Daoud stepped as close as he dared into the doorway and raised the bucket high, heaving the water in a stream at the table.
He heard a bow thrum and an arrow whistle past his shoulder. His eyes met de Gobignon's just as the light went out.
Like a stone fired from a catapult he hurled himself, crouching low, into the pantry.
Landing silently inside the room, he changed direction once, twice, a third time, ending up at the door. He slammed it shut and bolted it. They should all now be thoroughly confused.
In total darkness, seeing with his senses of hearing, smell, and touch, he began to stalk the Tartars.
XLIV
Simon heard the thick door slam and the iron bolt driven into place. He stood in a blackness darker than any night outdoors would have been, his scimitar heavy and invisible in his hand. It was all he had against an enemy who was also invisible. He felt death rushing upon him out of the darkness.
Except for the occasional vibrations of a rock hitting the palace wall, all sounds of battle were blocked out of the spice pantry. In the deep silence, Simon's heartbeat thundered in his ears like a kettledrum.
It was my stupidity that opened the door to him.