The Ruby Knight

extended explanations. ‘They’ll ignore us as we pass them.’ Sparhawk wore his mail-shirt and his traveller’s cloak.
    ‘Are you sure about that?’ Talen sounded dubious.
    ‘I’ve seen it work a few times before.’
    Flute stood up and walked to the wide staircase leading down to the courtyard. Still holding her pipes in one hand, she motioned for them to follow with the other.
    ‘Let’s go,’ Sparhawk said, rising to his feet.
    ‘Sparhawk,’ Talen hissed, ‘you’re right out in plain sight.’
    ‘It’s all right, Talen. They won’t pay any attention to us.’
    ‘You mean they can’t see us?’
    ‘They can see us,’ Sephrenia told the boy, ‘at least with their eyes, but our presence doesn’t mean anything to them.’
    Sparhawk led them to the stairs, and they followed Flute on down into the yard.
    One of the Thalesian soldiers was posted at the foot of the stairs, and he gave them no more than a glance as they passed, his eyes dull and uninterested.
    ‘This is very hard on my nerves, you know,’ Talen whispered.
    ‘You don’t have to whisper, Talen,’ Sephrenia told him.
    ‘They can’t hear us either?’
    ‘They can hear us all right, but our voices don’t register on them.’
    ‘You wouldn’t mind if I got ready to run anyhow, would you?’
    ‘It’s not really necessary.’
    ‘I’ll do it all the same.’
    ‘Relax, Talen,’ Sephrenia said. ‘You’re making it harder for Flute.’
    They went into the stables, saddled their horses and led them out into the courtyard as Flute continued to play her pipes. Then they walked out through the gate past King Obler’s indifferent sentries and King Wargun’s patrol in the street outside the palace.
    ‘Which way?’ Kurik asked his son.
    ‘That alley just down the street.’
    ‘Is this place very far?’
    ‘About half-way across town. Meland doesn’t like to get too close to the palace because the streets around here are patrolled.’
    ‘Meland?’
    ‘Our host. He controls all the thieves and beggars here in Acie.’
    ‘Is he dependable?’
    ‘Of course not, Kurik. He’s a thief. He won’t betray us though. I asked for thieves’ sanctuary. He’s obliged to take us in and hide us from anybody who might come looking for us. If he’d refused, he’d have had to answer to Platime at the next meeting of the thieves’ council in Chyrellos.’
    ‘There’s a whole world out there that we don’t know anything about,’ Kurik said to Sparhawk.
    ‘I’ve noticed,’ Sparhawk replied.
    The boy led them through the crooked streets of Acie to a shabby section not too far from the city gates. ‘Stay here,’ he said when they reached a seedy-looking tavern. He went inside and emerged a moment later with a ferret-like man. ‘He’s going to take care of our horses.’
    ‘Watch out for this one, neighbour,’ Sparhawk warned the fellow as he handed him Faran’s reins. ‘He’s playful. Faran, behave yourself.’
    Faran flicked his ears irritably as Sparhawk carefully pulled the spear of Aldreas out from under his saddle-skirt.
    Talen led them into the tavern. It was lighted by smoky tallow candles and had long, scarred tables flanked by rickety-looking benches. There were a number of rough-looking men sitting at the tables. None of them paid any particular attention to Sparhawk and his friends, though their eyes were busy. Talen went to a stairway at the back. ‘It’s up here,’ he said, pointing up the stairs.
    The loft at the top of the stairs was very large, and it looked oddly familiar to Sparhawk. It was sparsely furnished and there were straw pallets on the floor along the walls. It seemed somehow very similar to Platime’s cellar back in Cimmura.
    Meland was a thin man with an evil-looking scar running down his left cheek. He was sitting at a table with a sheet of paper and an ink-pot in front of him. There was a heap of jewellery near his left hand, and he seemed to be cataloguing the pieces.
    ‘Meland,’ Talen said as they approached the table, ‘these are the friends I told you about.’
    ‘I thought you said there would be ten of you.’ Meland had a nasal, unpleasant voice.
    ‘The plans have changed. This is Sparhawk. He’s the one who’s more or less in charge.’
    Meland grunted. ‘How long do you plan to be here?’ he asked Sparhawk shortly.
    ‘If I can find a ship, only until tomorrow morning.’
    ‘You shouldn’t have any trouble finding a ship. There are ships from all over western Eosia