Page 150 of New Storm Rising
Never had I agreed with him as much as right then. Well, maybe except for that time at the altar. Dashing towards the hole, I slid after him down the ladder into the darkness, the others following swiftly. Mama Dumant pulled some kind of lever, and the cupboard above slid back in place with a thud.
“Is this a brothel or an evil mastermind’s secret lair?” I enquired.
A grin flashed in the darkness. “Why can’t it be both, sweety? Follow me!”
“Won’t we need to get our two Spanish guests?” I whispered. “Not that I’m complaining or anything. Let them get shot for all I care. It just occurred to me that these people showing up intent on killing us right when we are about to bring those two to justice is alittlecoincidental.”
“Agreed.” Mr Ambrose gave a curt nod.
“The two esteemed noblemen might be useful. Especially if placed between us and the gunmen.”
“Again, agreed.”
“So…are they somewhere around here?”
He threw me a look. “You think I would put them in an establishment where one has topay for rooms?”
I wanted to cover my eyes with my hands. The only reason I didn’t was that, as dark as this place was, it would have made little difference.
Of course he didn’t! This is Mr Rikkard Ambrose!
Then something occurred to me.
“But…if you didn’t stash them in this place, where exactly did you put them?”
If I hadn’t known this was something absolutely impossible for Rikkard Ambrose to do, I would have thought I saw a smile flash in the darkness.
***
“¡Malditos bastardos apestosos![32]How dare sey lock us in sis hovel?Us? Se noble scions of se Houses De Ravera and De La Fuente?”
“Well, if I remember correctly,” De La Fuente groaned, “sey did it by tying our hands behind our backs and tossing us into sis place.”
“Shut your mouth! Going to sat execution was your idea in se first place! If we had not gone, if we had stayed safely at home, we might not have ended up in sis mess!”
De La Fuente sniffed, and pulled a face. “And by ‘sis mess’ I assume you mean…”
“Do not mention it! Do not dare to mention it!”
“Very well.” De La Fuente eyed the giant dung heap around three feet away from them and completely impossible to ignore. “I shall not mention it.”
A long time passed. A long time of not mentioning shit and trying not to breathe. Finally…
“What was sat?”
“What?” De Ravera hissed.
“I could have sworn I heard somesing?”
“What? A cow dropping some moremierda?”[33]
KA-BOOM!
“No,” De La Fuente answered when his ears had stopped ringing. “No, somehow I do not sink so.”
When he glanced at his companion, however, he didn’t find the expression of disgust on De Ravera’s face that he had previously seen there. Instead, a trace of vicious anticipation flickered over the nobleman’s features.
“Sey are coming!”
