Thieves World 01 – Thieves World by Asprin, Robert

around his neck. ‘I’m not sure. A wizard I’d done a favour for gave me this,

years ago. He claimed it’d protect me against spells and supernatural beings of

less than godly rank. But to make it work, I have to utter three truths about

the spellcaster or the creature. I’ve done that in two or three scrapes, and

come out of them intact, but I can’t prove the talisman was responsible.’

More customers entered, and One-Thumb must go to serve them. Cappen nursed his

ale. He yearned to get drunk and belike the landlord would stand him what was

needful, but he didn’t dare. He had already learned more than he thought the

opposition would approve of- whoever or whatever the opposition was. They might

have means of discovering this.

His candle flickered. He glanced up and saw a beardless fat man in an ornate

formal robe, scarcely normal dress for a visit to the Vulgar Unicorn.

‘Greetings,’ the person said. His voice was like a child’s.

Cappen squinted through the gloom. ‘I don’t believe I know you,’ he replied.

‘No, but you will come to believe it, oh, yes, you will.’ The fat man sat down.

One-Thumb came over and took an order for red wine – ‘a decent wine, mine host,

a Zhanuvend or Baladach.’ Coin gleamed forth.

Cappen’s heart thumped. ‘Enas Yorl?’ he breathed.

The other nodded. ‘In the flesh, the all too mutable flesh. I do hope my curse

strikes again soon. Almost any shape would be better than this. I hate being

overweight. I’m a eunuch, too. The times I’ve been a woman were better than

this.’

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ Cappen took care to say. Though he could not rid himself of