Thieves World 01 – Thieves World by Asprin, Robert

them with their gold while “respectable” people offer promises, they would

suffer even more than they do now.’

There was a gentle knocking on the door. Lythande stepped back into the shadows

of the room. Ambutta entered, a large bruise visible on the side of her face.

‘The men have begun to arrive, Madame Myrtis. Will you collect their money, or

shall I take the ledger downstairs?’

‘I shall attend to them. Send them up to me and, Ambutta -‘

She stopped the girl as she headed out of the parlour. ‘Go to the kitchen and

find out how many days we could go without buying anything from any of the

tradesmen.’

‘Yes, madame.’

The room was suddenly empty, except for Myrtis. Only a slight rippling of the

wall tapestries showed where Lythande had opened a concealed panel and

disappeared into the secret passages of the Aphrodisia House. Myrtis had not

expected the magician to stay, but despite all their years together, the

magician’s sudden comings and goings still unsettled her. Standing in front of a

full-length mirror, Myrtis rearranged the pearl-and-gold pins in her hair,

rubbed scented oils into her skin, and greeted the first gentleman-caller as if

the day had been no different from any other.

Word of the taxation campaign against the Street had spread through the city

much as Lythande had observed. The result was that many of their frequent guests

and visitors came to the house to pay their last respects to an entertainment

that they openly expected would be gone in a very short time. Myrtis smiled at

each of them as they arrived, accepted their money, and asked their second