Now Malkin was intrigued rather than exasperated. “Yeah. So?”
“So what the successful consultant does, once he’s dealt into the game, is cheat like mad.”
“I still don’t see . . .” Malkin began, but there was some commotion on the stairs as the warder made his way up. The thief slipped into an adjacent cell the instant before the warder’s head poked through the floor, quickly followed by the rest of him. He stood by the stairway, drew himself to unaccustomed attention and announced: “His Honor, Mayor Hendrick Hastlebone, Lord Mayor and head of the wool merchants guild and the honorable members of the city council.
Mayfortunesmileonthehonorablemayorandcouncilors.” Then he relaxed and slumped again.
The mayor was a portly individual with basset eyes, a substantial paunch and a considerable appreciation of his own importance. He was dressed in a short robe of green velvet trimmed with gold. Around his neck hung a heavy, gaudy gold chain of office topped off with a jeweled and tasteless medallion.
One of his councilors was tall and lean, one was short and bald and the others were pretty much nondescript. They wore either the short robe and hose like the mayor or long robes with deep hanging sleeves and they all had heavy gold chains around their necks, only slightly less gaudy than the mayor’s. They advanced in a tight knot with the mayor in the lead until they stood before Wiz’s cell.
Wiz stood waiting for them, not quite leaning against the wall, but giving the impression that he was completely at ease. He watched the mayor carefully and just as the man drew breath to speak he cut him off.
“Good of you gentlemen to come.”
The mayor was caught with his mouth open. He closed it, scowled and tried again.
“Who are you?”
“My name’s Wiz Zumwalt.”
“A wizard?” one of the councilors interjected. Mayor Hastlebone glared over his shoulder, but Wiz and the others ignored it.
“I’m a wizard by training, but by profession I’m a consultant. I solve other people’s problems for a living.”
The mayor raised an eyebrow. “Most folks have enough to do solving their own problems.”
“That’s why we consultants are so rare. And so much in demand.”
The mayor snorted.
“Now, I understand that you have a problem with dragons,” Wiz said. “I can show you how to rid yourselves of your dragon trouble-for a very reasonable fee, of course.”
“Of course,” said one of the councilors, the lean one, an individual with an oily manner and a puce wool robe that clashed horribly with his complexion.
“What makes you think you know how to handle dragons?” the mayor demanded.
“I come from the Valley of Quartz-Silicon Valley-and we have no problems at all with dragons there.”
“We have our own ways of handling dragons,” one of the councilors said.
“I’m sure you do,” Wiz said, assuming a manner he had seen so many times when consultants made a pitch. “And what you’ve accomplished here is really remarkable-all things considered. But perhaps you could benefit from a more professional, scientific approach to your problem.”
“How did you get here?” a hatchet-faced man in a malachite green robe demanded in a tone that indicated he knew the answer perfectly well.
“By dragon. It’s a very expeditious manner of travel.” Wiz smiled. “You ought to try it sometime.”
That set them buzzing. The mayor turned his back and the whole group huddled together, muttering to one another. Once or twice someone poked his head up out of the pack and craned his neck to get a better view of their visitor. Wiz stayed where he was and tried desperately to look as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Very well,” Mayor Hastlebone said finally. “If-if you can completely rid the valley of dragons, what would be your fee?”
“One tenth of the town’s produce for a year,” Wiz said as blandly as he could manage.
“Preposterous!”
“Hardly. The dragons cost you more than that in a bad year and probably almost that much in most years.”
“Absurd,” said the mayor, with a little less conviction.
“Quite reasonable, actually.”
“It would be worth it if he succeeded,” said one of the councilors, a portly man in a forest green short robe and rose pink hose.