Thieves World 4 – Storm Season by Asprin, Robert

your peril, alone? Tell me how you came to half-kill a personage of that

magnitude, and assure me that you can rectify your mistake without my help.”

She reached up and touched his throat, running her finger along his jaw until it

found his mouth. “Ssh, ssh. You are a bad liar, who proclaims he does not still

love me. Have you not enough at risk, presently? Yes, I erred with Aske-lon. He

tricked me. I shall solve it, one way or the other. My heart saw him, and I

could not then be the one who stood there watching him die. His world beguiled

me, his form enthralled me. You know what punishment love could bring me. . . .

He begged me leave him to die alone. And I believed him… because I feared

for my life, should while he died I come to love him. We each bear our proper

curse, that is sure.”

“You think this disguise will fool him?”

She shook her head. “I need not; he will want a meeting. This,” she ran her

hands down over her illusory youth and beauty, “was for the mage-lings, those

children at the gates. As for you, stay clear of this matter, my brother. There

is no time for quailing or philosophical debates, now. You never were competent

to simply act, unencumbered by judgment or conscience. Don’t try to change, on

my account. I will deal with the en-telechy, and then I will drink even his name

dry of meaning. Like that!” She snapped her fingers, twirled on her heel, and

flounced off in a good imitation of a young woman offended b’y a forward

soldier.

While he watched, Askelon appeared from the crowd to bar her path, a golden coin