Temple Hill - Drew Karpyshyn [12]
Corin snorted in disgust, almost retching as the foul air assailed his senses yet again.
"So we're just supposed to hide in here? Bury ourselves in the garbage and hope they eventually give up looking for us?"
The woman smiled, then began digging through the garbage along one of the walls. Corin shook his head in disbelief. She might have saved him from being beaten into submission, but cowering in a rotting back street wasn't his idea of an escape.
"Got it!" the woman exclaimed triumphantly, emerging from her digging with a tangled bundle of rope and wooden slats. Corin noticed two metal grappling hooks on the end.
"Help me untangle this ladder," she ordered.
Corin did his best, but between the alcohol and his amputation he proved to be more hindrance than help. Despite his ineffective efforts, the woman managed to unravel the ladder after only a few seconds. She dragged it over to the wall at the far end of the alley and-with a casual grace that spoke of years of practice-tossed the grappling hooks over the top of the wall. She pulled twice on the ladder to insure the anchors would hold, then began to climb.
Corin hesitated before following. He wasn't fond of heights at the best of times, and he definitely didn't relish the idea of being on top of the high wall while intoxicated.
Halfway up already, the woman glanced back down over her shoulder, obviously sensing his reluctance. "Once we're at the top, well just drop the ladder down the other side. It's our only way out." She paused for a second, her eyes shifting to focus on Corin's amputated stump. "I mean… it's a way out if you can manage the climb."
Corin glared up at her and grabbed one of the rungs with his left hand. "You just lead the way. I'll keep up."
Silt took less than a minute until Lhasha and her new companion were safely on the other side of the wall, standing in an alley very similar to the one they had just escaped from. Lhasha was impressed with how easily the one-handed man managed to climb up and down the ladder. Of course, she shouldn't have been surprised-not after seeing how he'd overpowered the Maces.
Beyond the wall the sounds of a full blown riot breaking out in the Fair could be heard. By the time the Maces restored order, Lhasha planned to be far, far away. She gave the ladder a firm snap, sending a rippling wave along its length. The grappling hooks on top came loose and fell at her feet with a loud clank.
"Thanks for rescuing me back there," she said as she rolled up the ladder. "They would have dragged me off to the Jailgates if you hadn't stepped in."
"I didn't do it for you," he replied gruffly. "I don't like the Maces."
Quite the understatement, Lhasha thought. "Whatever the reason, I appreciate it."
The man initially made no response. After several seconds of awkward silence he conceded in a grudging tone.
"I guess I should thank you for getting me out of that mob before the Maces found me. How did you know the ladder would be there, half-elf?"
Lhasha was momentarily taken aback. Few people noticed her mixed heritage. True, she was small and slight, but her features strongly favored her human father. People usually noticed her outlandish clothing, not the subtle characteristics-like the faint violet hue in her eyes, or the slight point of her ears-that betrayed her mixed heritage.
"My name is Lhasha, not Half-elf, and I put the ladder there long time ago. I used to work the Fair, in my younger days. I always wanted to have an emergency way out, in case something like this happened."
"You are a pickpocket!" he exclaimed, his good hand dropping to his belt to check on his purse. In a cold voice he added, "So you were trying to rob me."
Lhasha's back was to the wall they had just climbed. The man was between her and the alley's narrow exit to the main street. She noticed his sword was missing-he must have lost it in the fight. He was at least twice her size, and from his expressionless tone she had.no idea what he was thinking. She chose her words very carefully.