Thieves World 2 – Tales From The Vulgar Unicorn by Asprin, Robert

slender hands. And with that, there it was again, the reason for her visit. The

special dream. For him.

He waited, not daring to say anything for, suddenly, there was that tenseness

again.

She seemed not to need prompting. She said simply, ‘In my dream. Ils came to me

in the form of an angry young man and spoke to me about you. His manner was

ferocious throughout; and my impression is that he is displeased with you.’ She

finished, ‘In his human form he had jet black hair that came down to his

shoulders.’

There was silence. Inside Stulwig, a blankness spread from some inner centre of

fear. A numbness seemed to be in all locations.

Finally: ‘Us!’ he croaked.

The impossible!

There were tales that reported the chief god of old Ilsig occasionally

interfering directly in human affairs. But that he had done so in connection

with Alten Stulwig brought a sense of imminent disaster.

Illyra seemed to know what he was feeling. ‘Something about your father,’ she

said, softly, ‘is the problem.’

Her hand and arm reached out. Gently, she took hold of the third pouch; tugged

at it. Stulwig let go. He watched numbly as she turned and went rapidly down the

stairway. Moments later there was a flare of light as the bottom door opened

and shut. Just before it closed he had a glimpse of the alley that was there,

and of her turning to go left.

Us!

All that morning, after the sick people started to arrive, Stulwig tried to put

the thought of the god out of his mind. There were several persons who talked

excessively about their ailments; and for a change he let them ramble on. The