Thieves World 01 – Thieves World by Asprin, Robert

They were all old. More than half of them had once worked for her. She had

watched them age in the unkind manner that often overtakes youthful beauty and

transforms it into grotes-querie. Myrtis might have been the youngest of them

young enough to be working in the houses instead of running one of them. But

when she turned from the window to face them, there was the unmistakable glint

of experience and wisdom in her eyes.

‘Well, it wasn’t really a surprise,’ she began. It was rumoured before Kittycat

got here, and we’ve seen what has happened to the others the Hell Hounds have

been turned loose on. I admit I’d hoped that some of the others would have held

their ground better and given us a bit more time.’

‘Time wouldn’t help. I don’t have a hundred gold pieces to give them!’ A woman

whose white-paste make-up cracked around her eyes as she spoke interrupted

Myrtis.

‘You don’t need a hundred gold pieces!’ A similarly made-up woman snarled back.

‘The gold is unimportant.’ Myrtis’s voice rose above the bickering. ‘If they can

break one of us, they can drive us all out.’

‘We could close our doors; then they’d suffer. Half of my men are from Ranke.’

‘Half of all our men are, Gelicia. They won the war and they’ve got the money,’

Myrtis countered. ‘But they’ll kowtow to the Hell Hounds, Kittycat, and their

wives. The men of Ranke are very ambitious. They’ll give up much to preserve

their wealth and positions. If the prince is officially frowning on the Street,

their loyalties will be less strained if we have closed our doors without