Killer

The hunter painfully stretched and fumbled for his purse and towel. Lady Fortune, how Alexandros had grown! Was the lad really going to be twelve soon? No, he was going to be thirteen. He was growing tall-would be taller than Lycon-and his boyish body was begi

Alexandros was still frozen in the doorway, gaping at him like a carp gasping for a floating crumb. "Well, what is it, boy? You've seen me in worse shape than this. Hurry on, now! We've got to get dressed and back to the compound."

Alexandros would not meet his eyes. "Yes sir," he managed to stammer, and backed away through the curtain. Lycon sniffed. The boy must have taken his time in finding him; someone had already rubbed his young body with scented oils. Must have a girl already; maybe Zoe knew who she was.

Lycon encountered Dolon as the hunter made for the changing room. "I was just coming for you," said the masseur. "A ru

"Yes, I know about that," Lycon said. "My son has already informed me."

Dolon looked puzzled.

Chapter Twenty

Alexandros had little to say while Lycon urged him to hurry getting dressed and pushed him into Vonones' litter. That suited the hunter. Lycon knew he would need all the strength he could muster.

Vonones was red-faced and bleary-eyed when he greeted Lycon, but the bustle of men and the raucous barking and baying of dogs were proof that the Armenian had put his morning hours to good use. "Well, you look hale and hearty again," he lied to Lycon.

"And you look like you've had a restful night yourself," Lycon agreed sardonically. "What have you got?"

"Five packs-maybe fifty dogs in all-from one place or another. They're nothing much to look at, but they'll kill."

"Where's N'Sumu?" asked Lycon, glancing around.

"Not back yet. He doesn't need to know about the dogs. Want to start without him?"

Lycon considered it. "No, better wait. Why should he miss the party? And anyway, a word from him and we're naught but arena-bait."

"Lycon," Vonones frowned, "We're likely to be dead-unpleasantly dead-no matter what happens."

"Then a joke is all that's left to us," the hunter laughed harshly. "But you're right, and I'd better send Alexandros home. This is no hunt for him to earn first blood."

"Alexandros? Is he here?"

"Yes. You sent him to tell me things were ready, remember? I brought him back with me from the baths. Should have let him stay there and have fun with his friends, but I'm sure the boy wanted to see the hunt." Briefly Lycon regretted that he had not spent more time with his son, teaching him the ways of men. Well, he couldn't think about that now.

"Well, I never sent him to you. I haven't even seen him today."

"You were probably too busy to notice Alexandros hanging about," Lycon said. "He must have come on along with your ru

"That must be it," Vonones agreed uneasily. "Want to take a look at the dogs? Like I said…"

Lycon shrugged. "They don't have to be hunters; all animals seem to hate its scent-even the tiger went after its spoor. I just want enough dogs to make up several large packs-large enough that the lizard-ape can't just turn and kill a few hounds and then disappear again. We'll split into groups if we lose its trail, but we'll keep the groups big enough to deal with the thing once it's run to earth.

"We'll need plenty of lights for each potential group-five packs, would you say? Then we'll need nets and ropes-too close quarters for lassos, more's the pity. Archers won't be much use for the same reason, but short swords and boar spears-anything for close work will do. If we can track it, we can catch it, and once we manage to ensnare the lizard-ape, we can finish it."

"Capture it," Vonones emphasized urgently. Quiet!" he added. "Here comes N'Sumu."

"Let's get busy then."

The dogs were nothing to brag about, but they would do. They would have to do. He was gambling on the likelihood that the lizard-ape would wait for nightfall to quit the sewers-it needed the darkness to cloak its movements, after all. With enough dogs and men he could track it down below-no matter how fast it fled, no matter how many side tu

"Was that your boy?" N'Sumu joined them. He seemed to be in high good spirits, which grated on the overstretched nerves of Lycon and Vonones. "What a lovely lad. You must be very proud, Lycon."

Was there a threat behind the kind words? Really, there was no doubt, whether the Egyptian meant to express it or not. Lycon said: "Alexandros isn't coming along with us on this. I'm sending him home."

"No need. He was on his way out as I arrived." N'Sumu smiled. If the Egyptian was trying to be pleasant after this morning's show of force, Lycon decided he preferred him angry.

"Well," said Lycon, "we're all here. Let's get on with it."

"Got wagons to haul everything," Vonones told him, justifiably proud of the degree of organization he had managed. "Be lucky if we don't have a dead dog or two by the time we pick up the trail. I've tried to keep these packs separated as best I could, but most of the dogs have never worked together-they're still busy sniffing asses and sorting one another out."

"Never mind, Vonones," Lycon reassured him. "They're good enough to go after the lizard-ape's scent. You know damn well that most of them will be dead meat once they find the thing." As we may well be.

Chapter Twenty-one

It was dark, dank and stank, but the dogs had no problem in picking up the lizard-ape's scent. The major difficulty had been in holding the first group in check while the rest of the dogs were lowered into the sewer from the street above. It quickly became apparent to Lycon that the sheer number of men and hounds were going to pose a problem at the onset of the chase. He reluctantly gave the order for one group to remain at the entrance to the catch basin. They would only get in the way, and Lycon had a better use for their pack.

"Release these." The beastcatcher pointed to one mass of straining hounds.

"We'll never be able to keep up," N'Sumu protested, not unreasonably. The Egyptian was studying the brick arches of the sewer, seemingly oblivious of the stench of the filthy water that coursed sluggishly along its cha

"We can track the unleashed dogs with the rest of the pack," the hunter explained. "Just now we're too many, too noisy, too slow. The lizard-ape could keep its distance and lead us on a chase for a hundred miles of sewer, and we'd never catch a glimpse of it."

"But the dogs might kill the sauropithecus if no one is there to pull them off!"

"Come on, N'Sumu! You're our lizard-ape expert! You know damn well we'll be lucky to catch up with the dogs before your little pet turns and kills the lot of them!"

"My pet? What do you mean, human!"

"The Emperor's pet, then," Lycon retorted, too focussed to note N'Sumu's sudden anger. "And let's be after it."