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KISS OF THE LAMIA

Bully boys out of Chlangi they were, desperadoes riding forth fros and sharpers, on the lookout for quick profits in the narrow strip twixl Lohmi&039;s peaks and the Desert of Sheb And the lone Hrossak with his teaht hiod of the moon Or at least, he should have been easy meat

But the master and sole member of that tiniest of caravans was Tarra Khash, and h For all his prowess, however (which one day would be legendary in all of Theem&039;hdra), the brawny bronze steppe-ht short With only the stump of a jewelled, cere in the saddle as he let his ulleys Tarra was hardly prepared for the three where they saw hi and set their snare for hi arrow plunked through the polished leather of the scabbard across his back, sank an inch into his shoulder and near knocked him out of his saddle Then, as a second feathered shaft whistled by his ear, he was off the carasping the jewelled hilt of his useless sword In the darkness all was a chaos of shock and spurting blood and adrenalin; where wide awake now Tarra heard the terrified snorting and coughing of his beasts, huddled to avoid their kicking hooves as they ran off; where the -deserted pile, and where the dust of Hrossak&039;s fall was still settling as stealthy shadows crept in upon hireenly ablaze in greed and blood-lust, darting in the shadows, and fleet as the moonbeaht and by the blue sheen of far stars Men of the night they were, as all such are, as one with the darkness and silhouetted dunes

Tarra lay still, his head down, eyes slitted and peering; and in a little while a booted foot appeared silently before his face, and he heard a hoarse voice calling: &039;Ho! He&039;s finished - feathered, too! &039;Twas my arrow nailed hi? Tana silently snarled, co all in the same movement The stump of his not-so-useless sas a silver blur where it arced under a bearded jackal&039;s chin, tearing out his taut throat even as he screamed: &039;He&039;s al - ach-ach-achr Close behind the Hrossak, so it sharply

He cried out his agony - cut off as a mountain crashed down on the back of his skull - and without further protest crumpled to the earth

Tarra was not dead, not even unconscious, though very nearly so Stunned he lay there, aware only of rit, co it seemed from far, far away:

&039;Gureat fool "My arrow!" he yells, " his throat nice as that!&039;

And a different voice: Ts he dead?&039;

&039;Gumbat? Aye See, he now has two mouths - and one of &039;eer&039;

&039;Hiave him such a clout I think it almost a shaone there&039;s just the two of us now to share the spoils! So waste no time on this one If arrow and clout both haven&039;t done for hiet after his beasts and see what goods he hauled&039;

The other voice was harder, colder: &039;Best finish hi this one, perchance to tell the tale?&039;

&039;To whoood night, haven&039;t we? First that girl, alone in the desert, wandering under the stars Can you believe it?"

A coarse chuckle &039;Oh, I believe it all right I was first with her, re!&039; spat the first voice &039;Well, get on with it then If you want this fellow dead, get it done We&039;ve beasts to chase and i Pull out the arrow, that&039;ll do for him His life - if any&039;s left - will leak out red as wine!&039;

Thull did as Hylar suggested, and shuddering as fresh waves of agony dragged him under, the Hrossak&039;s mind shrank down into pits of the very blackest jet

Tarra Khash, the Hrossak, inveterate wanderer and adventurer, had a lust for life which drove hiht spark, that tenacious insistence upon life, which now roused him up before he could bleed to death That and the wet, frothybeside hirunted its camel queries This was the animal Tarra had used asin their wake, had grown inordinately fond of hi its pursuers, it had returned to its ht do, and for the past half-hour had licked his face, kneed hiht for a ave its nose an admonitory slap and propped himself up into a seated position He was cold but his back felt warm, stiff and sticky; aye, and he could feel a trickle of fresh blood where his movements had cracked open a half-formed scab In the dirt close at hand lay the man he&039;d killed, Gumbat Chud, and between them a bloody arrohere it had been wrenched from his back and thron Tarra&039;s scabbard lay within reach, empty of its broken sword

They&039;d taken it for its jewels, of course

Staring at the arrow, his blood dry on its point, Tarra remembered the conversation he&039;d heard before he blacked out He especially remembered the names of the tho had stood over hiues out of Chlangi, aye - and dead ones when he caught up with them!

