‘You’ve got to be kidding.’
Jeb Stuart Ho took a step forward and thrust the gun under the Minstrel Boy’s chin.
‘Move!’
The Minstrel Boy began to scramble out of the coffin. He pointed an accusing finger at Jeb Stuart Ho.
‘You are going to regret this, my man.’
He tentatively swung his legs over the side and placed his feet on the floor. He tried to stand but his legs buckled and he dropped to the flagstones. He looked up at Jeb Stuart Ho.
‘You’re going to have to help me. I’m kind of weak. I haven’t moved in quite a while.’
Jeb Stuart Ho lowered his gun and bent down, extending a hand to the Minstrel Boy. The Minstrel Boy grasped the offered hand, and then suddenly jerked and twisted. He pulled at Jeb Stuart Ho’s arm. For a moment he swung off balance. The gun wavered. The Minstrel Boy kicked at Ho’s legs, but the executive turned on the balls of his feet, avoided the Minstrel Boy’s thrashing legs, and aimed a precise blow with the edge of his own foot. It landed under the Minstrel Boy’s jaw, and he rolled against the side of the black steel coffin, clutching his throat.
‘What in hell did you do that for? You could have ruptured my windpipe.’
‘The blow did exactly what it was supposed to do.’
‘Huh?’
‘It was a reminder. I sought to hurt you, but not cause any serious damage. If anything like that happens again I shall break one of the less vital bones in your body.’
‘Okay, okay.’
‘On any subsequent occasion I’ll do an increasing amount of damage.’
‘Sure, great, I give in. I’m coming with you.’
‘Just so we understand each other. Nothing must stand in the way of my mission.’
The Minstrel Boy got unsteadily to his feet. He was still massaging his bruised throat.
‘Okay, you’ve got a deal. I won’t cause any more trouble.’
Jeb Stuart Ho stood erect and watchful.
‘Then get dressed. We’ve wasted enough time already.’
The Minstrel Boy looked calculatingly at Jeb Stuart Ho.
‘There is one thing.’
‘What?’
‘I figure I ought to get paid for this job.’
‘You’ll be amply rewarded.’
‘How much?’
‘I guarantee the temple won’t turn down any reasonable request.’
‘Okay, that’s good enough.’
A small wash bowl was set in one corner of the bare stone room. Beside it was a simple wooden cupboard with a plain mirror set in the front of it. As the Minstrel Boy moved across the room, Jeb Stuart Ho noted that he was genuinely unsteady on his feet. He bent over the sink and splashed water on his face and neck.
‘That deprivation sure leaves you feeling bad.’
Jeb Stuart Ho looked bored.
‘That would seem adequate reason not to engage in it.’
The Minstrel Boy scowled.
‘I might have known you’d say that.’
The Minstrel Boy opened the cupboard, and took out a plain white cotton shirt. When he’d put this on, he removed a pair of grey pinstripe trousers from a hanger, and climbed into them. Next he pulled on a pair of high-heeled black boots, and tucked his pants into them. He turned to the mirror and dragged a comb through his dark, curly hair. He stepped back and admired the reflection of his pale, pinched face for a couple of moments. Then he lifted a belt that held five matched throwing knives, and strapped it around his hips. Jeb Stuart Ho glanced at him questioningly.
‘You don’t carry a gun?’
The Minstrel Boy grinned and shook his head. He patted the knives.
‘These will do me just fine. After all, I’ve got you to protect me, haven’t I? You’d be lost without me.’
Jeb Stuart Ho remained silent. The Minstrel Boy laughed and took a black frock coat from the cupboard. He slipped it on and brushed himself down. He clipped a miniature generator to his belt, and then completed his outfit with a wide-brimmed black hat with a silver and turquoise band. With a swift practised motion he tipped the hat over his eyes;, and grinned at Jeb Stuart Ho.
‘Okay, I’m ready. Where do you want to go?’
‘The city of Litz …’
‘Litz! I know Litz.’
‘There will be a problem in getting there.’
The Minstrel Boy laughed.
‘No, no, it’s a good distance, but there’s no real problem in getting there.’
Jeb Stuart Ho looked puzzled.
‘Then why do you laugh?’
‘Relief, I guess. Litz is, at least, halfway civilized. I began to think that you wanted to go to some weird place out in the fringes.’
‘It might come to that in the end, but Litz will do for now. Shall we get started?’
The Minstrel Boy sat down on the edge of the coffin.
‘Just hold on a minute. A trip to Litz isn’t just a short stroll. We need to plan the thing out.’
‘We can’t walk?’
‘No way. If we walked, I’d go insane before we were halfway there. We’ll need lizards.’
It was Jeb Stuart Ho’s turn to look puzzled.
‘Lizards?’
‘Sure, lizards. They’ll get us there, and all I’ll have to concentrate on is letting them know where we want to go. They’ll find their way there without any help.’
‘There are lizards in this place?’
The Minstrel Boy nodded.
‘Sure, there’s a bunch of them stabled in the lower levels. Nobody’ll notice if we take a couple.’
Jeb Stuart Ho raised a dubious eyebrow.
‘Will no one object if we remove something that is their property? Might they not become bitter about it?’
The Minstrel Boy shrugged.
‘What if they do? We’ll be long gone before that happens. In any case, I doubt if anyone will notice. Nobody hardly ever leaves here. I just hope someone’s remembered to feed them recently. Lizards are okay, but they have a tendency to get mean when they’re hungry.’
He pushed his shirt cuffs out from his jacket with a sharp hustler’s gesture, and jerked his head for Jeb Stuart Ho to follow him. They left the bare room with its steel coffin, and started down the endless corridors of Wainscote. It was almost like a dress rehearsal for the coming adventure. Jeb Stuart Ho was already totally in the hands of the Minstrel Boy. The builders of Wainscote had employed no recognizable logic in its construction. He knew that he could easily wander for days before he found his way out. He carefully watched the Minstrel Boy’s back for any sign of a trick. He didn’t altogether like the situation, but he realized there was no other way.
They descended five flights of stone stairs. It was like dropping into the vaults of the earth. The ceilings became covered with trails of dark green slime that hung like stalactites. Jeb Stuart Ho and the Minstrel Boy had to duck their heads to avoid it brushing off on their clothes.
Jeb Stuart Ho noticed that as they went lower and lower, a smell somewhat like ammonia got stronger. At the bottom of the fifth set of stairs it became almost overpowering. Ho glanced at the Minstrel Boy.
‘What causes this smell?’
The Minstrel Boy scowled.
‘Lizards. They stink something cruel. Nobody ever cleans the pens.’
‘Why not?’
The Minstrel Boy looked at Jeb Stuart Ho impatiently.
‘Why should they bother? Who gives a fuck? Like I said, nobody ever goes anywhere.’
‘But they are living creatures.’
‘So?’
Jeb Stuart Ho gave up. It was obvious that the Minstrel Boy’s mind worked in a very different way to his. They reached the bottom of the last flight of steps. The smell became almost overpowering. Ho raised his cloak to cover his nose and mouth. The Minstrel Boy grinned at him.