Ironbeard asked, “What of Ywain?”
“Death and at once!” said Thorn of Tarak harshly.
Ywain stood silent, looking at them all with cool, careless unconcern.
But Emer interposed. “Rold goes into danger. Until he returns safely let Ywain be kept in case we need a hostage for him.”
It was only now that Carse saw Boghaz in the shadows, shaking his head in misery, tears running down his fat cheeks.
“He gives them a secret worth a kingdom!” wailed Boghaz. “I have been robbed!”
XIII. Catastrophe
The days that followed after that were long strange days for Matthew Carse. He drew a map from memory of the hills above Jekkara and the place of the Tomb, and Rold studied it until he knew it as he knew his own courtyard. Then the parchment was burned.
Rold took one longship and a picked crew, and left Khondor by night. Jaxart went with him. Everyone knew the dangers of that voyage. But one swift ship, with Swimmers to scout the way, might elude the Sark patrols. They would beach in a hidden cove Jaxart knew of, west of Jekkara, and go the rest of the way overland.
“If aught goes wrong on the return,” Rold said grimly, “we’ll sink our ship at once.”