Chapter eight
Death of a BladesmanYes, it was petty, beneath a man’s dignity, selfish. But, all the same, it was damned liberating, I can tell you.
When, at last, I ran across Casmas the Deldy, the news had outrun me.
Night hung over Ruathytu, and the Maiden with the Many Smiles and the Twins glinted golden-pink reflections back from the ocher waters of the River Havilthytus and the black waters of the River Mak. Lights sparkled everywhere, and the link slaves escorted their parties of Horters and nobles through the streets. Casmas lived in the Shining Quarter, in the angle of the Walls of Kazlili and the Black River. A slight eminence arose here, around which the walls curved, and south of the walls and outside them lay the scattered shanty towns of the clums. The Shining Quarter lifte