But for nowthe Hrossak was fortunate and he knew it Only a most unlikely set of circuht easily have slit his throat, but they hadn&039;t wanted to waste tiht have missed the scabbard and hit his heart, which would have ended things at once! Also, the reavers could have caught instead his camel - this one, which carried food, water, blankets, all those things necessary for the ht the three pack animals, which were far ht about all the gold and jewels those anis! And wouldn&039;t those bad-land marauders lose their eyeballs when they turned them on that lot! What a haul! Tarra almost wished he was one of his ambushers - except that wasn&039;t his line of work Ah, well: easy coht up with those two Anyway, it was his own fault Only a dah a den of thieves and out the other side And he&039;d knoell enough Chlangi&039;s reputation

Toains And hadn&039;t his father alarned hi you didn&039;t work hard for wasn&039;t worth having? Trouble was, he&039;d never heeded his father anyway Also, he had worked hard for it Dai of ancient, alien kings whose tombs were a source of loot - and of his narrow escape froain: toued with his back as to which of theed his blanket robe fro a little where it had adhered to drying scab of blood, then washed the wound as best he could with clean water froone deep; his broken sword&039;s leather scabbard had saved him Norapped that scabbard in a soft cloth and re-strapped it tight in for the flow of blood Thena kerchief soaked in water round his head, and a bite of dried ulp of sour wine, and Tarra was ready to take up the chase It wasn&039;t a wise pursuit, he knew - indeed ithe ever did -but that&039;s the way it ith Tarra Khash Hylar and Thull, whoever they were, had hurt hiood reason, and noould hurt the past the y saddle and goaded the beast oncelow under his breath as each sry throbbing And so, at a pace only a little faster than walking, Tarra Khash, the Hrossak journeyed again under ht, but for aThen-Tarra was not ahat it was exactly which drew his eyes to the cross lying silvered on the side of a dune; in other circuhts or sounds) then he ure of white stone, or a scattering of bones, or si drowned in the desert&039;s ergs and sandpapered to a reflective whiteness; but whichever, he turned his camel&039;s head that way

And as he drew closerwhat he saw then brought him down fro his blanket over the naked, ravaged figure of a girl pegged down on the gentle slope of the dune A moment more and he pressed water-soaked kerchief to cracked, puffed lips, then breathed a sigh of relief as the girl&039;s throat convulsed in a choke, and breathed more deeply as she first shook her head and finally sucked at the cloth where he held it to her h eyes bruised as fallen fruit and dusted with fine sand, wriggled a little way back frohtedly, and tried to ask;

&039;Who-?&039;

But he cut her off with, &039;Shh! Be still I&039;ll not hare fros and ties which bound her to the earth and broke the and wrapped her in the blanket A moment later and she lay across the camel&039;s saddle, face dohile he swiftly led the beast from this brutal place in search of some rude shelter

In a little while he found low, broken walls with sand drifted against thee to forirl and propped up her head so that she could watch him while he built a fire in the lee of the wall just outside the tent Over the fire he boiled up soup froetables, and likewise fried several near-rancid strips of bacon in their own fat on a flat stone until they were crisp and sweet These he offered to the girl, but having merely tasted the soup and sniffed at the bacon she then refused both, offering a little shake of her head

&039;Well, I&039; down and satisfying his own hunger, &039;but this is the best I can do If you&039;re used to finer fare I&039;m sure I don&039;t knohere I&039;ll find it for you in these parts!&039; He went to the caht her the last of his wine, and this she accepted, draining the skin to the last drop Then, while Tarra finished his food she watched him closely, so that he was ever aware of her eyes upon him For his own part, however obliquely, he watched her, too

He little doubted that this was the girl those curs out of Chlangi had laughed about, which in itself would form a bond between thes; but just as the bandits had done before hiirl like this, wandering alone beneath the stars in so desolate a place She seee It is a requireo to a secret place in the Nameless Desert, there to renew od?&039; he asked, thinking: for he&039;s let you down sorely this night, and no mistake!

&039;His name issecret,&039; she answered in a e it&039;

&039;Myself,&039; said Tarra, Tod of the lory - do you see?"

