Myth-Ing Persons By Robert L Asprin

I avoided her eyes, staring hard at the wall monitors. “There might be another explanation, you know.”

My apprentice gave out a bark of laughter.

“If there is, I’m dying to hear it. Face it, High Roller, any way you look at it the situation stinks. If they cooked up a frame that tight on Green and Scaly on such short notice, I’m dying to see what kind of a trap they’ve got waiting for you now that they’ve had time to get ready before inviting you to step in.”

It occurred to me that I had never been that mouthy when I was an apprentice. It also occurred to me that now I understood why Aahz had gotten so angry on the rare occasions when I had voiced an opinion … and the rarer times when I was right.

“I think I missed a lap in this conversation somewhere.” Vilhelm frowned. “I take it you know the witnesses?”

Massha proceeded to bring the Dispatcher up to date, with Guido growling counterpoint to the theme. For once I was glad to let them do the talking. It gave me a chance to collect my scattered thoughts and try to formulate a plan. When they finished, I still had a long way to go on both counts.

“I must admit, viewed from the light of this new information, the whole thing does sound a little suspicious,” the vampire said thoughtfully.

“A little suspicious!” Massha snorted. “It’s phonier than a smiling Deveel!”

“Tell ya what,” Guido began, “just give us a few minutes alone with these witnesses of yours and we’ll shake the truth out of ’em.”

“I’m afraid that will be a little difficult,” the Dispatcher said, eyeing the ceiling. “You see, they haven’t been around for a while. Disappeared right after the trial.”