here and die?”
“Of course not.” Maklavir straightened up. “But there has to be a better way. I’ve no doubt that you’re a capable warrior, but trying to take on five other men at the same time is a bit much, isn’t it? You’d be killed for certain.”
“Probably,” said Kendril somberly. “But at least you and Jade would have a chance.”
Maklavir shook his head. “That’s not the most ideal plan I’ve ever heard, Kendril.”
“No, Maklavir, it isn’t,” Kendril said, the irritation sounding through in his voice. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not in the most ideal of situations here. Believe me, I’ve thought this through, and I can’t see other realistic option. We wait here, and they’ll kill us. We attack, and they’ll probably kill us, too, but at least we have a chance to break free.”
“There has to be some other way.” Maklavir thought for a moment. “What about another way to get out? Besides the gates?”
Kendril gave a shake of his head. “The stockade is too high. We could never climb it, and they’d see us if we tried. What other choice do we have? Chop through the walls with hatchets? Dig under them? All without being seen?” He picked up the pistol again. “No, making a rush for it is our only chance.”
Maklavir’s face seemed to suddenly light up. “What about blasting through the wall?”
Kendril bit back an angry response, and took a deep breath. “With what? We’d need a barrel of gunpowder, and the explosion would probably take out half the outpost.”
“Oh, I don’t think you’d need a barrel. Depending on how thick the logs are, I’d say no more than a few small charges. Even the sturdiest structure can be brought down as long as there are explosives placed in the right spots.”
Kendril turned his head, staring at Maklavir as if seeing him for the first time. “You know how to do that?”
“Oh, certainly. It really isn’t that hard. Just a matter of learning the right techniques.” He smiled. “Explosives are kind of a hobby of mine, really. Why, when I was young, I—”
“How much gunpowder would you need?” Kendril interrupted.
Maklavir thought for a moment. “Not very much. I have some small charges I keep in my saddlebag, out in the stable.”
Kendril leaned in, his voice low and deliberate. “Let me get this straight. You could blow out a section of the wall? Large enough for us to get through?”
“Certainly. Of course, it would be slightly more difficult at night with everything all wet. I usually don’t work under those kind of conditions. Well,” he added after a slight pause, “there was one time, a few years ago in a small border town near the Snowy Mountains. Of course, that situation was rather exceptional. For some reason, people seemed to get the idea that I was cheating at cards—”
“I’d say this is a pretty exceptional situation, too,” said Kendril in scathing voice. “Just tell me, yes or no—can you do it?”
Maklavir looked him in the eyes. “Yes, I think I could. It certainly beats charging out to our death, at any rate.”
For a moment there was silence, then Kendril gave a broad grin. “Why Maklavir,” he said, clapping the man on the shoulder, “maybe you aren’t entirely useless after all.” He got up quickly from the chair and headed for the back of the inn.
“Why thank you,” mumbled the diplomat.
“How’s the face?”
Queltin touched his cheek gingerly. “It hurts like Void fire, but I can fight.”
“Good,” said Montrose. He turned to the window, staring across at the shape of the inn that continued to defy him.
Regvar ran his thumb absently down the blade of his basket-hilt rapier. “So, what’s the plan, boss?”
Montrose gave a low growl, his eyes fixed on the inn. “I’m thinking.”
Queltin dabbed at his stitched-up wound with a handkerchief. “The one with the pistols is trouble. I don’t know who he is, or what his business with her is,
“Of course not.” Maklavir straightened up. “But there has to be a better way. I’ve no doubt that you’re a capable warrior, but trying to take on five other men at the same time is a bit much, isn’t it? You’d be killed for certain.”
“Probably,” said Kendril somberly. “But at least you and Jade would have a chance.”
Maklavir shook his head. “That’s not the most ideal plan I’ve ever heard, Kendril.”
“No, Maklavir, it isn’t,” Kendril said, the irritation sounding through in his voice. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not in the most ideal of situations here. Believe me, I’ve thought this through, and I can’t see other realistic option. We wait here, and they’ll kill us. We attack, and they’ll probably kill us, too, but at least we have a chance to break free.”
“There has to be some other way.” Maklavir thought for a moment. “What about another way to get out? Besides the gates?”
Kendril gave a shake of his head. “The stockade is too high. We could never climb it, and they’d see us if we tried. What other choice do we have? Chop through the walls with hatchets? Dig under them? All without being seen?” He picked up the pistol again. “No, making a rush for it is our only chance.”
Maklavir’s face seemed to suddenly light up. “What about blasting through the wall?”
Kendril bit back an angry response, and took a deep breath. “With what? We’d need a barrel of gunpowder, and the explosion would probably take out half the outpost.”
“Oh, I don’t think you’d need a barrel. Depending on how thick the logs are, I’d say no more than a few small charges. Even the sturdiest structure can be brought down as long as there are explosives placed in the right spots.”
Kendril turned his head, staring at Maklavir as if seeing him for the first time. “You know how to do that?”
“Oh, certainly. It really isn’t that hard. Just a matter of learning the right techniques.” He smiled. “Explosives are kind of a hobby of mine, really. Why, when I was young, I—”
“How much gunpowder would you need?” Kendril interrupted.
Maklavir thought for a moment. “Not very much. I have some small charges I keep in my saddlebag, out in the stable.”
Kendril leaned in, his voice low and deliberate. “Let me get this straight. You could blow out a section of the wall? Large enough for us to get through?”
“Certainly. Of course, it would be slightly more difficult at night with everything all wet. I usually don’t work under those kind of conditions. Well,” he added after a slight pause, “there was one time, a few years ago in a small border town near the Snowy Mountains. Of course, that situation was rather exceptional. For some reason, people seemed to get the idea that I was cheating at cards—”
“I’d say this is a pretty exceptional situation, too,” said Kendril in scathing voice. “Just tell me, yes or no—can you do it?”
Maklavir looked him in the eyes. “Yes, I think I could. It certainly beats charging out to our death, at any rate.”
For a moment there was silence, then Kendril gave a broad grin. “Why Maklavir,” he said, clapping the man on the shoulder, “maybe you aren’t entirely useless after all.” He got up quickly from the chair and headed for the back of the inn.
“Why thank you,” mumbled the diplomat.
“How’s the face?”
Queltin touched his cheek gingerly. “It hurts like Void fire, but I can fight.”
“Good,” said Montrose. He turned to the window, staring across at the shape of the inn that continued to defy him.
Regvar ran his thumb absently down the blade of his basket-hilt rapier. “So, what’s the plan, boss?”
Montrose gave a low growl, his eyes fixed on the inn. “I’m thinking.”
Queltin dabbed at his stitched-up wound with a handkerchief. “The one with the pistols is trouble. I don’t know who he is, or what his business with her is,
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