And he lifted up the skirt of the tent, so that irl shrank back into shadow

The light,&039; she said &039;So silverybright&039;

Tarra let fall the flap, sat staring at her through eyes narrowed just a fraction &039;Also,&039; he said, Til not have anything said against Ahorra Izz, god of-&039; &039;-scarlet scorpions,&039; she finished it for him, the hint of a hiss in her voice

Slowly Tarra nodded &039;He&039;s a rare one,&039; he said, &039;Ahorra Izz I wouldn&039;t have thoughtsister of-&039;

&039;Inhiods, ancient and od, black or white - or scarlet

For how e of Evil?&039;

And vice versa, thought Tarra, but he answered: &039;How indeed? Truth to tell, I didn&039;t find Ahorra Izz at all evil In fact I&039;m in his debt!&039;

Before he could say more or frame another question, she asked: &039;Who are you?&039;

&039;Tarra Khash,&039; he answered at once, in manner typically open &039;A Hrossak I was set upon by the same pack of hairies whohappened your way They robbed me Aye, and they put an arrow inthei when I found you Which makes you a complication Now I have your skin to consider as well as my own Mine&039;s not worth a lot to anyone, but yours?&039; He shrugged

She sat up, more stiffly than Tarra, and the blanket fell away from her Under the bruises she was incredibly lovely Her beauty wasunearthly

&039;Come,&039; she held out a marble arm &039;Let me see your back&039;

&039;What can you do?&039; he asked &039;It&039;s a hole, that&039;s all&039; But he went to her anyway On hands and knees he looked at her, close up, then turned his back and sat down He unfastened the straps holding his eentle he didn&039;t even feel her take the scabbard away

And anyway - what could she do? She had no unguents or salves, not even a vinegar-soaked pad

And yet Tarra relaxed, sighed, felt the pain going out of his shoulder as easy as the air went out of his lungs Well, now he knehat she could do Ointers, didn&039;t she? And now Tarra believed he knew her order: she was a healer, a very special sort of physician, a layer on of hands He&039;d heard of such but never seen one at work, never really believed But seeing - or rather, feeling - was believing!

&039;A pity you can&039;t do this for yourself,&039; he told her

&039;Oh, I shall heal, Tarra Khash,&039; she answered, her voice sibilant &039;Out there in the desert, under the full moon, I was helpless, taken by surprise no less than you Now I grow stronger Your strength has become ruff now &039;Huh! If you&039;d take soer faster!&039;

&039;There is food and food, Tarra Khash,&039; she answered, her voice hypnotic in its caress &039;For all you have offered, I arateful&039;

Tarra&039;s senses were suddenly awash in waruid currents Her hands had moved from his shoulder to his neck, where now they drew out every last trace of tension Her head on his shoulder, she cradled his back with her naked breasts He slumped - and at once jerked his head erect, or tried to What had she been saying? Grateful for what he&039;d offered? &039;You&039;re welcome to whatever I have,&039; he mumbled, scarcely aware of her sharp intake of breath &039;Not that there&039;s much&039;

&039;Oh, but there is! There is!&039; she whispered &039;Much ry I shall take very little Sleep now, sleep little mortal, and when you wake seek out those eance - while yet you may For if I find them first there&039;ll be precious little left for you!&039;

Sweet sister of mercy? A healer? Layer on of hands? Nay, none of these Even sinking into uneasy slumbers, Tarra tried to turn his drowsy head and look at her, and failed But he did force out one final question: &039; Whoare you?&039;

She lifted her mouth from his neck and his blood was fresh on her pale lips &039;My na he heard before the darkness rolled over hi he felt was her hot, salty kiss

&039;Lamia!&039; snapped Arenith Han, seer and rune-caster to the robber-king, Fregg, of doo demon of the desert You two are lucky to be alive!&039;

It was Fregg&039;s dawn court, held in the open courtyard of his &039;palace&039;, once a splendid place but now a sagging pile in keeping with s Only the massive outer walls of the city itself were undecayed, for Fregg insisted that they at least be kept in good order To this end he used &039;felons&039; from his court sessions, on those rare occasions when such escaped his &039;justice&039; with their lives intact

Chlangi&039;s o hounded out of Kluhn on the coast for his frauds and fakeries His subjects - in no wise nicer persons than Fregg his, sharpers, scabby whores and their pienerates and riff-raff blown here on the winds of chance, or else fled froe And doubtful it was

Chlangi the Doomed - or the Shunned City, as it is elsewhere knoell deserved these doleful titles For of all places of ill-repute, this were perhaps the most notorious in all the Primal Land And yet it had not always been this way

