Page 19 - Mad Shadows II

I had no idea what the man wanted with me, but I didn’t
much care for his attitude. He reeked of onions and cheap wine.
“Do I know you?”

“No, but we have some mutual friends.”
“And they are?”
“The Khodo boys.”
The stableman wasn’t sure what to do. He glanced back and
forth between us.
“Get out, you horse-humping old sot!” growled Pockmark.
With a quick glance at me, the horse master rushed from the
livery. Pockmark took full advantage of my distraction and
charged me head-first. He knocked me on my back and then
held me down with one foot planted firmly on my chest.
“I don’t like what you did to my friends,” he said. “Not fair
to rough up drunken men like that. Well, I don’t play fair,
either.”
Pockmark drew his sword and cocked his arm backward.
His intention was to bring the blade down and split my skull in
half. If he hadn’t been grabbed from behind by two of the
baron’s men, he would have succeeded.
I rose to my feet when Balambo Mogg and the stable master
joined us.
“Sergeant Thims was otherwise occupied,” explained the
old man. “But Lord Mogg was kind enough to come to your
aid.”
“Are you all right?” Mogg asked me.
“No worse for wear, thank you.”
“Would you like to file a complaint against this man?”
“He’s not worth the trouble.”
Mogg turned to Pockmark. “I told you earlier to get going,
Seroon. If I see your ugly face again I’ll have you thrown in the
hole with those nasty friends of yours.” He nodded to his men,
who were holding Seroon by his arms. “Get him out of my
sight.”

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