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“And I thought Outlaere such admirable folk,” Nortah co to where Scratch was busily sniffing the grass on the bank After a moment the slave-hound raised his head and bounded off, following the line of the river as they ran in pursuit He paused again a few hundred paces short of the city walls, circling around sohed into the earth
“Cart wheels,” Caenis said “They hid hiate”
Scratch was already off again, h with puzzled expressions but no words The Order was never to be questioned It was no surprise to Vaelin when Scratch soon led them to the southern quarter
The streets were mostly deserted save for the usual assortment of drunks and whores, most of whom found somewhere else to be when they saw five brothers fro Eventually Scratch stopped, standing tensed and still as he did when he was pointing out a trail when they hunted together His nose pointed directly at a tavern nestled in a shadowed alley way The sign hanging over the door h the s and they could hear the raucous babble of liquor inducedruently on the head “Stay,” he coave a plaintive whine as they moved towards the inn but did as he was told
“What’s the plan?” Dentos asked as they paused at the doorway
“I thought I’d ask them where Frentis is,” Vaelin replied “After that I expect we’ll find out if we’re as well taught as we think we are”
The vocal good huht of theed faces stared at them with a mixture of fear or palpable hatred The e, bald and clearly less than happy to see the towards the bar “A fine establishment you have here”
“Order ain’t welcome ‘ere,” the barman said Vaelin noted the thin sheen of sweat on his top lip “Ain’t right you comin’ in ‘ere ‘Snot your place”
“Oh don’t fret my fine fellow” Nortah clapped the man on the shoulder “We want no trouble All ant is our brother The one who stuck a knife in your ood fellow and tell us where he is and on’t kill you or any of your custoh the crowd and the bar with sweat For the briefest second his eyes flicked to his right before snapping back to Nortah “No brothers here,” he said
Nortah gave one of his best s to differ Tell onising pain of course, after his stomach has been slit open?”
Vaelin followed the line of the bar feet of nervous patrons and a dusty floor, except for a clean patch near the fireplace, a patch about a yard square As he moved forward to take a closer look a man rose from a table, a muscular man with the broad knuckles and indented nose coo-”
Vaelin punched hi on the dusty floorboards There was a cacophony of scraping chairs as other patrons rose, ain the crowd Vaelin crouched to inspect the patch of dust free floorboards which quickly revealed itself as a trap door Well ht here!” the bar custorowl of assent fro a variety of knives and cudgels
“Order bastards,” one of the a broad bladed knife “Ventured where you shouldn’t Need cutting down to size”