“He is a leading Saghred scholar,” Mychael said. “Yes, he would know.”

I didn’t need to know that.

Phaelan’s low whistle came from the alley. Show time.

I slipped into the alley next to Phaelan. Mychael stayed around the corner. I’d told him before we’d left Sirens that I wanted a shot at Ocnus first. I was the one he had set up; I was the one with the beacon stuck around my neck. I felt that earned me certain rights and privileges. Before tonight, I’d never thought of strangling Ocnus as a right or privilege, but the past few days had been full of firsts.

I looked around. No Ocnus. “Where is he?”

Phaelan’s smile flashed in the dim light. “He’s finishing off his last pint now. I had Norleen giving him free ale. He’ll have to stop here before he leaves.”

“Here?” Understanding dawned, and it didn’t smell good.

Phaelan grinned. “Yeah, right here.”

“Am I standing in…?” I looked down at my boots in disgust.

His grin grew to wolfish proportions and he tapped his own boot in something wet. “Highly likely. Payback is hell, cousin. From Nigel’s stinking alley to Ocnus’s.”

Now I remembered why I avoided alleys in this part of the waterfront. I was glad it was a cool night. In high summer, the smell would have been unbearable.

Never think a night can’t get any worse. There’s all kinds of worse.

“Who’s Norleen?” I asked, trying in vain to keep my mind off my feet.

“The brew mistress here. I knew her when she worked at the Beggar’s Back. Brews fine ale, but the dwarf who owns this place is too cheap to sell the lady’s nectar at full strength. He thinks he can make more profit if he waters it down. But I understand you can get it full strength if you slip Norleen a little extra.”

“Ocnus is no use to us drunk,” I reminded him.

“No problem. Norleen made sure he filled his bladder before his brain. He’ll be just relaxed enough to make him receptive to questioning.” He grinned. “Or you could always speed things up and do a mind link.”

My expression and accompanying gesture let him know what I thought of that. Doing a mind link on someone like Ocnus was akin to turning over a rock and finding squishy things underneath. With Ocnus, finding something squishy was always guaranteed.

Phaelan nodded toward the shadows Mychael had blended into. Literally blended into. Eerie. Phaelan’s look wasn’t entirely approving. “What do you think about that one? I don’t trust him.”

The two Guardians from Tam’s place were standing not five feet away. Phaelan didn’t seem to care. If his goal for the evening was to have the blond Guardian’s ax embedded in his skull, he was off to a fine start.

“I don’t expect you will,” I told him. “His job is to uphold the law. Yours isn’t. If I want to get rid of this thing, I’m going to need some help. He’s my top candidate.” I looked at the tavern’s door. “Are Ocnus’s pet goons still with him?”

“Never three feet from his side,” Phaelan said. “It’s enough to make me claustrophobic. He must be nervous tonight.”

I snorted. “I wonder why. I hope Norleen gave them free ale, too. The less sober people we have to deal with, the better.”

“Full strength to one, but the other’s not drinking. She tried, but no dice.”

“Not a problem,” the blond Guardian rumbled.

I jumped. I’d almost forgotten they were there.

The Guardian grinned down at me. “Not to worry. We’ll entertain those two while you and the captain talk to Master Rancil.”

He sounded only too happy to help. I could develop a soft spot for the ax wielder.

Phaelan was right. Ocnus, and his bladder, had more than their fill of Norleen’s brew. We slipped farther into the alley. Apparently there were only so many places Ocnus’s twin mountains of muscle would go with him. Alleys that doubled as public urinals didn’t make the cut. Maybe they weren’t as dumb as they looked. The two Guardians drifted silently to either side of the alley entrance, and literally blended into the shadows like their commander. It was spooky. Ocnus came into the alley. His guards didn’t. I heard their boot scuffs. Then I didn’t. Like I said, spooky.

Phaelan had done this sort of thing before and deemed it prudent to wait until Ocnus had finished doing what he came to do before apprehending him. Something to do with the possibility of accidents. Unlike most of Phaelan’s plans, I didn’t question the wisdom of this one.

Once Ocnus was actually in the alley, I found a simply fascinating spot on the wall that warranted my complete and undivided attention. Phaelan would handle the more physical aspects of securing Ocnus. I was here in case Ocnus was still capable of defense of the magical variety.

I heard a thump followed by a strangled squeal. So much for Ocnus being capable.

Phaelan had him neatly pinned to the alley wall. “Hello, Ocnus.”

“Captain Benares,” the sorcerer squeaked.

