Thieves World 01 – Thieves World by Asprin, Robert

light touch on his arm. It is not so easy as you might think to raise such a

large sum of money.’

She lifted the ebony box inlaid with pearl from the table beside her bed and

carried it slowly to him. He hesitated before taking it from her arms.

‘I must count it, madame,’ he said almost apologetically.

‘I understand. You will find that it is all there. My word is good.’

‘You … you are much different now from how you seemed two days ago.’

‘It is the difference between night and day.’

He began assembling piles of gold on her ledger table in front of the silver

tray with the qualis.

‘We have been forced to cut back our orders to the town’s merchants in order to

pay you.’

From the surprised yet thoughtful look he gave her, Myrtis guessed that the Hell

Hounds had begun to hear complaints and anxious whinings from the respectable

parts of town as Mikkun and his friends called back their loans and credit.

‘Still,’ she continued, T realize that you are doing only what you have been

told to do. It’s not you personally who is to blame if any of the merchants and

purveyors suffer because the Street no longer functions as it once did.’

Zaibar continued shuffling his piles-of coins around, only half-listening to

Myrtis. He had half the gold in the box neatly arranged when Myrtis slipped the

glass stopper out of the qualis decanter..

‘Will you join me in a glass of qualis, since it is not your fault and we still

have a few luxuries in our larder. They tell me a damp fog lies heavy on the

streets.’

He looked up from his counting and his eyes brightened at the sight of the deep