Forest Kingdom Trilogy 3 - Down Among the Dead Men

and reverberate in MacNeil’s bones, and then it suddenly stopped. The silence seemed very loud. MacNeil slammed the trapdoor shut, pushed home both the bolts, and backed quickly away.
    “What the hell was that?” said the Dancer softly.
    “The Beast,” said Constance. “It sleeps very lightly now.”
    “Are you sure you want to go down there, Duncan?” said Flint, looking dubiously at the closed trapdoor.
    “No, I’m not sure,” said MacNeil. “But that’s the only way we’re going to find out what happened to the gold and the missing bodies.”
    “Personally, I’m mostly interested in the gold,” said Hammer.
    The Rangers spun around to find Hammer, Wilde, and Scarecrow Jack standing together by the open cellar door. Wilde had an arrow nocked to his bow, aimed impartially at all the Rangers. Constance smiled slightly.
    “Come in,” she said easily. “We’ve been expecting you.”
    Hammer raised an eyebrow at the Rangers’ bloodstained appearance, and then looked calmly at MacNeil. “Put down your swords. Wilde here is a master bowman. He’s very quick, and he never misses.”
    The Dancer chuckled quietly. “I’m a Bladesmaster. Tell him to put his bow away, or I’ll make him eat it.”
    Wilde studied him coldly. “I’ve already killed one Bladesmaster in my time. He died just as easily as any other man.”
    The Dancer’s eyes narrowed. “So that was you. From what I’ve heard, the situation was very different then. Still, you never know. Go ahead, Wilde. Give it a try. Who knows, you might get lucky.”
    Wilde grinned slowly, and his eyes were very cold.
    “Don’t, Edmond,” said Flint quickly. She stepped forward a pace so that Wilde could see her clearly. He looked at her for a long moment, and then lowered his bow.
    “Hello, Jessica. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” “Nine, ten years.”
    “Yes. It must be all of that. You’re looking good, Jess.”
    “Wait a minute.” The Dancer looked from Flint to Wilde and back again. “You two know each other?”
    “Oh, we know each other very well,” said Wilde, grinning. “Don’t we, Jess?”
    “That was a long time ago,” said Flint. “Things have changed since then. You’ve changed a lot, Edmond. What the hell are you doing, traveling with scum like Hammer?”
    Wilde shrugged. “I’m his man. For the time being.”
    “You used to be a hero,” said Flint. “What happened to you?”
    “The world changed,” said Wilde, “and I lost my way.”
    “Reluctant as I am to interrupt such a tender reunion,” said Hammer, “I do have some business to take care of here.”
    “Are you sure this is a good idea?” said Jack quietly. “Four Rangers, and one of them a Bladesmaster? The odds stink, Hammer. I’m all for a swift retreat, myself.”
    “Shut up,” said Hammer. “Sergeant MacNeil, I think perhaps you and I had better have a little talk. Just the two of us.”
    “Yes,” said MacNeil. “I think that’s probably a good idea. We can talk over there, by the trapdoor, well away from both our people.”
    Hammer nodded. “A truce. For the time being.”
    “Agreed,” said MacNeil. He slid his sword back into its scabbard, and after a moment Hammer did the same. The foot-long hilt of the longsword strapped to Hammer’s back seemed to peer mockingly at MacNeil as Hammer handed Jack his lantern and walked over to the trapdoor. Flint tapped MacNeil lightly on the arm, and he bent his head forward slightly so that she could whisper to him unobtrusively.
    “Don’t trust him, Duncan. Word is, he’s loyal only to himself. His word’s worthless, even when backed with guarantees.”
    “Thanks,” said MacNeil quietly. “Unfortunately, we need all the help we can get if we’re going to take on whatever’s waiting down there in the tunnels. And Jessica, while we’re talking … keep Wilde occupied. All right?”
    “Sure,” said Flint. “No problem.”
    MacNeil moved casually over to join Hammer by the trapdoor. They stood in silence a while, sizing each other up. They were both big men, hard and muscular, and each of them recognized in the other the strength of spirit that comes from constant testing in adversity.
    Hammer was quietly impressed by the calm, confident strength he sensed in the Ranger Sergeant, but he had no doubt he could bend MacNeil to his will. Everyone bowed to him eventually. In the meantime, best to play the gentleman and throw the Ranger off guard with honeyed words. They needed each