The Diamond Throne

something go wrong?’ Voren asked mildly
    ‘Not that I noticed,’ Sparhawk replied blithely.
    ‘Stop congratulating yourself, Sparhawk,’ she snapped. ‘I’m vexed with you, very vexed.’
    ‘I’m sorry about that, Sephrenia, but I did the best I could.’ He turned to Voren. ‘We ran into Martel,’ he explained, ‘and I managed to stop him in his tracks. His whole scheme just collapsed around his ears.’
    Voren whistled. ‘I don’t see anything wrong with that, Sephrenia.’
    ‘It’s not what he did, Voren. It was the way he did it.’ ‘Oh?’
    ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ She gathered Flute up in her arms, went to the bench by the fountain, and sat muttering darkly to the little girl in Styric
    ‘We need a way to get aboard a fast ship bound for Vardenais without being seen,’ Sparhawk told Voren. ‘Can you come up with something?’
    ‘Quite easily,’ Voren replied. ‘Every so often the true identity of one of our brothers is exposed. We’ve devised a way to get them out of Rendor safely’ He smiled ironically ‘It was the first thing I did when I got to Jiroch, actually I was fairly sure I was going to need it for myself almost immediately I have a wharf down in the harbour. There’s a waterfront inn not far away It’s run by one of our brothers, and it has all the things an inn usually has – taproom, stables, sleeping rooms upstairs, and the like. It’s also got a cellar, and there’s a passageway runningfrom that one to the cellar of my main warehouse. At low tide you can board a ship directly from that cellar without being seen by anyone on shore’
    ‘Would that fool the Damork, Sephrenia?’ Sparhawk asked her
    She glared at him for a moment, then relented. She touched the fingertips of one hand lightly to her temple. Sparhawk noted that there was more silver there now. ‘I think it would,’ she replied. ‘We don’t even know that the Damork is here, Martel could actually have been telling us the truth.’
    ‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ Kurik grunted.
    ‘Even so,’ she continued, ‘the Damork probably couldn’t begin to grasp the concept of a cellar– much less underground passageways.’
    ‘What’s a Damork?’ Voren asked.
    Sparhawk told him and described what had happened to Captain Mabin’s ship in the Arcian Strait just out from Madel.
    Voren rose and began to pace up and down. ‘That’s not the sort of thing our escape route was designed to cope with,’ he admitted. ‘I think I’d better take some additional precautions. I’ve got six ships in port just now. Why don’t I just send them all out at the same time? If you sail out in the middle of a flotilla, it might add a bit more confusion.’
    ‘Isn’t that a bit elaborate?’ Sparhawk asked him.
    ‘Sparhawk, I know how modest you are, but you’re probably the most important man in the world just now – at least you are until you get to Cimmura and make your report to Vanion. I’m not going to take any chances with you if I can help it.’ He went to the garden wall and squinted at the setting sun. ‘We’re going to have to hurry,’ he told them. ‘Low tide this evening comes just after dusk, and I’ll want you in the cellar when the ship’srail drops below the edge of the wharf. I’ll go with you to make sure you get on board safely.’
    They all rode out together towards the waterfront. Their route took them through the familiar quarter where Sparhawk had maintained his shop during the years he had been hidden there. The buildings on either side of the street were almost like old friends, and he thought he recognized a few of the people hurrying home through the narrow streets as the sun sank towards the western horizon.
    ‘Brute” The voice from behind them probably carried halfway across the Arcian Strait, and it was painfully familiar ‘Assassin!’
    ‘Oh, no!’ Sparhawk groaned, reining Faran in. ‘And we were so close.’ He looked longingly at the waterfront inn to which Voren was leading them and which was but one street away
    ‘Monster!’ the voice went on in a strident tone
    ‘Uh Sparhawk,’ Kurik said mildly, ‘is it my imagination, or is that lady trying to get your attention?’
    ‘Just let it lie, Kurik.’
    ‘Anything you say, my Lord.’
    ‘Assassin! Brute! Monster! Deserter!’
    There was a brief pause ‘Murderer!’ the woman added.
    ‘I never did that,’ Sparhawk murmured. He sighed and turned Faran around. ‘Hello, Lillias,’ he said