Thieves World 3 – Shadows of Sanctuary by Asprin, Robert

‘I stole those diamond rods once before, for Tem-, for the Riddler. He’ll just

give them back to her, after she does whatever it is she does for him. I had

her once, and she did nothing for me that any other whore would not do.’

‘You what? Ah, you do not know about them, then? Their legend, their curse?’

‘Legend? Curse? I knew she was a sorceress. Tell me about it! Am I in any

danger? You can forget the whole idea, about the rods. I keep shut of sorcery.’

‘Hardly sorcery, no need to worry. They cannot transmit any of it. When he

was young and she was a virgin, he was a prince and a fool of ideals. 1 heard

it that the god is his true father, and thus she is not his sibling, but you

know how legends are. As a princess, her sire looked for an advantageous

marriage. An archmage of a power not seen anymore made an offer, at about the

time the Riddler renounced his claim to the throne and retired to a

philosopher’s cave. She went to him begging aid, some way out of an unacceptable

situation, and convinced him that should she be deflowered, the mage would not

want her, and of all men the Riddler was the only one she trusted with the task;

anyone else would despoil her. She seduced him easily, for he had loved her. all

his young life and that unacceptable attraction to flesh of his flesh was part

of what drove him from his primogeniture. She loved nothing but herself; some

things never change. He was wise enough to know he brought destruction upon

himself, but men are prone to ruin from women. In passion, he could not think