“Here he is!” he announced. “He fired during Assassins’ Truce; he’s subject to Assassins’ Justice!”
He nodded to the others. They threw the gamekeeper forward on the floor, and Sarnax shot him through the head, then tossed the pistol down beside him. “Any more of these people who violate the decencies will be treated similarly,” he promised.
“Thank you, Sarnax,” Dirzed spoke up. “But we lost an Assassin: discarnating this lackey won’t equalize that. We think you should retire one of your number.”
“That at least, Dirzed; wait a moment.”
The three Assassins conferred at some length. Then Sarnax hooked fingers and clapped shoulders with his companions.
“See you in the next reincarnation, brothers,” he told them, walking toward the gun-room door, where Verkan Vall, Dalla and Dirzed stood. “I’m joining you people. You had two Assassins when the parley began, you’ll have two when the shooting starts.”
Verkan Vall looked at Dirzed in some surprise. Hadron Dalla’s Assassin nodded.
“He’s entitled to do that, Lord Virzal; the Assassins’ code provides for such changes of allegiance.”
“Welcome, Sarnax,” Verkan Vall said, hooking fingers with him. “I hope we’ll all be together when this is over.”
“We will be,” Sarnax assured him cheerfully. “Discarnate. We won’t get out of this in the body, Lord Virzal.”