Rebellion

CHAPTER 103

Axil Grandys thrust aside the naked brunette he had been groping for the past hour, put the spy-scope to his eye and touched the wire-bound hilt of Maloch with his free hand. The trace slid into view, showing Rix and Glynnie together. Sooner or later they would lead him to Tali and, when he took the three of them, his revenge would be such a horror that people would still be talking about it in a thousand years.

The humiliation of Rix’s escape must be avenged, though Grandys had been planning to let him get away, anyway. The trace on Rix was intended to show Grandys where Tali had been hidden, and soon it would.

“Rufuss!” he bellowed.

The cadaverous man appeared at once, as if he had been lurking outside. He probably had. He was quite insane. But he could be relied on in certain matters.

“Grandys?” said Rufuss.

Grandys tossed him the spy-scope. “Follow Rixium, but don’t alert him. Eventually, he will lead you to Tali. When you can do so without being discovered, bring her to me unharmed.”

“What about the other two?”

“They can wait. Just Tali.”

“What will you do to her?” said Rufuss, licking his lips.

Grandys wasn’t going to mention the master pearl. He didn’t trust anyone with that knowledge, and certainly not Rufuss. “I’m going to have my revenge.”

“Shall I bring her back here?”

Grandys suppressed his impatience. “Of course not — we won’t be here. We’re marching to war, overnight.”

“War with whom?”

“With everyone, of course.”

“But we’ll be outnumbered many times.”

“That’s how I like it. It will make my victory all the greater. Bring her to me at the battle plain of Reffering.”