Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin

“Well, I think you’re about to learn.”

“Say, why are you telling me all this, anyway?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I like your act. That’s why I singled you out in the first place. Then again, I feel a little guilty about having gotten you into this.”

“Will you help me?”

“I don’t feel that guilty, handsome,” she smiled. “But there is one more thing I can do for you.”

She started to pull me toward her.

“Wait a minute,” I protested. “Won’t that….”

“Relax, handsome,” she purred. “You’re about to get pounded for offending my honor. You might as well get a little of the sweet along with the bitter.”

Before I could protest further, she kissed me. Long and warm and sweet, she kissed me.

I had never been kissed by anyone except my mother. This was different! The fight, the dragon, Aahz, everything faded from my mind. I was lost in the wonder of that moment.

“Hey!”

A rough hand fell on my shoulder and pulled us apart.

“Is this shrimp bothering you, lady?”

The person on the other end of that hand was no taller than I was, but he was twice as broad and had short, twisted tusks protruding from his mouth. His cronies had fanned out behind him, effectively boxing me in against the dung heap.

I looked at the girl. She shrugged and backed away.

It looked like I was going to have to fight all of them. Me and the dragon. Terrific.

I remembered my skinning knife. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had. As casually as I could, I reached behind me and tugged at my shirt, trying to pull it up so I could get at the knife. The knife promptly fell down inside my pants.