No contemplation was required to convince Hanse that he would go along withanything that meant vacating the well and seeing his next birthday. Who'd havethought pretty Prince Kittycat would come out here, and helmeted, too! Hewondered at the noises he had heard. And made reply. The wood creaked.

'You need promise only this,' Kadakithis called down. 'Be silent until you areunder torture. Suffer a little, then tell all.'

'Suffer? ... Torture?'

'Come, come, you deserve both. You'll suffer only a little of what you havecoming. Don't, and betray these words, roach, and you will die out of hand. No,make that slowly. Nor will anyone believe you, anyhow.'

Hanse knew that he was in over his head, both literally and figuratively.Hanging on to creaky old wood that was definitely rotting away by the second, heagreed.

'I'll need help,' the prince called. 'Hang on.'

Hanse rolled his eyes and made an ugly face. He hung on. He waited. Daring notto pull himself up on to the wood. His shoulders burned. The water seemed togrow colder, and the cold rose up in his legs. He hung on. Sanctuary was onlyabout a league away. He hoped Kitty - the prince - galloped. He hung on. Thoughthe sun never came up and the moon's position changed only a little, Hanse wassure that a week or two passed. Cold, dark, and sore, those weeks. Riches!Wealth! Cudgel had told him that revenge was a stupid luxury the poor couldn'tafford!

Then His clever Highness was back, with several men of the night watch and a lotof rope. While they hauled up a bedraggled, bruised Shadowspawn, the princementioned a call of nature and strolled away amid the clutter of big stones. Hedid not lift his tunic. He rf/rfpause on the other side of a pile of rubble. Hegazed earthwards, upon a dead traitor, and slowly he smiled in satisfaction. Hisfirst kill! Then Kadakithis began puking.

*

Pitchy torches flickered to create weird, dancing shadows on stone walls grim asdeath. The walls framed a large room strewn with tables, chains, needles,pincers, gyves, ropes, nails, shackles, hammers, wooden wedges and blocks andsplinters, pliers, fascinating gags, mouth- and tongue-stretchers, heatingirons, wheels, two braziers, pulleys. Much of this charming paraphernalia wasstained dark here and there. On one of the tables lay Hanse. He was bruised,cut, contused - and being stretched, all in no more than his breechclout. Alsopresent, were Prince Kadakithis, his bright-eyed consort, two severe HellHounds, his oddly attired old adviser, and three Sanctuarite nobles from thecouncil. And the palace smith. Massively constructed and black-nailed, he was animposing substitute for the torturer, who was ill.

He took up a sledgehammer and regarded it thoughtfully. Milady Consort's eyesbrightened still more. So did those ofZalbar the Hell Hound. Hanse discoveredthat in his present posture a gulp turned his Adam's apple into a blade thatthreatened to cut his throat from the inside.

The smith put down the hammer and took up a pair of long-handled pincers.

'Does he have to keep that there rag on his jewels, Yer Highness?'

'No need to torture him there,' Kadakithis said equably. He glanced at his wife,who'd gone all trembly. ' Yet. Try a few less horrific measures. First.'

'Surely he isn't tall enough,' Zaibar said hopefully. He stood about six inchesfrom the crank of the rack on which Hanse lay, taut.

'Well do something to him!' Milady snapped.

The smith surprised everyone. The movement was swift and the crack loud. He drewback his whip from a white stripe across Hanse's stomach. It went pink, thendarker, and began to rise. The smith raised his brows as if impressed withhimself. Struck again, across the captive's chest. The whip cracked like a slacksail caught in a gust. Chains rattled and Hanse's eyes and mouth went wide. Anew welt began to rise. The smith added one across the tops of his thighs. Aninch from the jewels, that. Milady Consort breathed through a mouth gone open.

'I don't like whippin' a man,' the smith said. 'Nor thisun either. Think I'lljust ease this arm out of its socket and turn it around t'other way.'

'You needn't walk all the way around to this side,' Zaibar rumbled. 'I'll turnthe crank.'

To the considerable disappointment of Zaibar and Sanctuary's first lady, Hansebegan to talk. He told them about Bourne and Lirain. He could not tell them ofBourne's death, as he did not know of it.

'The Prince Governor of Sanctuary,' Kadakithis said, 'and representative of theEmperor of Ranke, is merciful to one who tells him of a plot. Release him andhold him here - without torture. Give him wine and food.'

'Damn!' Zaibar rumbled.

'Might I be getting back to my wife now. Highness? This job ain't no work forme, and I got all that anchor chain to work on tomorrow.'

Hanse, not caring who released or guarded or fed him, watched the exit of theroyal party.

With Zaibar and Quag, the prince went to Lirain's apartment. 'Do you stay here,'he said, and took Quag's sword. Neither Hell Hound cared for that and Zaibarsaid so.

'Zaibar: I don't know if you had a big brother you hated or what, you're a meanhothead who really ought to be employed as royal wasp-killer. Now stand here andshut up and wait for me.'

Zaibar came to attention. He and Quag waited, board-stiff save for a rolling ofdark eyes, while their charge entered the chamber of his treacherous concubine.And closed the door. Zaibar was sure that a week or two passed before the dooropened and Kadakithis called them in. Quag's sword dripped in his hand.

The Hell Hounds hurried within and stopped short. Staring. Lirain lay not dead,but asleep, sprawled naked and degagee on a rumpled couch, obviously a recentparticipant in love-making. Naked beside her lay Bourne, not alive, and freshlybloodied.

'I've knocked her unconscious,' the Prince said. 'Take her down to the lesscomfortable bed so recently vacated by that Hanse fellow, who is to be sent tomy apartment. Here, Quag - oh.' The prince carefully wiped Quag's sword onLirain's belly and thighs and handed it to his Hell Hound. Both guards,impressed and pleased, saluted. And bowed as well. They looked passing happywith their prince. Prince Kadakithis looked flagrantly happy with himself.

Attired in a soft tunic that proved a thief could be the size of a prince, Hansesipped wine from a goblet he wished he could conceal and carry off with him. Herolled his eyes to glance around this royal chamber for audiences most private.For that reason the door was open. By it sat a deaf woman plucking a lute.

'Both of us are overdue for sleep, Hanse. The day presses on to mid-morning.'

'I am ... more accustomed to night work than y - than His Highness.'

The prince laughed. 'So you are, Shadowspawn! Amazing how many clever men turnto crime. Broke into the very palace! My very chamber! Enjoyed a royal concubinetoo, eh?' He sat gazing reflectively at the thief, very aware that they werenearly of an age. Peasant and prince; thief and governor. 'Well, soon Lirainwill be babbling her head off, and all will know there was a plot - and fromhome at that! Also that she was dishonouring her royal master's bed with her co-conspirator.'

'And that His heroic Highness not only slew the son of a toad, but showed a truenoble ruler's mercy by sparing a thief,' Hanse said hopefully.

'Yes, Hanse. That is being put into writing at this moment. Ah, and there werewitnesses to everything! All of it!'

Hanse was overboldened to say, 'Except... Bourne's death, my lord prince.'

'Hoho! Would you like to know about that, Hanse? You know so much already. Wehave holds each on the other, you and I. I killed Bourne up at Eaglenest. Withone stroke,' Kadakithis added. After all, it had been his first.