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.He was ready for that.He wasn't prepared for this gutless surrender.The Gur had won, though, and he couldn't show weakness now.He glared at the three, shouldered the bag, spun on his heels, and strode for the door.When he was two steps from the table and one from a pillar, Therin's dagger, the one he'd left on the table, sang by his ear and drove, point in, to the scarred wood of the beam.The weak sunlight quivered off the blade as it hummed with the force of its throw."You'll need a better plan for dealing with a lich than you have with me," Pinch announced darkly as the younger man wheeled about in frightened surprise.The older man sat upright, not nearly as drunk as he was before, his off-hand poised where it had stopped at the end of the throw.Sprite and Maeve had swung around to his side of the table, letting it show where their loyalty—such as it was—lay."Lich—you didn't say nothing about no lich." Therin's voice was weakly brave.His face, flushed with temper moments before, was rapidly losing its color to an ashen pale."What lich?""Lich?" Sprite gulped, looking to Pinch."We been working for a lich?""Aye," the old man answered, never once looking away from Therin.With his good hand, he drew another dagger from the scabbard at his wrist."We're dealing with a lich."Therin slowly came back to the table and set the bag down."Maybe I was being a bit hasty, Pinch.It wasn't like a challenge—just a chance for you to live a gentleman's life while we did your dark work for you." The Gur looked desperately to the other two."It was like that, wasn't it?"As if joined in a single malicious thought, Sprite and Maeve let him dangle for a bit before answering.A line of sweat trickled down the young man's temple."Sure, Pinch," Maeve finally drawled, "he was only thinking about you and your well-being.Can't you see?""S'right.I'm sure he's touched with concern," the halfling added with a malicious grin."Indeed, he even told me yesterday how he was thinking of giving you his share of the swag from this job.""That's right, Pinch.I think you've earned it." As costly as it was, Therin seized on the halfling's suggestion.The fact that he had almost blundered into trading with a lich had unnerved the man.The now-undisputed regulator nodded his head.The Gur stifled a sigh of relief.The nod was all he would get, but it was a sign the peace was made—for now." 'Tis proper generous of you, Therin," Pinch purred, "but you're building the house before the foundation's set.For there to be shares, we got to collect our fee.""He's not likely to pay?" Maeve asked." 'It'—and it'll want us dead.Me, in particular."Sprite prodded the goods in the bag."Just who we dealing with, Pinch? This Cleedis ain't no lich."Pinch massaged the rough brand on his palm.The drink and facing down Therin made him feel expansive."Cleedis is just a go-between.Manferic's our real employer.""Manferic?""The late king.""Wounds!" Sprite sputtered wine all down his chin."Is he that vile?" Maeve asked hopefully."He's a lich.What do you expect?" Therin pointed out."Moreso and worse.I should know; he was my guardian.When I was ten, the peasants on the nobles' estates drew up a list of grievances against their lords.It seemed they were taxed at twice the rate demanded by the crown, old men were executed when they could no longer farm, and young boys were driven by whip into the ranks of the militia.Five of their bravest presented the list to Manferic—""And he killed them?""Nothing so simple," Pinch corrected."That would have been almost human.No, he listened to their complaints and promised them action.The next day, while he 'considered' their request, he sent Vargo and Throdus with a detachment of priests to the houses of these five men.They killed the wife in each household and animated the corpse.The next day, Manferic said he would enact reforms—provided the men loved and honored their wives for the rest of their days
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