In its heyday the city had been opulent, its streets andvintages renowned throughout the land for their clean sweetness With lofty doh and white, and roofs red with tiles baked in the ovens of Chlangi&039;s busy builders, the city had been the veriest jewel of Theeistrates had had little time for ood and honest men shunned the place, and had done so since first the lamia Orbiquita builded her castle in the Desert of Sheb Now the gold had been stripped frorapevines had returned to the wild, producing only s their rotten trellises, arches and walls had toppled into disrepair, and the scummy water of a many-fractured aqueduct was suspect indeed Only the rabble horde and their robber-king now lived here, and outside the walls a handful of hungry, outcast beggars

Now, too, Fregg kept the land around well scouted, where day and nightthe fringe of the desert, intent upon thievery and murder

Occasionally there were caravans out of Eyphra or Kluhn; or more rarely parties of prospectors out of Kliihn headed for the Mountains of Loh rare indeed lone wanderers and adventurers who had simply strayed this way Which ht al&039;s eyes, anyhich was one of the reasons he had brought his scouts of yester-eve tocourt

Their tale had been so full of fantastic incident that Fregg could only consider it a fabrication, and the tale wasn&039;t all he found suspect

Now the court was packed; battle-scarred brigands rubbed shoulders with ni&039;s own lieutenants for over, the accused hanged, and on with the day&039;s ga&039; Which did not bode well for transgressors against Fregg&039;s laws!

Actually, those laere sioods within the city would circulate according to barter and business, with eachin accordance with his acumen Monies and so on fro and his heirs, one third to the reaver or reavers clever enough to capture and bring it in, and the reeneral, to circulate as it ht More a code than a written law proper There was only one real law and it was this: Fregg&039;s subjects could rob, cheat, even kill each other; they could sell their swords, souls or bodies; they could bully, booze and brawl all they liked and then someexcept where it would be to annoy, inconvenience, pre-e Simple

Which meant that on this occasion, in so scouts had indeed displeased Fregg; a very strange circuht back for hi&039;s &039;courtiers&039; and &039;council&039; and &039;jury&039; for whatever form of inquisition he had in mind, and Arenith Han - a half-breed wizard of doubtful dexterity, one ti&039;s right-handrevelation

&039;What say you?&039; Burly, bearded Fregg turned a little on his wooden stool of office behind a squat wooden table, to peer at his wizard with raised eyebrows &039;Laed was a lamia? Where&039;s your evidence?&039;

Central in the courtyard, where they were obliged to stand facing into a sun not long risen, Hylar Arf and Thull Drinnis shuffled and gri&039;s treate; they were here and so ainst them The fallen wizard&039;s exa the same and the nature of at least one of their previous owners, that was si space in the central area were two caround, blankets bearing various items Upon one: tatters of sorely dishevelled fes, their contents e fire Treasure enough to satisfy even the most avaricious heart - almost Probably

Possibly

&039;Observe!&039; Arenith Han, a spidery, shrivelled person in a worn, rune-e the yaks and exa of these beasts - especially this one Have you ever seen the like? A houdah fixed upon the back of a yak? A houdahl Now, soht well ride such gentle, canopied beast through the gardens of her father&039;s palace - for her pleasure, under close scrutiny of eunuchs and guards - and the tasselled shade to protect her precious skin froht ray But here, in the desert, the badlands, the i&039;s walls?

Unlikely! And yet so it would appear to be&039;

He turned and squinted at the uncomfortable ruffians &039;Just such a princess, our friends here avoas out riding in the desert last night She rode upon this yak, beneath this shade, while the other beast carried her toiletries and trinkets, her prettiest things, which is in the nature of princesses when they go abroad: frivolously to take small items of comfort with them Ah! - but I have examined the beasts&039; packs Behold!&039;

He scattered as contained in the packs on to the dust and cracked flags of the courtyard - contents proving to be, with one exception, ale extraneous item, and held it up &039;A book,&039; he said &039;A leather-bound rune-book A book of spells!&039;

Oohs! and Aahs! went up froer for silence &039;And such spells!&039; he continued &039;They are runes of transforh I cannot read the glyphs in which they&039;re couched - for of course they&039;re writ in the laue!

As to their function: they peron, a serpent, a hag, a wolf, a toad - even a beautiful girl!&039;

Hylar Arf, a hulking Northth of his spine, had heard enough Usually jovial - especially when in a killingeruption of sound One-handed, he picked the skinny sorcerer up by the neck and dangled hi&039;s a charlatan!&039; he derided &039;Can&039;t you all see that?

