have turned down a cold drink, and if it were wine or beer, he would have accepted it with deep gratitude.
‘And what happened next?’
‘They drank all night, that’s what,’ the dwarf muttered through clenched teeth. ‘They caused me trouble, too, because the guests couldn’t sleep because of them.’
‘We already apologised,’ Ethman growled unfriendly.
‘In any case, we didn’t notice when Caim left the table.’ McKinnon seemed flustered, as if only now, recounting everything in order, did he realise the number of things they’d overlooked, and wondered whether their friend would still be alive had they acted differently.
‘And then they fell asleep at the tables!’ the innkeeper snapped. ‘I’d barely brought out the second cask when they’d all passed out. I always say, if you can’t hold your drink, you shouldn’t drink at all.’ He shook his head in resignation. ‘Anyway, in this heat, even one pint can be too much. I didn’t fancy lugging so many lads about in the middle of the night, so I went round the rooms they were staying in and wanted to ask those who were able to get up for help. But when I went into their room...’ He pointed towards the Watchmen with his chin. ‘The door was ajar, so I didn’t feel the need to knock and just went in.’ The dwarf turned pale and looked away. ‘Our nights are bright, and I can see quite well in the dark myself. The third man who was with them lay sprawled on the floor, his face contorted into a hideous grimace. There was blood everywhere, and the room looked as though a storm had swept through it. Without a second thought, I ran downstairs and sent one of my men to fetch a priest, whilst I ordered the other to saddle a horse and ride as fast as possible to the citadel. Later that evening, soldiers from the city arrived with a medic. They spoke to everyone, searched the room, and returned to Bushtabhar with the body.’
‘And we’ve been here for a week… and still can’t get our
