It was then that he saw what he should have seen all along—the golden necklace was gone.
An honest old devil, he thought. Probably left it on Konrad's chest, I hope. Unless he dropped it somewhere, the deal must be cancelled. Kit's safe—unless the old devil dies on me or can't see.
He stopped worrying about that and concentrated on making The Assassin see.
When it was over Jeff grinned with more confidence than he felt. The young man sat down on the floor with his head lowered between his knees. The Assassin began to groan very faintly. A grenade exploded against the side of the house.
Fumbling in his pants pocket for a match, Jeff addressed the few assassins that remained. "Better get him out of here right away."
"But how do we know it wasn't a trick? How do we know he can see?" A short, weary-faced mountain man leaned against the door jamb, a skar cradled under his arm. His voice had the unpleasant sound of the one The Assassin said was to be successor. "He sees or you die."
"Come here." Jeff raised one of the eyelids. As he shadowed the staring eye with his hand the pupil enlarged perceptibly.
"But can he see out of it?"
"It may be some days before he can even distinguish light from darkness," Jeff replied cautiously.
With luck the old man might be able to do that now but there was no use sticking his neck out with his and Kit's lives depending on it.