The Yellow Silk - Don Bassingthwaite [86]
Li cut the rope around his wrists and the bonds on their ankles. Tycho stretched gratefully and swung the shoulder on which he had fallen in gentle arcs. The joint protested, but not badly. He climbed to his feet and checked on Cado. "Unconscious, but not dead." He dug through the tall man's pockets and reclaimed his silver coin. Li, however, took a second knife from Vencil's body and looked in the direction of the stairs. Tycho followed his gaze. "The Hooded," he said.
"Yu Mao," said Li. "Do you still doubt it? Do you still think I'm wrong in what I have to do? He knew who I was and he tried to kill us anyway."
Tycho hesitated. "No," he said finally. "I don't doubt it." He held out his hand and Li gave him one of the knives- the smaller of the two. Tycho closed his fist around the handle. "But before you kill him, I want to get Brin's beljurils. You may not need to talk to him anymore, but I still need to buy him off!"
"He may want to reward you for killing his rival."
"That's not the sort of thing I want a reward for."
They bound Cado, gagged him with a strip of cloth, and tucked him away in the darkest corner they could find. Vencil's body they dumped into the pool-Li shuddered as he saw the speed with which the water seized it and took it away. With the obvious signs of their struggle gone, someone would need to look closely to find Vencil's blood on the shadowed floor. There was no one else in the cellar, but there was also no guarantee that there was only one way in and they didn't need anyone raising an alarm.
Li led the way up the stairs, creeping slowly, knife at the ready. Both of them were alert for anyone coming down from above. No one did. Just before they reached the top, Tycho touched Li's leg. "Let me go first," he whispered. "If there are more of the Hooded's men in there, I can take them down with a spell. I might even be able to catch Yu Mao." Li frowned. Tycho shook his head. "It won't hurt them," he reassured him. Li's frown didn't lighten, but he stood aside. Tycho squeezed past and climbed to the top of the stairs. Putting one hand on the door handle, he held the other up to Li, three fingers extended.
He folded the first finger and his hand tightened on the handle.
He folded the second and drew a deep breath.
He folded the third, ripped open the door, and stepped through, spell on his tongue.
The Hooded's hall was empty.
"Bind me!" he hissed as Li came bounding in after him. He darted over and checked the gang boss's table. Its top was clear, though the stroke of Li's scimitar cut a light line across the wood, and there were no drawers underneath. Other than the table and its matching chair, the room was empty.
"Three other doors," said Li quietly. He pointed at one. "The leatherworker's shop."
Tycho pointed as well. "Cado brought me a chair from that one. It's probably a storeroom.",
"Or a private room."
Tycho's finger paused and swung to the third door. "That one? Which way did the Hooded's men come from before?" Li shook his head. Tycho hissed. "All right." He strode up to the third door and opened it.
Gathered around a table, talis cards in their hands, three men looked up in surprise. One of them dropped his cards and grabbed for a cocked crossbow.
Tycho choked and slammed the door shut. An instant later, there was a sharp thunk against the other side. He whipped the door open again. Exactly at head height, a crossbow bolt quivered in the wood. The men were on their feet, cards forgotten in favor of daggers and swords. Tycho swirled his hand through the air and sang out a spell, powerful yet at the same time as soft and gentle as a breeze.
First one man, then another, and finally the third, staggered and slid to the ground in deep slumber.
Li looked in past Tycho and nodded in impressed approval. He pointed at a fallen sword with a questioning look. "Go ahead," Tycho told him. "They won't wake up." He stepped into the room himself and looked around. Table, bench, a bed-and no other way out. He cursed.
"The other door," said Li. He picked up