Why! - here&039;s Thull Drinnis and , no harirl was lamia? Bah! We took her yaks and we took her, too - all three of us, before Guot hiir/-flesh we had, sweet and juicy Indeed, because he&039;s a pig, Thull here had her twice! He was both first and last with her; and does he look any the worse for wear?&039;

&039;We&039;re not pleased!&039; Fregg cae and round as a boulder &039;Put down our trusted sorcerer at once!&039; Hylar Arf spat in the dust but did as Fregg coer to and fro, clutching at his throat

&039;Continue,&039; Fregg nodded his approval

The wizard got well away from the two accused and found the fluted stone stu his throat, he once more took up the thread - or attempted to:

&039;Aboutlamias,&039; he choked And: &039;Wine, wine!&039; A court attendant took him a skin, from which he drank deeply And in a little while, but hurriedly now and eager to be done with it:

&039;About lahters of the pit Spawned of unnatural union betwixt, ahem, say a sorcerer and a succubus - or perhaps a witch and incubus - the lamia is half-caste Well, I myself am a "breed" and see little hars are very much different The woman in her lusts after men for satisfaction, the demon part for other reasons Men who have bedded laularly rare - but not fabulous, not unheard of! Mylakhrion hi was fascinated Having seated hi Hylar Arfs outburst, he now leaned forward &039;All very interesting,&039; he said &039;We would know more We would know, for example, just exactly how these two escaped with their lives from lamia&039;s clutches For whereas the near-iician, these men are merely-&039; (he sniffed) &039;-men And pretty scabby specimens of men at that!&039;

&039;Majesty,&039; said Arenith Han, &039;I areement with your assessment of this pair Aye, and Gumbat Chud was cut, I fear, of much the same cloth But first let me say a little more on the nature of lamias, when all should beco nodded

&039;Very well&039; Han stood up from colu barbarian and his thin, griue &039;Even lamias, monstrous creatures that they are, have their weaknesses; one of which, as stated, is that they lust after men Another is this: that once in a five-year their poane, when they must needs take theenius loci of la such periods, being M"-natural creatures, all things of nature are a bane, a veritable poison to them At the very best of tiht - in which abhorrence they are akin to ghouls and vaht of the five-year cycle the sun is not merely loathed but lethal in the extreht And because theof nature, Old Gleeth in his full is likewise a torht will scorch and blister the careat knuckles supporting him where he planted them firmly on the table before him &039;The houdah on the yak!&039; And he nodded,

&039;Yes, yes - I see!&039;

&039;Certainly,&039; Arenith Han sainst the ht, as you knoell enow&039;

Fregg sat doith a thued upon the table with heavy hand, said: &039;Good, Han, good! And what else do you divine?&039;

&039;Two e, his voice lo &039;First, observe the contents of her saddle bags: largely, soil! And does not the lamia, like the vampire, carry her native earth with her for bed? Aye, for she likes to lie down in the same charnel earth which her own vileness has cursed&039;

&039;And finally?&039; Fregg grunted

&039;Finally - observe the s, and embroidered into the canopy of yon houdah, and blazoned upon binding of rune-book And&039; Han narrowed his eyes, &039;- carved in the jade inset which Thull Drinnis even noears in the ring of gold on the ser of his left hand! Is it not indeed the skull and serpent crest of the Lamia Orbiquita herself?&039;&039;

Thull Drinnis, a weaselish ex-Kliihnite, at once thrust his left hand deep into the pocket of his baggy breeks, but not before everyone had seen the ring of which the wizard made mention In the stony silence which ensued, Drinnis realized his error - his aduilt of sorts - and knew that was not the way to go So now he drew his hand into view and held it up so that the sun flashed froold

&039;A trinket!&039; he cried &039;I took it from her and I clai with that? Now enough of this folly Why are we here, Hylar and ht i&039;s share alone will ht!&039; Hylar Arf took up the cry &039;All of you rich -or else-&039; he turned accusingly to Fregg, &039;-or else our noble king would take it all for hiain the stony silence, but this ti where he sat upon his stool of office at his table of judge ily, more than athis game with loaded dice Now he decided the tiain cai,&039; he said &039;Loyal subjects It appears to s here to be taken into consideration Three, er - shall we say "discrepancies"? - upon which, when they are resolved, Hylar and Thull&039;s guilt or innocence shall be seen to hang

