry, friend. I can sympathize with a man who’s just had a run-in with the church soldiers, but I’m conducting a business here, and there’s no room for outsiders.’ Platime looked at Kalten, who had just sunk down on a stool that a ragged beggar had brought him. ‘Did you kill the man who stabbed you?’

‘He did.’ Kalten pointed at Sparhawk. ‘I killed a few others, but my friend here did most of the fighting.’

‘Why don’t we get down to business?’ Sparhawk said. ‘I think you owe my family a debt, Platime’

‘I don’t have any dealings with nobles,’ Platime replied, ‘ except to cut a few of their throats from time to time – so it’s unlikely that I owe your family a thing.’

‘This debt has nothing to do with money. A long time ago, some church soldiers were hanging you. My father stopped them.’

Platime blinked. ‘You’re Sparhawk?’ he said in surprise ‘You don’t look that much like your father.’

‘It’s his nose,’ Kalten said. ‘When you break a man’s nose, you change his whole appearance. Why were the soldiers hanging you?’

‘It was all a misunderstanding. I knifed a fellow. He wasn’t wearing his uniform, so I didn’t know he was an officer in the primate’s guard.’ He looked disgusted. ‘And all he had in his purse were two silver coins and a handful of copper’

‘Do you acknowledge the debt?’ Sparhawk pressed. Platime pulled at his coarse black beard. ‘I guess I do,’ he admitted.

‘We’ll stay here, then.’

‘That’s all you want?’

‘Not quite. We’re looking for a man – a fellow named Krager. Your beggars are all over town, and I want them to look for him.’

‘Fair enough. Can you describe him?’

‘I can do better than that. I can show him to you.’

‘That doesn’t exactly make sense, friend.’

‘It will in a minute. Have you got a basin of some kind-and some clean water?’

‘I think I can manage that. What have you got in mind?’