"Dave Duncan - Tales of King's Blades 5 - The Jaguar Knights" - читать интересную книгу автора (Duncan Dave)

“He was murdered!” she shouted, shaken out of her flippancy at last. “By an outlaw Blade, while you
stood by and did absolutely noth-ing to help him!”

“It is bad manners to interfere in a private quarrel.”

“You murder and then joke about it?”

“You expect a serial killer to weep? We were sent to arrest Lord Gosse. He and his Blades had flown,
leaving Sir Rodden behind to delay pursuit. Inquisitor Schlutter drew on him—drew on a Blade
defending his ward! Coroners usually call that suicide, Hogwood.”

“But Schlutter was in charge. You were supposed to defend him. That was what you were there for!
Instead, you waited until Rodden killed him and only then did you kill Rodden.You snuffed him like a
candle, they said. If he was so easy for you, why did you wait until it was too late to save Schlutter?”

“It was my going-away present for the boy.”

She stared at him aghast, knowing that he spoke the truth.

Rodden had been Lynx’s best friend at Ironhall, and his death was entirely Schlutter’s fault.When
Gosse’s other two Blades spirited their ward away, they left Rodden to cover their getaway, although he
was by far the youngest.That was a breach of the code and Rodden quite rightly resented it.The trail was
at least a day old by the time the King’s men arrived, so there was time to argue and heroics would do
little good. He had understood that.Wolf could have talked him

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THE J A GU AR KNIGHTS

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into letting the King’s men go past, and that would have saved his life, if not his sanity. But Idiot Schlutter
tried to arrest him at swordpoint. Rodden resisted, of course, and after that there was no hope for him.

Wolf’s turn.“Give me your professional opinion, Inquisitor. I know

you have a golden key to open locked doors.Will it raise a portcullis?” “No.” “Knowing my brother, I
am certain that Quondam was locked up

tight three nights ago. Can you suggest any way the murderers could

have entered such a fortress?” “Treachery or conjuration.” “Has the Dark Chamber any theories on who
the raiders were?” “I was told it does not.” “A curious evasion.” Her chin jerked upward.“Agents are
told only as much as they need
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