Now, since ht into question, I shall merely present the facts as we know thee day indeed, but nevertheless I now put asideopinions in this matter, and let you make the decision&039; He paused

&039;Very well, these are the facts:

&039;For long and long the laws of Chlangi have stood, and they have served us moderately well One of these laws states that all -1 repeat all - goods of value stolen without and fetched within these walls are to be divided in predeter, one third to them responsible for the catch, the remainder to the city And so to the first discrepancy

Thull Drinnis here has seen fit to apportion hi upon his finger&039;

&039;A trinket, as he himself pointed out!&039; someone at the back of the crowd cried

&039;But a trinket of value,&039; answered Fregg, &039;whose worth would feed a man for a six-month! Let me say on:

&039;The second "discrepancy" - and one upon which the livelihoods and likely the very lives of each and every one of us depends - is this: that if e have heard is true, good Hylar and clever Thull here have rid these parts forever of a terrible bane, namely the Lamia Orbiquita&039;

&039;Well done, lads!&039; the cry went up And: &039;What&039;s that for a discrepancy?&039; While someone else shouted, &039;Thebellowed &039;We do not know that she is dead - and it were better for all if she is not! Wizard,&039; he turned to Arenith Han, &039;what say you? They beat her, ravished her, pegged her out under theand raping, aye,&039; answered Han &039;Very likely she would The staking out &039;neath a full bright Gleeth: that would be sore painful, would surely weaken her nigh unto death And by now-&039; he squinted at the sun riding up out of the east &039;Now in the searing rays of the sun - now she is surely dead!&039;

&039;Hoorah!&039; several in the crowd shouted

When there was silence Fregg stared all around And sadly he shook his head &039;Hoorah, is it? And how long before word of this reaches the outside world, eh? How long before the tale finds its way to Kluhn and Eyphra, Yhees and settlei the Shunned - this very Chlangi the Dooi the beautiful! Oh, all very well to let a handful of outcast criht-minded decent citizen would be found dead; but with Orbiquita gone, her sphere of evil ensorcelreatback Chlangi within the fold, to , you may rely upon it! And what of your livelihoods then? And what of your lives? Why, there&039;s a price on the head of every last one of you!&039;

No cries of &039;bravo&039; now fro realization, and at last a sullen silence which acknowledged the ring of truth in Fregg&039;s words

And in the midst of this silence:

&039;We killed a lamia!&039; Hylar Arf blustered &039;Why, all of Theem&039;hdra stands in our debt!&039;

Thee, his voice dooi, and certainly not her present citizens&039;

&039;But-&039; Thull Drinnis would have taken up the argureatest discrepancy,&039; Fregg cut hiht with vast treasure, all loaded on these camels here and now displayed upon the blanket for all to see And then they took themselves off to Dilquay Noth&039;s brothel and drank and whored the night away, and talked of hoith their share, they&039;d get off to Thandopolis and set up in legitimate business, and live out their lives in luxury undrea had news of this fine scheht: &039;What? And are they so displeased with Chlangi, then, that theyI do not yet know? And I sent out trackers into the badlands to find what they could find&039;

(Thull and Hylar, until this reatly agitated, fingering their swords and peering this way and that Fregg saw this and s)

&039;And lo! - at a small oasis known only to a few of us, what should my trackers find there but a third beast, the very brother of these two here - and four s packed with choicest iteave way to let through a pair of dustyinto view the beast in question

&039;We are all rich, all of us!&039; cried Fregg over the crowd&039;s rising hue

&039;Aye, and after the share has been i for lands of our choice

That is to say, all save these two&039;

Thull Drinnis and Hylar Arf waited no longer The game was up They were done for They knew it

As afrom scabbards, lips drawn back in snarls from clenched teeth And up on to his table they leaped, their blades raised on high - but before they could strike there ca of arrohich stopped the on the courtyard

walls, a party of crossbowmen had opened up, and theirpair but knocked them down from the table like swatted flies They were dead before they hit the ground

And again there was silence, broken at last by Fregg&039;s voice shouting: &039;So let all treacherous dogs die; so let them all pay the price!&039;

And someone in the crowd: &039;The fools! Why did they come back at all?&039;

