wall.
“They say I killed someone. I didn’t.”
“That’s what everyone says.” The shadowy figure cackled. “None of us did nothin‘, we didn’t, and some of us didn’t.”
Kharl started to respond, but then winced as pain stabbed through his skull.
“Don’t matter what you did. Justicer’s going to say you did, ‘less he finds someone else who did. That doesn’t happen much.”
Kharl eased himself across the damp and slimy stone floor to the other side of the cell, leaning back gingerly, careful not to bang his head against the rough wall stones.
“You don’t look like an assassin or a docker,” offered the other man.
“I’m a cooper.” Kharl took a deeper breath and wished he had not. The air was rank with the odors of unwashed bodies, filth, and worse.
“Cooper, huh. You a good cooper?”
“I thought so.”
“Why’d you kill someone, risk losing all that?”
“I didn’t,” Kharl said tiredly. “My neighbor’s shop caught on fire. I was fighting the fire, and someone cut the throat of one of those black-staffers in my shop.”
“Ha! They’ll hang you quick as they can. Lord West, he don’t want to tell the black demons that the murderer got away. Don’t want them shelling Brysta. No, ser. That he don’t. Hang anyone he can to stop that.”
Kharl could see the truth in what the other had said. But what could he do? “They don’t let anyone see you here?”
“You jesting? Won’t see anyone till you go before the justicer. That’d be Reynol, ‘cause he hangs everyone, and that’s what they’ll want. Four sentences—that’s all they got. Flogging, time in the quarries, cut off a hand or foot or both, or hang you. You, they’ll hang. Don’t matter you did it or not.“
“You’re cheerful.” Kharl swallowed.
“Yep. Cheerful Kaj, that’s what they call me.”
“What about you? Why are you here?”
“Me? I called that pigswill Egen a bawdson.”
“For that, you’re in here?”
“Lucky to be alive. Egen’s Lord West’s youngest, captain in the Watch. Likes girls, young girls. Didn’t know he was watchin‘… said he wasn’t man enough to handle a real woman. Whole tavern laughed. Didn’t say nothing. When I came out later, his men were waitin’… and here I am.“
Kharl had the sinking feeling that Egen and the young swell who’d attacked Sanyle and Jenevra were the same man. There were too many coincidences… far too many.
He could feel himself beginning to sweat, and with the nausea he was feeling intermittently, he wondered if he could hold his guts in.
“Egen… real pissprick… and his daddy just looks the other way…”
That didn’t surprise Kharl.
Recluce 12 - Wellspring of Chaos
X
A day passed, and then another. Kharl thought it might have been three days since the fire, and since someone had killed Jenevra. That was if he’d only been knocked out for less than a day. He walked back and forth, if taking three small steps between walls could be called walking. He stopped and coughed, then walked some more.
“That won’t do any good,” observed Kaj from the corner of the cell— the opposite outside corner from the slop bucket. “I know,” Kharl replied, “but I can’t just sit here.”
“Might as well. Not goin‘ anywhere. Except dancin’ on air.”
“If it’s so important to hang me,” Kharl said, “why hasn’t anyone done anything?”
“You in a hurry to get strung up?” asked Kaj.
“No.”
“Then don’t ask for it.”
“But, I’d think…”
“Simple. They brought you in on sixday. Justicers and lords like long end-days. Lord West is gettin‘ old. Needs the days off to keep his sons at bay. Today’s oneday, I figure. Takes a day for the scriveners to write up things formal like. Maybe longer. They don’t hurry once you’re locked away. They won’t come for you till tomorrow, earliest.”
“What about you?”
“Leave me here for another eightday. Drag me out and flog me, if
“They say I killed someone. I didn’t.”
“That’s what everyone says.” The shadowy figure cackled. “None of us did nothin‘, we didn’t, and some of us didn’t.”
Kharl started to respond, but then winced as pain stabbed through his skull.
“Don’t matter what you did. Justicer’s going to say you did, ‘less he finds someone else who did. That doesn’t happen much.”
Kharl eased himself across the damp and slimy stone floor to the other side of the cell, leaning back gingerly, careful not to bang his head against the rough wall stones.
“You don’t look like an assassin or a docker,” offered the other man.
“I’m a cooper.” Kharl took a deeper breath and wished he had not. The air was rank with the odors of unwashed bodies, filth, and worse.
“Cooper, huh. You a good cooper?”
“I thought so.”
“Why’d you kill someone, risk losing all that?”
“I didn’t,” Kharl said tiredly. “My neighbor’s shop caught on fire. I was fighting the fire, and someone cut the throat of one of those black-staffers in my shop.”
“Ha! They’ll hang you quick as they can. Lord West, he don’t want to tell the black demons that the murderer got away. Don’t want them shelling Brysta. No, ser. That he don’t. Hang anyone he can to stop that.”
Kharl could see the truth in what the other had said. But what could he do? “They don’t let anyone see you here?”
“You jesting? Won’t see anyone till you go before the justicer. That’d be Reynol, ‘cause he hangs everyone, and that’s what they’ll want. Four sentences—that’s all they got. Flogging, time in the quarries, cut off a hand or foot or both, or hang you. You, they’ll hang. Don’t matter you did it or not.“
“You’re cheerful.” Kharl swallowed.
“Yep. Cheerful Kaj, that’s what they call me.”
“What about you? Why are you here?”
“Me? I called that pigswill Egen a bawdson.”
“For that, you’re in here?”
“Lucky to be alive. Egen’s Lord West’s youngest, captain in the Watch. Likes girls, young girls. Didn’t know he was watchin‘… said he wasn’t man enough to handle a real woman. Whole tavern laughed. Didn’t say nothing. When I came out later, his men were waitin’… and here I am.“
Kharl had the sinking feeling that Egen and the young swell who’d attacked Sanyle and Jenevra were the same man. There were too many coincidences… far too many.
He could feel himself beginning to sweat, and with the nausea he was feeling intermittently, he wondered if he could hold his guts in.
“Egen… real pissprick… and his daddy just looks the other way…”
That didn’t surprise Kharl.
Recluce 12 - Wellspring of Chaos
X
A day passed, and then another. Kharl thought it might have been three days since the fire, and since someone had killed Jenevra. That was if he’d only been knocked out for less than a day. He walked back and forth, if taking three small steps between walls could be called walking. He stopped and coughed, then walked some more.
“That won’t do any good,” observed Kaj from the corner of the cell— the opposite outside corner from the slop bucket. “I know,” Kharl replied, “but I can’t just sit here.”
“Might as well. Not goin‘ anywhere. Except dancin’ on air.”
“If it’s so important to hang me,” Kharl said, “why hasn’t anyone done anything?”
“You in a hurry to get strung up?” asked Kaj.
“No.”
“Then don’t ask for it.”
“But, I’d think…”
“Simple. They brought you in on sixday. Justicers and lords like long end-days. Lord West is gettin‘ old. Needs the days off to keep his sons at bay. Today’s oneday, I figure. Takes a day for the scriveners to write up things formal like. Maybe longer. They don’t hurry once you’re locked away. They won’t come for you till tomorrow, earliest.”
“What about you?”
“Leave me here for another eightday. Drag me out and flog me, if
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