Robert Asprin – Thieves World 09 – Blood Ties

“Oh how wonderful, Strick!” She squeezed his arm. “You put a sleeping spell on them?-or one on their ears?”

“No! Never that; I couldn’t make such a spell selective. They could perish in their sleep because they heard nothing. No, but if you’d like to take a little ride with me ‘morrow afternoon, we will visit their neighbor’s dog. Simple: I merely see to it that he makes no sound between late twilight and

dawn.”

She laughed aloud. “How marvelous! And yes, I’d love to go!” She squeezed his arm at the elbow. After a few moments she sobered: “Oh. But suppose someone tried to break in at the home of the dog’s owner? Won’t you have done bad along with the good?” Now her leg had found his, under the

table.

“A dog that barks at night without real cause is of no value, and better off on a farm someplace. Besides, its owner sleeps right on, remember? Else he’d have got rid of the dog long ago. Or become its master as well as merely owner.”

“Ah. I should have known better than to question you. Oh Strick you’re so wise and so sensitive! You care so, about

people!”

Strick responded to compliments no better than most, and chose not to respond to that. “Do you know someone called

Chenaya?”

“Yes. Uh-not well. I am not interested in knowing her

well.”

“Um. Neither is much of anyone else, apparently. Came in yesterday. First she challenged Frax and sneered at him, then made a sexual suggestion to Wints and then a nasty remark, said another nasty to Avneh and came swaggering in. Reminds me of an adolescent boy with a lot to prove. Challenged me -not to a passage at arms, I mean, just by remarks and attitude. A thoroughly poison personality. She had persuaded herself to come, but had trouble stating her problem. A very, very defensive… person. Demanded to know the source of my ability. I told her the emerald Eye of Agromoto and-“