Thieves World 01 – Thieves World by Asprin, Robert

blind foolishness to retreat now, unless we decide to give up the whole

venture.’

‘We, uh, we could go tell Molin, no, the Prince what we’ve found.’

‘And be cast into a madhouse? If the Prince did send investigators anyway, the

plotters need merely take this thing down and hide it till the squad has left.

No.’ Cappen squared his shoulders. ‘Do what you like, Jamie, but I am going

through.’

Underneath, he heartily wished he had less self-respect, or at least that he

weren’t in love with Danlis.

Jamie scowled and sighed. ‘Aye, right you are, I suppose. I’d not looked for

matters to take so headlong a course. I awaited that we’d simply scout around.

Had I foreseen this, I’d have roused the lassies to bid them, well, good night.’

He hefted his spear and drew his sword. Abruptly he laughed. ‘Whatever comes,

’twill not be dull!’

Stepping high over the threshold, Cappen went forward.

It felt like walking through any door, save that he entered a mild summer’s day.

After Jamie had followed, he saw that the vista in the parchment was that on

which he had just turned his back: a veiled mass, a pillar, stars above a

nighted city. He checked the opposite side of the strip, and met the same

designs as had been painted on its mate.

No, he thought, not its mate. If he had understood Enas Yorl aright, and rightly

remembered what his tutor in mathematics had told him about esoteric geometry,

there could be but a single scroll. One side of it gave on this universe, the

other side on his, and a spell had twisted dimensions until matter could pass