Thieves World 01 – Thieves World by Asprin, Robert

and shouted, ‘By all the hells of all the cults, will you get to the point?’

Men stared from adjacent seats, decided no fight was about to erupt, and went

back to their interests. These included negotiations with street-walkers who,

lanterns in hand, had come in looking for trade.

Enas Yorl smiled. ‘I forgive your outburst, under the circumstances,’ he said.

‘I too am occasionally young.

‘Very well. Given the foregoing data, including yours, the infrastructure of

events seems reasonably evident. You are aware of the conflict over a proposed

new temple, which is to outdo that of Ils and Shipri. I do not maintain that the

god has taken a direct hand. I certainly hope he feels that would be beneath his

dignity; a theomachy would not be good for us, to understate the case a

trifle. But he may have inspired a few of his more fanatical priests to

action. He may have revealed to them, in dreams or vision, the means whereby

they could cross to the next world and there make the sikkintairs do their

bidding. I hypothesize that the Lady Rosanda – and, to be sure, her

coadjutrix, your inamorata – are incarcerated in that world. The temple

is too full of priests, deacons, acolytes, and lay people for hiding the

wife of a magnate. However, the gate need not be recognizable as such.’

Cappen controlled himself with an inward shudder and made his trained voice

casual: ‘What might it look like, sir?’

‘Oh, probably a scroll, taken from a coffer where it had long lain forgotten,

and now unrolled – yes, I should think in the sanctum, to draw power from the