Thieves World 3 – Shadows of Sanctuary by Asprin, Robert

will not get chilled or overheated.

‘Ale for you, sir?’ the young woman said to Chan. ‘Or wine? And wine for your

wives?’

‘Beer, please,’ Chan said. ‘What are “wives”? I have studied your language, but

this is not a word I know.’

‘The ladies are not your wives?’

Wess took a tankard of ale off the tray, too tired and thirsty to try to figure

out what the woman was talking about. She took a deep swallow of the cool bitter

brew. Quartz reached for a flask of wine and two cups, and poured for herself

and Aerie.

‘My companions are Westerly, Aerie, and Quartz,’ Chan said, nodding to each in

turn. ‘I am Chandler. And you are -?’

‘I’m just the serving girl,’ she said, sounding frightened. ‘You could not wish

to be troubled with my name.’ She grabbed a mug of beer and put it on the table,

spilling some, and fled.

They all looked at each other, but then the tavern-keeper came with platters of

meat. They were too hungry to wonder what they had done to frighten the barmaid.

Wess tore off a mouthful of bread. It was fairly fresh, and a welcome change

from trail rations – dry meat, flatbread mixed hurriedly and baked on stones in

the coals of a campfire, fruit when they could find or buy it. Still, Wess was

used to better.

‘I miss your bread,’ she said to Quartz in their own language. Quartz smiled.

The meat was hot and untainted by decay. Even Aerie ate with some appetite,

though she preferred meat raw.

Halfway through her meal, Wess slowed down and took a moment to observe the

tavern more carefully.

At the bar, a group suddenly burst into raucous laughter.