Forest Kingdom Trilogy 3 - Down Among the Dead Men

you, does it, Jessica? All right, let’s get back to the dining hall, and I’ll tell you the whole story. I don’t want to talk out here. You never know who might be listening.
    Back in the dining hall, MacNeil pulled up a chair and gestured for the others to do the same. He waited patiently while they got settled, and then leaned forward.
    “One of the reasons we’re here,” he said slowly, “is to find out what happened to the hundred thousand ducats of gold this fort was supposed to be guarding.” He looked around at the others and smiled as he watched their jaws drop.
    “A hundred thousand ducats,” said Flint reverently. “That is one hell of a lot of gold.”
    “Damn right,” said MacNeil. “It’s the payroll for all the border forts in this sector. It was only supposed to stay here overnight, while arrangements were made for it to be broken up and distributed, but unfortunately that turned out to be the night the fort broke off all contact with the outside world. You can imagine the heart flutters that caused at Court. So, officially we’re here to find out what happened to the fort’s missing personnel, but we’re also supposed to find the gold and make sure it’s intact and secure. You can guess which of those orders has top priority.”
    “That’s why you insisted we check every room earlier on,” said Flint.
    “Right,” said MacNeil.
    The Dancer looked at him steadily. “Why weren’t we told any of this before?”
    MacNeil smiled and shrugged. “They don’t know you like I do. Anyway, I’m telling you now. If Scarecrow AJack has somehow found out about the gold, you can bet he’s not working on his own anymore. He couldn’t even move that much gold without help.”
    “How do we know it hasn’t already been moved?” said Flint.
    “The odds are against it,” said MacNeil. “All the signs would seem to suggest that we’re the first people to have entered this fort since … whatever happened.”
    Constance frowned. “Scarecrow Jack usually works alone. And I’ve never heard of him being interested in gold.”
    “Everyone’s interested in gold,” said Flint.
    “Not Jack,” said Constance. “He’s different.”
    MacNeil looked at her. “You know Scarecrow Jack?”
    “I met him, once,” said Constance. “A few years back I was searching for mandrake roots not far from here, and I got lost. Jack found me and showed me the way back to the main trail. He was very polite, very sweet, and extremely shy. I liked him. He’s a simple enough soul, happy with the life he leads. The Forest gives him everything he needs. But … I suppose anyone can be tempted.”
    “Exactly,” said MacNeil. “So, we’ve got to find the gold, or what happened to it, before Jack gets back here with his friends. For all we know, there could be a small army out there, just waiting for him to report back.”
    The Dancer looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. “We’d have a hard job defending this place against even a very small army.”
    MacNeil shrugged. “All we have to do is keep them away from the gold for a few days, and then the reinforcements will be here. But to do that, we’ve got to find the damned gold first.”
    “All right,” said Flint. “Where do we start? We’ve already looked everywhere once.”
    “Yeah,” said MacNeil. “Which means we must have overlooked something … some clue. So we’ll just have to search every room and corridor and hidey-hole all over again, and keep on looking until we do find something.”
    “Now?” said Constance. “At night?”
    MacNeil looked at her sardonically. “Still bothered by your dream, Constance? Afraid the nasty demons are going to jump out of the shadows at you?”
    Constance looked at him steadily. “You can be very irritating at times, Duncan. Something here in this fort drove the people insane, so that they killed themselves and each other. It’s still here, and it’s still dangerous. And evil is at its strongest during the hours of darkness.”
    “I’m sorry, Constance,” said MacNeil, “but there’s no real evidence for any of that.” “My Sight—”
    “Is clouded here. You said so yourself.”
    “You’d have believed Salamander!”
    For a long moment no one said anything.
    “The sooner we start this search, the sooner we’ll be finished,” said MacNeil quietly. “We’ll make better time if we split into two teams. The first one to find anything sings out. Flint, you and the Dancer start at the