Thieves World 5 – The Face of Chaos by Asprin, Robert

reached it now. Things seemed to slow, just as they began to move in earnest,

when the door flew open outward with no one touching it at all, when light flung

out into the dark and there were dark figures leaping to their feet inside that

building, but none darker than Ischade’s, who occupied that doorway.

And silence then, after momentary outcry. Dire silence, as if everyone inside

had stopped, just stopped. Mor-am stood stock still. But Mradhon stepped up the

single step to stand behind Ischade.

‘Give him to me,’ Ischade said very quietly, as if everything was sleeping and

voices ought to be hushed. ‘Mradhon Vis -‘ She had never looked around, and knew

him, somehow, by means that set his teeth on edge. So did calling his name here.

‘This man they have. Get him up. Whatever you can do for him. Mor-am knows the

way.’

He looked past her, to the wretch on the floor, to what this ragged, awful crowd

had left of a man. He had seen corpses, of various kinds. This one looked worse

than most and might still be alive, which daunted him more than death. But it

was a question of downhill. He walked in, among the beggar-horde, among ragged

men and women. Gods! there was a child, feral, with a rat’s sharp, frozen grin.

He bent above this seeming corpse and picked it up. not even thinking of broken

bones, only struggling with limp weight; the head lolled. It only had one eye.

Blood was everywhere.

Haught met him, passing Ischade, got the other arm of this perhaps-living thing,

and they took it to the door. Moria was there. Mor-am stood against the wall.