Into The Darkness

"Just what I always wanted." Frontino's expression belled his words.

He examined Martusino. "This isn't the first time I've seen this lug, but I'll be cursed if I can remember his name. Who are you, pal?"

Martusino hesitated for a split second. Before he could give a false name, Bembo hefted the club. Martusino abruptly decided playing the game by the rules would be a good idea. He answered the warder's questions without backtalk after that. Bembo had questions to answer, too, some of them duplicating the ones Pesaro had asked. When they were over, Frontino took a small stick out of the desk drawer - Bernbo got another glimpse of that interesting book cover - and aimed it at Martusino. At his nod, Bembo undid the manacles. The constable also held his club at the ready.

"Strip off," the warder told Martusino. "Come on, come on - everything. You know the drill, so don't make me tell you anything twice."

Martusino, shed shoes and stockings, then pulled off tunic, kilt, and finally drawers. "Skin and bones," Bembo said disdainfully. "Nothing but skin and bones." The prisoner gave him a dirty look, but seemed to think another comment would earn him another clout. He was night.

Frontino rose, gathered up the belongings, and stuffed them into cloth bag. Then he threw Martusino a tunic, a kilt, and cloth slippers striped in black and white - lockup garb. Sullenly, the prisoner put it a.

It didn't fit very well. He knew better than to complain. "The judge decides you're innocent, you'll get your own junk back then," warder said. He and Bembo both grinned; they knew how unlikely it was. He went on, "Otherwise, come see me when you get out. I may have some trouble remembering where I stashed it, but expect I will if you ask me nice." [..kyou.] pay me off, he meant.

Helpfully, Bembo said, "Pesaro thinks they may just up and hang this time."

Martusino scowled. The warder shrugged. "Well, in that case he pr ably won't be coming back for it. It won't go to waste." Bembo nodded. "In that case, Frontino would keep what he wanted and sell the [..i..] Warders rarely died poor."

"They won't hang me," Martusino said, though he sounded more hopeful than confident.

"Come on." Frontino unlocked the big iron lock on the outer do, the lockup. "Go on in." Martusino obeyed. Bembo and the warder watched him through the barred window. The inner door had a serious lock. The warder mumbled the words to the releasing spell. The door flew open. Martusino went in among the rest of the prisoners having their punishment. Frontino mumbled again. The door slammed shut.

"What would happen if a prisoner who knew some magecraft went to work on that inner door?" Bembo asked.

"It's supposed to be proof against anyone below a second-rank mage," the warder answered, "and fancy mages don't go into the ordinary lockup you'd best believe they don't, Bembo my boy. We have special holes for them."

"I've heard fancy whores say things like that," Bembo remarked.

Frontino snorted and gave him a shot in the ribs with an elbow. "I didn't know you were such a funny fellow," he said.

"I don't want too many people to know," Bembo said. "If they did, I'd have to go up on the stage and get rich and famous, and I don't sup pose I could stand that. I'd rather stay a simple constable."

"You're pretty simple, all night," Frontino agreed.

Bembo laughed, but not the way the warder thought he did: he'd expected Frontino to say something like that, and was amused to be right.

Something else crossed his mind. "Say, what was that you were reading?" he asked. "It looked pretty interesting."

"Talk about your fancy whores," the warder said, and pulled the book out of the desk. When Bembo could tear his eyes away from that arresting cover illustration, he discovered the romance was called Putinai: the Emperor's Lady. Frontino gave it his most enthusiastic recommendation: "She does more screwing in a week than an army of cabinetmakers could in a year."

" Sounds good." Bembo read the fine print under the title: "Based on the exciting true history of the turbulent Kaunian Empire." He shook his head. "Kaunians have always been filthy people, I guess."

"I'd say so," the warder agreed." Putinai does everything, and loves every bit of it, too. You can borrow the book after I'd done with it - if you promise to give it back."

"I will, I will," Bembo assured him, with something less than perfect sincerity.

Frontino must have recognized that, for he said, "Or you could spring for one yourself Seems like every third romance these days is about how vile the Kaunian Empire was and how the bold, fierce Algarvian mercenaries finally overthrew it. Our ancestors were tough bastards, if half what you read is true."

"Aye," Bembo said. "Well, maybe I win buy one. A little extra cash in my pockets wouldn't hurt, though."