on moving," Hengit grumbled, anxious to be back on the surface and in the fresh air. Lucius, however, had stopped as well. Straining his ears, he looked down each path, trying to pinpoint the faint noise.
"That is not rats..." he said quietly.
Frozen, they all stood stock still, their senses reaching into the darkness around them. It was Hengit who identified the sounds first, and he cursed vociferously.
"Dogs," he said. "They've brought damned dogs with them."
"That makes no sense. Dogs can't track in the sewers," Martelle said.
Hengit snorted. "Tell that to Vos. They've probably got dogs that are bred in cesspools, just to catch thieves in sewers."
"I can't tell where they are coming from."
"Sounds just bounce around these tunnels," said Hengit. "We won't know until they are on top of us."
"Get moving," Lucius urged.
"But what if we start moving straight towards them?" Martelle protested.
"We'll get as close to the docks as we can before they reach us. Get moving!"
They turned west. The ledges running alongside the effluent here were wide enough for cautious movement, but their speed caused more than a few nervous moments as a foot slipped on slime or a head was cracked against the low ceiling. At every new junction, Lucius paused to listen for signs that their pursuers were closing in.
"I think there is more than one patrol down here," Hengit said.
"I know," said Lucius. "They seem to be moving alongside us, but that doesn't make sense - dogs should follow us directly, right?"
"Right."
"So how can they be matching our movements? If one patrol has our scent, how does it let the others know?"
Shrugging, Hengit turned to follow the others. "No idea. Maybe they have runners on the streets above, going to and from each patrol."
There was a hiss from Martelle up front. "I saw something," he said.
"What?" said another.
"Don't know - flicker of light, or something."
"That's just our torch reflecting off the walls. You're getting jumpy."
"I know what I saw!"
Carefully picking his way along the ledge, Lucius made his way past the other thieves to Martelle. The young thief looked at him, worry evident on his face.
"Just down there, maybe a couple of dozen yards," he said, pointing. "A flash of light."
A howl echoed down the tunnel behind them, chilling them to the bone
"Behind us!" Hengit shouted. "Move! They've found us!"
That was all Martelle needed, and he sprinted off as fast as he dared.
"No, wait!" Lucius cried out, stretching out to grab Martelle, but he was too late. The thief was already out of his reach.
First one soldier, then another, detached themselves from the shadows of a side tunnel, leaping into the effluent. They seemed completely unaffected by its stench and were quickly joined by another pair. All four levelled crossbows at Martelle, who had skidded to a sudden stop before them.
The twangs of the crossbows' mechanisms echoed in Lucius' ears as four bolts shot through the air to skewer Martelle's body. The young man's expression was a mixture of shock and fear as the life went out of his eyes and he toppled into the stream, taking his torch with him.
"Move!" Lucius shouted as he drew his sword and raced forward. Covering the distance in seconds, he was on the soldiers as they were still struggling to reload.
Smashing one man senseless with a hurried blow across the top of his head, Lucius noted curiously that the design of the soldier's helmets was very different from anything he had seen before. Apart from the eye sockets, they seemed to be completely enclosing, and where the men's mouths should be was a complex arrangement of cloth and two wide pipes, jutting out like dark tusks. It occurred to him that Vos might well have been far more prepared to tackle the thieves, even here in the sewers, than any of them had suspected.
Lucius bullrushed the soldiers, toppling them headfirst into the sewage. Then, raising a hand, he caused a large wave of stinking filth to rear up to the
"That is not rats..." he said quietly.
Frozen, they all stood stock still, their senses reaching into the darkness around them. It was Hengit who identified the sounds first, and he cursed vociferously.
"Dogs," he said. "They've brought damned dogs with them."
"That makes no sense. Dogs can't track in the sewers," Martelle said.
Hengit snorted. "Tell that to Vos. They've probably got dogs that are bred in cesspools, just to catch thieves in sewers."
"I can't tell where they are coming from."
"Sounds just bounce around these tunnels," said Hengit. "We won't know until they are on top of us."
"Get moving," Lucius urged.
"But what if we start moving straight towards them?" Martelle protested.
"We'll get as close to the docks as we can before they reach us. Get moving!"
They turned west. The ledges running alongside the effluent here were wide enough for cautious movement, but their speed caused more than a few nervous moments as a foot slipped on slime or a head was cracked against the low ceiling. At every new junction, Lucius paused to listen for signs that their pursuers were closing in.
"I think there is more than one patrol down here," Hengit said.
"I know," said Lucius. "They seem to be moving alongside us, but that doesn't make sense - dogs should follow us directly, right?"
"Right."
"So how can they be matching our movements? If one patrol has our scent, how does it let the others know?"
Shrugging, Hengit turned to follow the others. "No idea. Maybe they have runners on the streets above, going to and from each patrol."
There was a hiss from Martelle up front. "I saw something," he said.
"What?" said another.
"Don't know - flicker of light, or something."
"That's just our torch reflecting off the walls. You're getting jumpy."
"I know what I saw!"
Carefully picking his way along the ledge, Lucius made his way past the other thieves to Martelle. The young thief looked at him, worry evident on his face.
"Just down there, maybe a couple of dozen yards," he said, pointing. "A flash of light."
A howl echoed down the tunnel behind them, chilling them to the bone
"Behind us!" Hengit shouted. "Move! They've found us!"
That was all Martelle needed, and he sprinted off as fast as he dared.
"No, wait!" Lucius cried out, stretching out to grab Martelle, but he was too late. The thief was already out of his reach.
First one soldier, then another, detached themselves from the shadows of a side tunnel, leaping into the effluent. They seemed completely unaffected by its stench and were quickly joined by another pair. All four levelled crossbows at Martelle, who had skidded to a sudden stop before them.
The twangs of the crossbows' mechanisms echoed in Lucius' ears as four bolts shot through the air to skewer Martelle's body. The young man's expression was a mixture of shock and fear as the life went out of his eyes and he toppled into the stream, taking his torch with him.
"Move!" Lucius shouted as he drew his sword and raced forward. Covering the distance in seconds, he was on the soldiers as they were still struggling to reload.
Smashing one man senseless with a hurried blow across the top of his head, Lucius noted curiously that the design of the soldier's helmets was very different from anything he had seen before. Apart from the eye sockets, they seemed to be completely enclosing, and where the men's mouths should be was a complex arrangement of cloth and two wide pipes, jutting out like dark tusks. It occurred to him that Vos might well have been far more prepared to tackle the thieves, even here in the sewers, than any of them had suspected.
Lucius bullrushed the soldiers, toppling them headfirst into the sewage. Then, raising a hand, he caused a large wave of stinking filth to rear up to the
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