[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
didn't remember any there.
The door opened behind them, and he and Mia arose and turned, expecting to see
the office flunky calling them in. Instead, it was the Master of the Dead
himself, followed by his Bentar flunky, the latter looking much the worse for
wear. Joe knelt, and took his sword, still in its scabbard, and touched the
hilt to his forehead in salute.
"Come, come! Get up, sir!" the sorcerer said, the wind catching and rippling
his black robes. "I'm not the king, and it's a beautiful day." He breathed in
and out several times. "Good, fresh air and sunshine. I get so little of it
these days that I want to savor it when I can. You are . . . ?"
"Cochise, my lord," he responded. "Cochise of Tsipry."
"Ah! You are Valisandran by birth, then."
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ods%204%20-%20Songs%20of%20the%20Dancing%20.txt
"Yes, my lord, by birth but not for a very long time. I was orphaned young.
There was a sickness that went through my tribe, and many of the young
children were sent south in hopes of avoiding it. Truly, I have not been back
since, which is one of the reasons for this journey."
"Hmmm . . . Interesting." He turned to the aide. "Any Tsipry here?"
The Bentar shook its head negatively. "No, my lord."
"You seem certain of that."
"My people may be the sickness he recalls as a child. The artu of the Bentar
had a bit of a disagreement with them fifteen or twenty years back. I remember
it well; I was very young at the time. I would say that there are very few
Tsipry anywhere now, sir, and most would be like this one."
Always nice to have your inquisitors back up your alibis, Joe thought.
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Sugasto cleared his throat. "I see. Sorry to bring up old wounds on such a
pretty day. Does the colonel's presence here trigger hostile feelings?"
"No, my lord," Joe responded smoothly. "It is a sad chapter because it was
personal, but I have been in the position of his people in other cases, so I
cannot judge. I fought for Valisandra and the Baron alongside his people as
well as my own at Sorrow's Gorge."
"Indeed? I was there myself, but I don't recall you."
"Uh, pardon, sir, but I do not recall you there, either, but it was a very big
battle."
"Uh, yes," Sugasto admitted. "And I was a horse of a different color there, at
that.''
A black stallion, if memory serves, Joe thought, but he said nothing.
"How is your health today?" the sorcerer asked him.
"Better, sir, but I am still being careful today while my full strength
returns.
Once my body expelled the offending food, I could sleep."
"Come, walk with me a bit in this nice air," the sorcerer invited. "I was
going to offer a complete cure, but it seems you don't need such services. The
sun and fresh air aid recuperation better than most other things anyway.
Stroll with me, and we'll reminisce a bit as two old comrades at arms meeting
once again."
And that's exactly what he wanted to do. Joe knew, of course, that this was
also a test, but he couldn't figure out why Sugasto was being, both so
friendly and so conventional in his interrogation. But, of course, he was a
master sorcerer, and he would assume that anybody from Ruddygore had been as
blocked as he'd block his own people from enemy powers.
Since Joe had indeed fought at Sorrow's Gorge, it was an easy test to pass.
They walked along, the Bentar, then Mia following, and Joe got almost as much
of a kick out of the reactions of the folks they encountered as they walked as
Sugasto obviously did.
"So, how come you aren't on our team now?" The sorcerer asked at last "We can
always use good men like you."
"I hope my lord doesn't take offense," Joe responded, "but I am a professional
mercenary. I chose the Baron back then not out of old loyalties to king and
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ancing%20.txt (121 of 202) [1/19/03 4:33:56 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%20Jack%20L%20-%20The%20Dancing%20G
ods%204%20-%20Songs%20of%20the%20Dancing%20.txt country, but because I like
the work and, if you are on the winning side, it pays well. The Baron lost."
"Only because of that damned dragon and some treachery on the part of the
Council."
"Indeed, it looked to me at the time like a can't-lose situation. Since then,
I
have taken only small commissions from stable local authorities, and done, I
admit, some less than honest work between jobs. The girl, there, for example,
was booty from a little pirating I did downriver."
"And in spite of all this, you don't think we'll win?"
He shrugged. "It appears as impressive as before, and I have heard of your
legion of the dead, which would have been quite useful in the old days, and
your powers are legendary. But the Baron was the best in his day, yet not a
good gambler in the end. His less than dependable political maneuverings, as
you mention, were part of his undoing, and he allowed himself to be beaten by
a lesser power who was better at psychology."
Sugasto stopped and looked at the mercenary with some respect. "That's an
excellent analysis. It is a reason why Boquillas works for me now. Did you
know that?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
didn't remember any there.
