Krondor the Assassins Read Online Free PDF Page A

holed up in the back with Mick Giffen, Reg deVrise, and Phil the Fingers.’’
    Graves and Kat exchanged glances. Those named were the most senior thieves in the Mockers. Giffen had succeeded Graves as leader of the bashers, deVrise oversaw those who burgled and fenced goods, and Phil was in charge of pickpockets, smash-and-grab gangs, and the urchins who ran the streets of Krondor.
    Limm continued. ‘‘The Nightmaster never showed. Word went out and we started looking for him. Just before dawn, we heard they found the Nightmaster floating in the sewers near the dock. His head was all bashed in.’’
    Kat almost gasped. ‘‘No one would dare touch him.’’
    Graves said, ‘‘No one in the know. But someone who didn’t care about the Mockers’ wrath would.’’
    ‘‘Here’s the dicey part,’’ said Limm. ‘‘The Daymaster says the Nightmaster was supposed to meet with the Upright Man.
    Now, as I understand things, if the Upright Man is supposed to meet with you, and you don’t show, he’s got ways of sending 26

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    word to the Daymaster or Nightmaster. Well, no word was heard. So the Daymaster sends one of the boys, Timmy Bas-colm, if you remember him—’’ they nodded ‘‘—and Timmy turns up dead an hour later.
    ‘‘So the Daymaster heads out with a bunch of bashers and an hour later they come running back to Mother’s and hole up. Nobody’s saying anything, but word spreads: the Upright Man’s gone.’’
    Graves was silent for a minute, then said, ‘‘He must be dead.
    There’s no other explanation for this.’’
    ‘‘And there are bully boys to make a strong man faint chasing through the sewers, last night, so Jackie and I figure the hunt is on and our best bet is to lie low somewhere. We got run to ground last night near Five Points—’’ both Kat and Graves knew the region of the city sewers by that name ‘‘—so after they killed Jackie, I figured my best bet was to get here, with you.’’
    Graves said, ‘‘You want to leave Krondor?’’
    The boy said, ‘‘If you’ll take me. There’s a war on, for truth, and I’m the last of my band alive. If the Upright Man is dead, all bets are off. You know the rules. If the Upright Man isn’t here, it’s every man for himself and make what deal you can.’’
    Graves nodded. ‘‘I know the rules.’’ His voice lacked the rough, commanding edge Limm had come to know as a boy in the Mockers, when Graves was first among the bashers. Still, Graves had saved Limm several times, from freebooting thugs and the Prince’s men alike. Limm would do whatever Graves said.
    After a moment of reflection, Graves spoke. ‘‘You stay here, boy. No one in the Guild knows you’ve helped Kat and me, and the truth is, I’m fond of you. You were always a good lad, 27

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    as far as that goes. Too full of yourself, but what boy isn’t at times?’’ He shook his head in regret. ‘‘Out there it’ll be every hand against us—Mockers, Prince’s men, or the Crawler’s. I’ve got a few friends left, but if the blood is running in the sewers, who knows how long I can count on them?’’
    ‘‘But everyone else thinks you’ve escaped!’’ objected Limm.
    ‘‘Just me and Jackie knew, ‘cause you told us so we could fetch you food. Those notes you sent out, to the Temple, and some of your friends, to that magician you traveled with . . .’’ He waved his hand as if trying to recall the name.
    ‘‘Owyn,’’ Graves supplied.
    ‘‘Owyn,’’ repeated Limm. ‘‘Word spread through the city you’d fled to Kesh. I know at least a dozen bashers were sent outside the walls to track you down.’’
    Graves nodded. ‘‘And an equal number of monks from the Temple, too, I warrant.’’ He sighed. ‘‘That was the plan. Lie low here while they looked for us out there.’’
    Kat, who had remained silent throughout, said, ‘‘It was a good plan,