I stepped out of the shadows, my most serious I’m-going-to-hurt-you-now look on my face. I was hoping Ocnus would buy my bluff and I wouldn’t actually have to do anything. Especially anything that involved touching him. From the widening of Ocnus’s eyes, I guessed I was the last person he expected to come face-to-face with tonight. Then again, Ocnus’s bulging eyes may have been due to Phaelan’s forearm on his throat. I told myself it was me. It helped keep the evil glint in my eye.

Ocnus was still alive and walking around the city because certain people found him useful. Like now. Those same people had also allowed him to live because it would be difficult to explain to the city watch that they’d killed Ocnus just because he was annoying. While the watch all knew Ocnus and would understand the reason, the law wouldn’t let them approve of it.

“Spending the Mal’Salin gold you earned last night?” I asked.

“Last night was just business, nothing personal.”

“Piaras Rivalin was beaten and we were both kidnapped.” I stepped in closer to Ocnus than I wanted to be. For people like him, intimidation and proximity went hand in hand. It was crude, but it worked. “Last night was everything personal.”

Ocnus managed to shake his head. “You don’t understand.”

“I think I do. Word has it that Sarad Nukpana is looking for you.”

Ocnus tried a smile, but it just came off looking queasy. “He gave me the night off.”

Phaelan sighed regretfully, though I knew he didn’t regret one thing he was prepared to do. “Ocnus, you really need to work on your lying. You’ve been here less than an hour, and you’ve finished off five pints all by yourself. Even one of your guard dogs was hard pressed to keep pace.”

The pudgy sorcerer looked around wildly.

“They found something else to do,” I told him. “You might see them later.”

“I think you’re having a bad night,” Phaelan surmised, “and you’re trying to drink yourself into a better one. It doesn’t work that way. Trust me, I know.”

“I don’t think you have the night off,” I told Ocnus. “I think you’ve run away from home.”

Phaelan adjusted his grip. “You running away from home, Ocnus?”

The sorcerer squirmed a little and squeaked.

“I think that’s a ‘yes’,” I said.

“Your Mal’Salin friends wouldn’t get within a mile of this dump,” Phaelan said. “We think that’s why you’re here. You must have done something extra naughty to put an entire city between you. Care to share with us?”

I leaned in close. “I’ll settle for where the Saghred is. Since Chigaru Mal’Salin already paid you the fifty tenari you were going to charge me, I’ll just take the information.”

Ocnus’s eyes flickered to my chest. He suspected the beacon was there, at least that’s what I told myself. If I let myself think otherwise, Ocnus wouldn’t be in any condition to tell me anything. One of my fists flexed involuntarily. Then again he didn’t need all his teeth to talk.

“The Saghred has always belonged to the Mal’Salins,” Ocnus managed. Phaelan hadn’t lightened the pressure on his neck, but I could hear a faint note of smugness. The smugness of someone pleased with a job well done.

“Which one? King Sathrik or Prince Chigaru?”

Ocnus squirmed some more.

“Yeah, I thought so. That has to be a problem for you, especially considering that the king brought Sarad Nukpana along on his little goodwill trip. Psychos don’t have much of a sense of humor when it comes to being double-crossed.”

“Professionally speaking, there’s nothing wrong with having two clients vying for the same prize,” Phaelan noted. “But it’s risky, and takes a certain level of skill to get away with their money and your life. Ocnus here just isn’t that gifted.”

I narrowed my eyes and twisted the corner of my mouth into what I’d been told was a smile that promised many bad things. Considering the anger I had bubbling just beneath the surface, I didn’t have to try very hard to look mean. I slowly drew my favorite dagger for good measure. It was thin and slightly curved. Ocnus had heard what I had done with it last year. Little of it was actually true. When it came to maintaining a reputation, facts were fleeting, but you could ride a rumor for years. It wasn’t facts that had Ocnus shaking in his puddle.

“And I don’t think you’re much of a risk taker,” I said, fighting back several violent urges. Phaelan looked similarly challenged. “I think you know where the Saghred is. So does Sarad Nukpana. You can tell us here, or we can go somewhere quiet and we’ll ask you again, and we’ll keep asking until you tell us. It’s entirely up to you.”

“Nukpana won’t allow this,” Ocnus squeaked around Phaelan’s arm.

Phaelan chuckled. “You actually want him to know? You’re crazier than he is. If you don’t tell her everything, either I’ll kill you, or she can put that filleting knife of hers to good use. And as long as we have you, Nukpana will think you talked. Either way, your night’s going to go from bad to worse unless you tell us where the Saghred is.”