The door opened behind them, and he and Mia arose and turned, expecting to see
the office flunky calling them in. Instead, it was the Master of the Dead
himself, followed by his Bentar flunky, the latter looking much the worse for
wear. Joe knelt, and took his sword, still in its scabbard, and touched the
hilt to his forehead in salute.
"Come, come! Get up, sir!" the sorcerer said, the wind catching and rippling
his black robes. "I'm not the king, and it's a beautiful day." He breathed in
and out several times. "Good, fresh air and sunshine. I get so little of it
these days that I want to savor it when I can. You are . . . ?"
"Cochise, my lord," he responded. "Cochise of Tsipry."
"Ah! You are Valisandran by birth, then."
file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%...%204%20-%20Songs%20of%20the%20D
ancing%20.txt (120 of 202) [1/19/03 4:33:56 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%20Jack%20L%20-%20The%20Dancing%20G
ods%204%20-%20Songs%20of%20the%20Dancing%20.txt
"Yes, my lord, by birth but not for a very long time. I was orphaned young.
There was a sickness that went through my tribe, and many of the young
children were sent south in hopes of avoiding it. Truly, I have not been back
since, which is one of the reasons for this journey."
"Hmmm . . . Interesting." He turned to the aide. "Any Tsipry here?"
The Bentar shook its head negatively. "No, my lord."
"You seem certain of that."
"My people may be the sickness he recalls as a child. The artu of the Bentar
had a bit of a disagreement with them fifteen or twenty years back. I remember
it well; I was very young at the time. I would say that there are very few
Tsipry anywhere now, sir, and most would be like this one."
Always nice to have your inquisitors back up your alibis, Joe thought.
Page 114
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Sugasto cleared his throat. "I see. Sorry to bring up old wounds on such a
pretty day. Does the colonel's presence here trigger hostile feelings?"
"No, my lord," Joe responded smoothly. "It is a sad chapter because it was
personal, but I have been in the position of his people in other cases, so I
cannot judge. I fought for Valisandra and the Baron alongside his people as
well as my own at Sorrow's Gorge."
"Indeed? I was there myself, but I don't recall you."
"Uh, pardon, sir, but I do not recall you there, either, but it was a very big
battle."
"Uh, yes," Sugasto admitted. "And I was a horse of a different color there, at
that.''
A black stallion, if memory serves, Joe thought, but he said nothing.
"How is your health today?" the sorcerer asked him.
"Better, sir, but I am still being careful today while my full strength
returns.
Once my body expelled the offending food, I could sleep."
"Come, walk with me a bit in this nice air," the sorcerer invited. "I was
going to offer a complete cure, but it seems you don't need such services. The
sun and fresh air aid recuperation better than most other things anyway.
Stroll with me, and we'll reminisce a bit as two old comrades at arms meeting
once again."
And that's exactly what he wanted to do. Joe knew, of course, that this was
also a test, but he couldn't figure out why Sugasto was being, both so
friendly and so conventional in his interrogation. But, of course, he was a
master sorcerer, and he would assume that anybody from Ruddygore had been as
blocked as he'd block his own people from enemy powers.
Since Joe had indeed fought at Sorrow's Gorge, it was an easy test to pass.
They walked along, the Bentar, then Mia following, and Joe got almost as much
of a kick out of the reactions of the folks they encountered as they walked as
Sugasto obviously did.
"So, how come you aren't on our team now?" The sorcerer asked at last "We can
always use good men like you."
"I hope my lord doesn't take offense," Joe responded, "but I am a professional
mercenary. I chose the Baron back then not out of old loyalties to king and
file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%...%204%20-%20Songs%20of%20the%20D
ancing%20.txt (121 of 202) [1/19/03 4:33:56 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%20Jack%20L%20-%20The%20Dancing%20G
ods%204%20-%20Songs%20of%20the%20Dancing%20.txt country, but because I like
the work and, if you are on the winning side, it pays well. The Baron lost."
"Only because of that damned dragon and some treachery on the part of the
Council."
"Indeed, it looked to me at the time like a can't-lose situation. Since then,
I
have taken only small commissions from stable local authorities, and done, I
admit, some less than honest work between jobs. The girl, there, for example,
was booty from a little pirating I did downriver."
"And in spite of all this, you don't think we'll win?"
He shrugged. "It appears as impressive as before, and I have heard of your
legion of the dead, which would have been quite useful in the old days, and
your powers are legendary. But the Baron was the best in his day, yet not a
good gambler in the end. His less than dependable political maneuverings, as
you mention, were part of his undoing, and he allowed himself to be beaten by
a lesser power who was better at psychology."
Sugasto stopped and looked at the mercenary with some respect. "That's an
excellent analysis. It is a reason why Boquillas works for me now. Did you
know that?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]