Babeltausque let go. “That first crown is for your trouble and discomfort.” He produced another. “The drinks will be on this. Top us all off. Mr. Wolf, I was wrong. This gentleman knows less than we do.” “Shit!”
“Include me in that sentiment.”
“Still a dead end.”
“Perhaps.” Babeltausque turned back to the bartender, who had filled all the mugs and now stood there shaking. “You recall the night in question? The drunk put on a show.”
“He pissed himself.”
“He did. Were any of your current clientele in here that night?” The bartender started to shrug, flexed the fingers of his right hand, thought better of playing dumb. “The one in the back, there, I don’t think I ever seen before tonight. He was drowned drunk when he got here. His whole crew was. They ordered up all them pitchers and was working them hard when, all of a sudden, like a flock of pigeons, they up and swooped out. I guess they couldn’t get him woke up to go.” Babeltausque had a feeling. “That would have been when?” “Maybe ten minutes before you showed.”
About the time they exited Castle Krief. Interesting. “I see. How many were there?”
The barkeep looked back at the sleeping man’s table. “I see six pitchers.
Each one ordered one. So five of them left.”
“How about these two?”
“They was probably here that night. They’re here every night. I don’t know where they get the money.”
“Mr. Wolf, please investigate the gentleman back there. I’ll talk to these two. Erik, Purlef, please remain alert. I’m sure we’re being watched.
Someone else would have tried to come buy a drink by now, otherwise.” Babeltausque had just planted himself with the drunks when Wolf said, “Sorcerer, I need you here.”
Though irked, Babeltausque got up and went. “What?” Wolf got a fist full of hair, tilted the drunk’s head back. “I see.”
“Looks like death on a stick.”
“Let me ask a few more questions.”
Babeltausque returned to the publican. “Did you recognize any of the men who came in with that fellow?”
Headshake. “I’m pretty sure they was from out of town. Maybe from Sedlmayr, out that way, the way they rolled their Rs.”
“I see. Thank you. Fill me up, please. This is actually rather a pleasant brew. You add just a pinch of ground rail bark, yes? Mr. Wolf? Erik? Purlef? Do you need topped up? No? And I thought I would be the lightweight. Sir. Tell me. Did yon fellow’s friends do any drinking themselves?”
“Like they wanted to float their kidneys. Like they wanted to get every pitcher empty in record time.”
“Excellent. You have been most helpful. Another crown for your trouble.”
As he settled down with the drunks Babeltausque realized he was enjoying himself. He could not recall the last time life was just plain fun.
He collected himself, grasped the near hand of the man to his right.
The drunk started as though shocked. His eyes opened. He sat up straight. He gulped air, took a long drink, began muttering a prayer.
He had been present the night of the kidnapping. He remembered the show. He was unaware that anything had happened to the drunk after he left the Twisted Wrench, nor did he know that Gales was anything but what he had pretended.
He had to labor through a half minute of grueling thought before he could name the current monarch-and then fell short by one. The second man was the brother-in-law of the first. His wife had forced him to take that night off. He knew nothing at all. The sorcerer announced, “We won’t get anything more here. Lead the way home, Mr. Wolf. Purlef, you and Erik support our new friend, there. I’ll follow along with a few spells readied.”
He watched Wolf calculate and conclude that those instructions made sense for a passage through potentially hostile territory. Babeltausque turned to the publican. “In a few minutes someone will come in asking about us.” He produced a bronze medal with turquoise inlays. It weighed a good six ounces. “Give this to the man who appears to be in charge. And this paper should go to a companion who seems dim and doesn’t say much. And this crown is me buying them drinks, however much they want.” He rubbed the crown over the medallion and paper. “Don’t touch these again except to hand them over.” Wolf asked, “You’re going to pull their noses?”
“I am going to grab hold and yank till they squeal.” He told the publican, “Expect the men of the garrison to come back, soon. Mr. Wolf. After you.”
The bartender watched them go, unsure if he should be pleased or terrified.
It was not every day that a wizard tramped through an ordinary man’s life. When one did excitement usually followed.
…
Flustered, hastily dressed, Inger rushed into Babeltausque’s quarters. She found Dr. Wachtel examining Josiah Gales. The wizard and Nathan Wolf watched, murmuring. The old doctor had been dragged out of bed. He was sleepwalking through his task.
Wolf told her, “They left him at the place where they kidnapped him. That makes no sense to me but I’m sure they had a reason.”
Babeltausque said, “I hope this doesn’t sound self-important, Majesty, but I believe that reason was me. They thought I might trace Gales, even if they killed him, so they just gave him up. I expect they had no more use for him, anyway.”
“ Could you have traced him?”
“I could have. I had his belongings to give me a scent.”
“Doctor, what’s his situation?”
“He’s dirty, dried out, and weak from lack of exercise. He wasn’t tortured or starved, though good nutrition was neglected. I see no reason why he shouldn’t recover completely, physically. Mentally, we’ll have to wait and see.”
“Could there be problems?”
“I don’t know. At the moment he is drunk and drugged. He tries to talk but makes no sense. He may be hallucinating.”
Inger stared at Gales. He was filthy but did not look bad otherwise. “Nathan, Babeltausque, thank you. You’ve made an excellent start. Come with me. Let’s talk about what comes next. Doctor, my apologies for your having been dragged out of bed.”
“It comes with the calling, dear.” He did not look up from cleansing a wrist abrasion.
Inger went to a small room no longer in use. She looked for eavesdroppers, checking the passageway behind one wall. “There must be more to this than you said.”
Babeltausque responded, “They knew we were coming. They knew who was coming. That should be instructive. They know what we’re going to do as soon as we decide to do it.”
“Nathan?”
“I’m impressed with the wizard now that he’s out of the shadow of your cousin. There’s a lot more to him than I imagined.”
Babeltausque puffed up a little. “Thank you, Mr. Wolf. Your Majesty, I left those people with messages of my own. I’m hoping they’re stupid. If you will indulge me, then, I need to get back to work.”
“Doing?”
“Following up. This isn’t over because we recovered Colonel Gales. Unless you want those people free to go on about their mischief.”
“No! Get on with it. And I’ll pray that your luck continues.”
…
Chames Marks dipped a cup into the pail of beer. The girl followed suit. He said, “You’re too young for that, Haida.”
“I need it. The way that man looked at me! Wearing that sweet smile…” “There might be a monster behind the merry eyes?”
“I really wanted to bring him here so Arnulf could work on him.” They were in the back of a butcher shop. Arnulf Black was the proprietor. Haida was under the mistaken notion that Black disposed of people Chames did not like.
“I’ll see to it that you don’t run into him again.”
“I don’t think he was looking at me. I think he saw a fantasy girl.” “Probably true. Get the chessboard. We’ll play while we wait for Brom.” Chames smiled. It was not hard to distract Haida if he engaged her intellect.
She played him tough. He could not shut his mind down. The back door rattled suddenly, frantically. Chames rose. “Something’s gone wrong. Slide out the other way. Go to the shop. Wait there. No lights.”