Thieves World 01 – Thieves World by Asprin, Robert

– with a single exception. Luckily, Jamie the Red had no prior commitment, and

agreed to join the party. Cappen told the kitchen staff to pack a picnic hamper

for four.

Jamie’s girls stayed behind; this was not their sort of outing, and sun might

harm their complexions. Cappen thought it a bit ungracious of the Northerner

never to share them. That put him, Cappen, to considerable expense in the Street

of Red Lanterns, since he could scarcely keep a paramour of his own while wooing

Danlis. Otherwise he was fond of Jamie. They had met after Rosanda, chancing to

hear the minstrel sing, had invited him to perform at the mansion, and then

invited him back, and presently Cappen was living in the Jeweller’s Quarter.

Jamie had an apartment near by.

Three horses and a pack mule clopped out of Sanctuary in the new-born morning,

to a jingle of harness bells. That merriment found no echo in Cappen’s head; he

had been drinking past midnight, and in no case enjoyed rising before noon.

Passive, he listened to Jamie: ‘- Aye, milady, they’re mountaineers where I hail

from, poor folk but free folk. Some might call us barbarians, but that might

be unwise in our hearing. For we’ve tales, songs, laws, ways, gods as old as

any in the world, and as good. We lack much of your Southern lore, but how

much of ours do you ken? Not that I boast, please understand. I’ve seen

wonders in my wanderings. But I do say we’ve a few wonders of our own at home.’

‘I’d like to hear of them,’ Danlis responded. ‘We know almost nothing about your