"What is going on?" Rynere suddenly snapped. "Why do you want Tass? What did he do to make you angry enough to want to hang him? Why did you want the prince? Why -"

"How did you know they wanted me dead?" Tass looked at her, with a raised eyebrow and cocked smile.

"Sorren told me! What is going on? What -"

"This man -" the king stared daggers at Tass, "-has caused more trouble than anyone is worth -"

Tass said something under his breath and grinned.

"-and will be hanged as soon as we can get him under a noose!"

Tass was rather obviously trying to hold in laughter.

“Do you have something you want to say, Jinx?” the king growled.

“It's Jixi,” Tass said rather offhandedly. “And yes. There are many many things I'd like to ask or say or whatever it is you call it. But you'd probably rather I not say everything I want to say that you haven't heard yet, and you'd rather that I not repeat everything I've already said. So I won't say anything."

Rynere blinked. The king's scowl chiseled itself deeper into his face.

"Then hold your peace!"

"I actually do have a question ..." Tass said slowly, glancing at Danid and then back at the king.

"Then say it and be done with it!"

 "Did that bruise on Danny's face come from one of your guards?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, I don't know ..." Tass said with a sly smile. "It was made when he was being brought up from the dungeon, wasn't it?"

The soldiers who had been guarding Danid suddenly whitened and stared at Tass in apprehension.

Tass looked at them, half-smiled, than turned to the king.

"Should I take that as a 'yes'?"

"That has no effect whatsoever on this agreement! Silence!"

"What are you going to do with us?" Danid suddenly spoke up. Even if he had been hit, Rynere couldn't see anything wrong with him.

"You're going to leave," the king said coldly. "You will leave this criminal here for us to deal with in our own way, and you will never bother us again."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Hang me," Tass said lazily. "Like the last one tried t' do -"

One of his guards hit him in the side, cutting him off.

"You're going to hang him?" Danid took a step forward, his voice low. "You -"

"Danny, look, they won't." Tass grinned. "Don't worry about me. Just leave, follow Karow, and he'll lead you back."

 "Before we leave -" Rynere broke in, "I want to know what Tass has done for you to give him a death sentence!"

Tass closed his eyes, barely suppressing a grin that was threatening to burst open and release laughter.

 "What?" Rynere said again.

"Should I tell or should you tell?" Tass turned to the king.

"I will!" the king snarled. "And you will not add anything!"

Tass shrugged.

"Whatever."