&039;Good question!&039; answered Fregg &039;But they had to co, and that if they failed to return I would worry about them and send out others to discover their fate And they knew also that with beasts so loaded doith gold and gems, their pace would be slow and my riders would surely catch the trek overland, and extra beasts, and how to purchase such without displaying at least a portion of their loot? And finally they knew thatin advance knowledge in respect of travellers and caravans in these parts What if I expected theht two-thirds of it back and left the rest in the desert, to be collected later on their way to Thandopolis

As he fell sly silent a new voice arose, a voice hitherto unknown in Chlangi, which said:

&039;Bravo, lord Fregg! Bravo! An object lesson in deduction Hoell you understand the criminal mind, sir&039;

All eyes turned to Tarra Khash where he now threw off his blanket robe and draped it over the back of the camel he led; to hiht to other three and greeted thereat affection Plainly the four were or had been a team; and since this burly bronze clout-clad Hrossak was their masterwhat did that make him but previous owner of treasure and all? Possibly

Tarra was flanked by a pair of hulking thugs froate, who see could have told them; but now that he&039;d met the Hrossak, so to speak, he found himself somewhat curious &039;You&039;re a bold one,&039; he told Tarra, co forward to look hiuards ventured &039;He caht audience with the king or chief or whoever was boss here&039;

&039;I&039; Fregg Unst the First - and likely the last

Who are you?&039;

&039;Tarra Khash,&039; said Tarra &039;Adventurer by profession, wanderer by inclination&039; And he paused to look at the dead men where their bodies lay sprawled in the dust of the courtyard &039;Excuse me, but would these two be called, er, Hylar and Thull?&039;

&039;Those were their na nodded &039;Did you have business with them?&039;

&039;Some,&039; said Tarra, &039;but it appears I&039; up now and the crowd thinning as people went off about their business A half-dozen of Fregg&039;sa sharp eye on Tarra Khash Others began to bundle up the treasure in the blankets

&039;Walk with , &039;and tell me more I like your cut, Tarra Khash We seldom have visitors here; at least, not of their own free will!&039; He chuckled, paused, turned and said to his er -1 want it Make sure it&039;s with the rest of the stuff and bring it to me in the tower&039;

&039;Hold!&039; said Tarra &039;A &039; He stepped to blanket and stooped, ca the jewelled hilt of his scimitar &039;I&039;ve a special affection for this piece,&039; he said &039;It belongs in the scabbard across ently took it from him &039;But I do mind, Tarra Khash!&039;

&039;But-&039;

&039;Wait, lad, hear ainst you, but you simply don&039;t understand our laws

You see, upon the instant loot is brought into the city, said loot belongs to me, its finders, and to the city itself And no law at all, I&039;htful owner Not even the smallest part of it Also, I perceive these stones set in the hilt to be valuable, a setically, adding: &039;No, I&039;ood many more - have died for this little lot And so-&039; And he tossed the jewelled hilt back with the other gems

&039;Actually,&039; Tarra chewed his lip, eyed the swords and crossbows of Fregg&039;s bodyguards, &039;actually it&039;s the hilt I treasure more than the stones Before it was broken there were times that sword saved&039;It has sentimental value, has it? Why didn&039;t you say so? You shall have it back, of course! Only co room atop the tower, and after I&039;ve prised out the stones, then the broken blade is yours It seems the least I can do And my thanks, for in your way you&039;ve already answered a riddle I&039;d have asked of you&039;

&039;Oh?&039; Tarra raised an eyebrow

&039;Indeed For if you were rightful owner of this hoard in the first place, why surely you&039;d agonize more over the bulk of the stuff than the rinned, winked, and tapped the side of his nose with forefinger &039;No wonder you&039;re king here, Fregg Aye, and again you&039;ve gauged your hter &039;Good, good!&039; he chortled &039;Very good So you&039;re a reaver, too, eh?

Well, and what&039;s a reaver if not an adventurer, which is what you said you were? You took this lot from a caravan, I suppose? No mean feat for a lone wanderer, even a brave and brawny Hrossak&039;

&039;You flatter me,&039; Tarra protested, and lied: &039;No, there were ten of us The ht hard and died well, and I was left with treasure&039;

&039;Well then,&039; said Fregg &039;In that case you&039;ll not take it so badly It seems you&039;re better off to the extent of one camel As for the treasure: it was someone else&039;s, becai&039;s&039;

Tarra sucked his teeth &039;So it would see nodded &039;So count your blessings and go on your way Chlangi welcomes you if you choose to stay, will not detain you should you decide to move on The choice is yours&039;