‘You are naive, aren’t you, Annias?’ Martel laughed. ‘Sephrenia can listen in on a conversation from at least five miles away, and she can arrange to have everyone in the room with her hear it as well. Not only that, there are hundreds of places in this cellar that are within earshot of this room. Believe me, Annias, one way or another, Sparhawk’s listening to us at this very moment.’ He paused. ‘Aren’t you, Sparhawk?’ he added.

Chapter 15

Martel’s question hung in the musty dimness. ‘Stay here,’ Sparhawk whispered bleakly to Delada. He reached for his sword.

‘Not very likely,’ the colonel replied, his tone just as grim. He also drew his sword.

It was really neither the time nor the place for arguments. ‘All right, but be careful. I’ll take Martel. You grab Annias.’

The two of them stepped out of their place of concealment and walked towards the single candle guttering on the table.

‘Why, if it isn’t my dear brother Sparhawk,’ Martel drawled. ‘So awfully good to see you again, old boy.’

‘Look quickly, Martel. You aren’t going to be seeing much of anything for very long.’

‘I’d love to oblige you, Sparhawk, but I’m afraid we’ll have to postpone it again. Pressing business, you understand.’ Martel took Annias by the shoulder and pushed him towards the door. ‘Move!’ he snapped. The two of them went quickly out as Sparhawk and Delada rushed forward, swords in hand.

‘Stop!’ Sparhawk snapped to his companion.

‘They’re getting away, Sparhawk!’ Delada objected.

‘They already have.’ Sparhawk said it with a hot disappointment souring his mouth. ‘Martel’s got a hundred men out there in those corridors. We need you alive, Colonel.’ Sparhawk whistled shrilly even as he heard the rush of many feet in the corridor outside. ‘We’ll have to defend the door until Kurik and the guardsmen get here.’

The two of them went quickly to the rotting door and took their places, one on either side of it. At the last moment, Sparhawk stepped out into plain view a few feet back from the arched opening in the massive stone wall. His position gave his sword full play, but the soldiers rushing through the entrance were hampered in their swings by the rocks of the sides and top of the archway.

Martel’s mercenaries discovered very quickly what a bad idea it was to rush up on Sparhawk when he was angry, and Sparhawk was very angry at that point. The bodies piled up in the doorway as he savagely vented his rage on the scruffy-looking soldiers.

Then Kurik was there with Delada’s guardsmen, and Martel’s men fell back, defending the passageway leading towards the opening of the aqueduct into which Martel and Annias had already fled. ‘Are you all right?’ the squire asked quickly, looking in through the doorway.