Free A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond Feist

wall, barely holding
on to scant hand- and footholds in the rough stones. He trusted his
black clothing in the gloom - and the fact the eyes of those above
would take time to adjust to the darkness of the sewer - to hide him.
A light was shone from above and Jimmy averted his face, the only
part of him not black, and held his breath. For a long, terror-filled
moment he hung in space, arm and leg burning with fatigue with the
strain of holding himself motionless. Not daring to look upward, he
could only imagine what the two Nighthawks above might be doing. Even
at this moment they could be drawing weapons. A crossbow could be
aiming at his skull and in an instant he could be dead, his life
blotted out without warning. He heard feet scuffling about and
laboured breathing above where he hung and then a voice said, “See?
Nothing. Now, leave it, or you’ll be floating with the other
garbage.”
    Jimmy almost
flinched when the trap was slammed close above him. He silently
counted to ten, then quickly scampered down the ladder to the water
and moved off.
    With the
bickering voices fading behind, Jimmy headed towards Teech’s
Tannery, and the way back to the palace.

    The night was
half over, but the celebration was still in full swing. Jimmy hurried
through the palace, ignoring the startled people he passed. This
apparition in black was a most uncommon sight. He was battered, an
angry lump decorating his visage, and he reeked of the sewer. Twice
Jimmy asked the guards about the Prince’s whereabouts and was
informed the Prince was en route to his private quarters.
    Jimmy passed a
startled pair of familiar faces as Gardan and Roald the mercenary
stood speaking. The Knight-Marshal of Krondor looked tired from a
long day yet unfinished and Laurie’s boyhood friend looked
half-drunk. Since returning from Moraelin, Roald had been a guest in
the palace, though he still refused Gardan’s constant offer of
a place in Arutha’s guard. Jimmy said, “You’d
better come along.” Both took the boy at his word and fell into
step. Jimmy said, “You won’t believe what they’re
up to this time.” Neither man had to be told who ‘they’
were. Gardan had just informed Roald of the Upright Man’s
warning. And both men had faced the Nighthawks and Black Slayers of
Murmandamus at Arutha’s side before.
    Rounding the
corner, the three found Arutha about to open the door to his
quarters. The Prince halted, waiting for the three to come close, an
expression of open curiosity on his face.
    Gardan said,
“Highness, Jimmy’s discovered something.”
    Arutha said,
“Come along. I have a few things I must attend to at once, so
you’ll have to be brief.”
    The Prince
pushed open the door and led them through the antechamber to his
private council room. As he reached for the door, it opened.
    Roald’s
dark eyes widened. Before them stood another Arutha. The Prince in
the door looked at them, saying, “What . . .?” Suddenly
both Aruthas were drawing weapons. Roald and Gardan hesitated; what
their eyes told them was impossible. Jimmy watched as the two Princes
engaged each other in combat, the ‘second’ Arutha, the
one who had come from within, leaping back into the council chamber,
gaining room to fight. Gardan shouted for guards and in a moment a
full dozen were approaching the door.
    Jimmy watched
closely. The resemblance was uncanny. He knew Arutha as well as he
knew anyone else in the Palace, but while the two men fought a
furious duel, he couldn’t tell them apart. The impostor even
fought with the same skill with the blade as the Prince. Gardan said,
“Seize them both.”
    Jimmy shouted,
“Wait! If you grab the wrong one first, the impostor may kill
him.” Gardan instantly countermanded his own order.
    The two
combatants thrust and parried, moving about the room. Each man’s
face was set in a mask of grim determination. Then Jimmy raced across
the room, no hesitation marking his lunge for one of the men.
Striking out with