"Elrod, P N - I, Strahd 1 - Memoirs of a Vampire e-txt" - читать интересную книгу автора (Elrod P N)

"If you should wish to put me out of the way, though, then please do not relax
your vigilance, for I can promise that the Ba'al Verzi will still be out there,
waiting for his moment."
Indeed, yes, for deception was the greatest weapon of that particular guild of
killers. Once they had operated openly, brazenly, until strict laws and liberal
executions forced them into society's shadows. Your oldest friend, your most
faithful servant, by the gods, even the mother that bore you could be a Ba'al
Verzi. Their ways were a secret among secrets, and should one be hired to kill
you… why then, you would die.
Unless you got him first. The Ba'al Verzi were uncannily sportsmanlike about
their victims. Should one of their number be caught out and stopped, then the
assassination was called off, never to be completed. The target had earned the
right to live, and an unworthy assassin had been handily culled from their
ranks.
"Why?" I repeated. "The war is over. What enemy could benefit from my death
now?"
"The man's exact words were 'beware the Ba'al Verzi, the great traitor who will
take all for himself.' I would rather expect the beneficiary would be among your
friends… such as you have."
True. A man in my position could not afford to have friends. The art of forming
friendships had not been one I'd ever sought to cultivate, anyway. Of all the
people I worked with or commanded, Alek Gwilym came the closest to fulfilling
that position. By right of battle skills and quick wit he'd earned his own place
in the ranks as my second-in-command, no small feat for a man who'd initially
joined our forces as a hired mercenary—and a foreigner, to boot. He said his
homeland was so far away that the name would have no meaning, so he never
bothered to name it. I couldn't honestly say that we really liked one another,
but we worked well together, and there was no little respect between us.
"Until he or she is discovered, you can trust no one. I expect that common sense
will guide you to include me in that number. I shan't be offended." His thin
lips quirked into a smile, and he sat back in his chair again.
"I'm so relieved to hear it," I informed him.
"There's no need for me to remind you what precautions must be taken."
"No," I agreed, and called to the guards standing just outside my tent. Both
hustled in with a minimum of noise, waiting for orders. If their instructions
puzzled them, they did not show it, being well trained and used to my ways.
While one remained inside, the other went off to roust out two more for duty.
From now on, or until I found the traitor, I would not be alone, waking or
sleeping. The Ba'al Verzi were known to strike only when their victim was
isolated, their chosen weapon being a special dagger. At least I would not have
to worry about being poisoned, smothered, or shot by an arrow or crossbow bolt.
Cold comfort, I thought darkly.
The guard watched over us with a stoic face as our supper was brought in and
consumed. He was insurance for us all. If either of them was the assassin,
neither could take action for the other's presence. It was a tidy little
standoff, but not one I planned to maintain forever.
I was not inclined to think that Alek was the man, not unless he wanted to make
things difficult for himself in order to enhance his reputation within the
killers' guild. Then again, I was not inclined to take chances, period. On the
field of battle it was different: you had a clearly defined enemy to fight, and