“We all know what curiosity did to the cat, girl,” said Darien.
“I am not a cat,” she said.
“I know women who would disagree with that statement,” said Darien.
“Not for very long,” said Nuala.
“Not once you have shown them your claws anyway.” Darien sniffed the air and closed his eyes and murmured something again. “The scent is getting much stronger.”
“I am not surprised, we are getting very close to the Blue Wyvern,” Nuala said.
“Let us move around the building,” Darien said. “I will see if I can pick up the trail.”
“Let’s try and keep out of sight,” Nuala said. “It would not do for Scar’s bravoes to see us.”
Darien nodded and they made a sweep around the outside of the tavern, sticking to the alleys, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. By the end of it, Darien was frowning.
“What is it?” Kormak asked.
“The trail leads in to the Blue Wyvern.”
“I already know that.”
“It does not go out.”
“So Razhak is still within.”
“It seems the most likely option. You seem surprised.”
“I would have expected the demon to take a new form and flee.”
“Perhaps it has come to some accommodation with Scar. They would have something to offer each other.”
“It would be a dangerous pact for Scar to make.”
“He lacks your specialised knowledge on the subject of Ghuls, or mine for that matter.”
“There is another possible explanation,” Nuala said. Kormak and the wizard looked at her.
“Razhak knows you will come back for her. She may have told Scar this. They might be waiting for you within. If they are sensible, they may even have watchers set already. You are most likely walking into a trap, Guardian.”
Kormak looked at the wall surrounding the Blue Wyvern. “I am going to have to go back in there, it seems.”
“I trust you are not planning on doing so through the front door,” said Darien. “That would seem particularly lacking in sense.”
“I can get you in,” said Nuala. “We go over the lock and up the cornices and in through the balcony on the third floor. All the lower windows are barred.”
“It sounds like you’ve given this some thought on a previous occasion,” said Kormak.
“Nuala can’t look at a house without thinking of a way in through the window,” said Darien, ignoring the glare the girl gave him.
Kormak considered his options. At least, he knew where the Ghul was, if Darien was telling the truth. The question was whether Razhak had changed forms once again and how to find him once he was in the building. Still, it was better than he had feared. At least he did not have to chase the demon through the city, looking for a trail of destroyed corpses. Of course, there were some unpleasant potential implications of the fact that the Ghul had decided to stay in one place as well. It was perhaps expecting him, and it had, perhaps, cut some sort of deal with Scar. Nuala was right. He might well be walking into a trap. He noticed that both the girl and Darien were staring at him.
“Well, what do you want to do?” the girl asked.
“I am going in.”
“I am going with you. You don’t look like you know how to take out a pane of glass without making a noise. Or are you planning on just smashing a window and hacking your way through Scar’s men?”
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
“All that will get you is dead and your demon will still be on the loose.”
“Very well then,” said Kormak. “Let’s get going.”
They made their way up to the wall. It was tall enough so that Kormak could reach the lip of the wall by stretching, but broken glass and nails had been set in the stonework on the top.
Nuala removed her leather jerkin and wadded it up. “Boost me up,” she said.
Kormak made a stirrup of his hands and lifted the girl. She threw the jerkin over the sharp objects and then used it to stand on as she crossed. Kormak pulled himself up with his fingers and scrambled over with less grace than the girl. He felt as if the glass had punctured the jerkin in places but the garment had served to reduce any damage to mere scratches on his own clothing.
Nuala reached up and pulled the jerkin down. She opened it up, revealing slices and punctures in several places. “You’ll pay for that,” she said.
“I suspected I was going to,” Kormak said.
“It’s my favourite,” she said, as if that explained everything, and perhaps it did to her. She glanced around. The garden looked empty and there were no guards anywhere in sight. They padded across it, keeping to the shadows.
“I always expect black lions in places like this,” whispered Nuala.
“Not very convenient when you have clients coming and going and the neighbours might complain,” Kormak said.
“There is that.”
They reached the wall. Kormak could see what Nuala had meant. Rows of gargoyles were carved on the side of the building from the second floor. She reached within her jerkin and produced a coil of rope. It looked as thin as string and Kormak doubted it would hold their weight. That did not seem to bother Nuala as she coiled it into a noose and then threw it over the nearest gargoyle.
“Spidersilk,” she said and began to clamber up the line. “It’s strong enough to hold both of us, although I suggest you don’t put that to the test unless you absolutely have to.” She reached the first gargoyle, grasped it and pulled herself up. That put her within reach of another gargoyle and she just kept climbing. Kormak decided he had better follow her.
In armour, it was not quite as easy as the girl made it look but he managed. Within a few minutes he found himself dropping onto the balcony beside her. “You’ve done this before,” he said.
She nodded and inspected the panes in the window. Just the fact they were of glass told Kormak that Scar’s operation was making money. In the west only the richest could afford glass. City councils often taxed people based on the number of glass windows they had. It was as good an indicator of wealth as any other. She produced a very narrow, very thin dagger and worked it slowly into the window frame; softly and slowly she sawed away and the lowest pane began to slide out. It fell quietly backwards and made a gap. She put her hand through behind the next highest pane and repeated the procedure catching the glass before it could fall as the small pane toppled backwards. After a couple of minutes she reached the latch and undid it, and opened the window.
She crawled through and gestured for Kormak to follow. They were in a quiet chamber, lit by moonlight. Nuala moved over to the doorway and opened it. Kormak followed her. They were looking out into a long corridor, lined with doorways.
“Scar uses these rooms for his wealthier clients. The ones with the lighted windows will be occupied by some of the local gentry, puffing away on his wares.”
“Nice to know,” said Kormak, “but that’s not going to help us find Razhak.”
“You think it will still be wearing Ana’s body,” she asked.
“It most likely is. I doubt it would want even Scar to see it shift forms. That would be likely to turn even an orc against it.”
“What if it has? Could you still spot it?”
“There are signs, if you know what to look for.”
“It might be helpful to know what those are.”
“I don’t have the time to lecture you on the subject,” Kormak said. “Stick close to me and I will let you know if we are in his presence.”
She nodded. They pushed on along the corridor and came to a flight of stairs leading down. A man and a scantily clad woman came up them and Kormak realised they had their own business. Nuala pushed herself against him as she had done when the guard appeared earlier and he hoped the bar-girl and her client did not look too closely at them.
“The girls use the private rooms upstairs,” she said, after they separated. She seemed to be breathing a little faster than normal. Kormak knew he was. “There’s supposed to be other rooms in the basement, with chains and other more exotic devices for those who like such things.”