be glad to see an old friend?”
Something funny going on here, Jon-Tom mused warily.
Where were the otter’s usual suspicious questions, his
casual abusiveness?
As if to answer his questions the door burst inward.
Standing there backlit by the light from the hall was a sight
to give an opium eater pause.
The immensely overweight lady badger wore a bright
red dress fringed with organdy ruffles. Rings dripped from
her manicured fingers, and it was hard to believe that the
massive gems that encircled her neck were real. They
threw the light back into the room.
A few curious customers crowded in behind her as she
raised a paw and pointed imperiously at the bed.
“There he is!” she growled.
“Ah, Madam Lorsha,” said Mudge as he finished his
dressing in a hurry, “I ‘ave to compliment you on the
facilities of your establishment.”
“That will be the last compliment you ever give any-
one, you deadbeat. Your ass is a rug.” She snapped her
fingers as she stepped into the room. “Tork.”
Bending to pass under the sill was the largest intelligent
warmlander Jon-Tom had yet encountered. It was a shock
THE DAY OF THE DISSONANCE
27
to see someone taller than himself. The grizzly rose at
least seven and a half feet, wore black-leather pants and
shirt. He also wore what appeared in the bad light to be
heavy leather gloves. Their true nature was revealed all too
quickly.
Now, Jon-Tom did not know precisely what had tran-
spired in the elegant room or beyond its walls or between
his furry friend who was slipping on his boots in a
veritable frenzy and the badger who was clearly the owner