Thieves World 01 – Thieves World by Asprin, Robert

I so hated its loss and am so mortified.’

‘All right. Maybe. That’s not bad – forget the part about its being sliced in

back, lest it turn up whole. Hmm – I guess it won’t. Likely perfectly good silk

will be dumped while the pearls and gold thread are sold. And how competent was

he at the couching, Lirain?’

Lirain looked to the heavens. ‘0 Sabellia, and we call Thee the Sharp-Tongued

One! Men! Plague and drought. Bourne, can’t you be more than a man? He was …

fair. That’s all. I was on business. We are on business, love. Our assignment

for those “certain interested nobles” back in Ranke – my hind leg, it’s the

Emperor himself, worried about his half-brother’s pretty golden-haired

magnetism! – is to embarrass His pretty golden-haired Highness K-adakithis! He’s

been doing that well enough all by himself! Trying to implement civilized law in

this roach-nest of a town! Continuing to insist that temples to Savankala and

Sabellia have to be mightier than the one to the Ils these people worship, and

that Vashanka’s must be equal to Ils’s. Priests hate him and merchants hate him

and thieves hate him – and thieves make this town go!’

Bourne nodded – and demonstrated his strength by drawing a fifteen-inch dagger

to clean his nails.

Lirain tossed her girdle of silver links on to a pile of cushions and idly

fingered her navel. ‘Now we provide the finishing touch. There will never be a

threat to the Emperor from this pretty boy’s supporters again! We help Hanse the

roach into the palace.’

‘After which he is absolutely on his own,’ he said, pointing with the dagger.