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

father serves. You do not have the yielding nature that madness gave your

sister.’

‘I’ll become whatever I must be to trap him.’

As she spoke, Cythen yanked loose the cord that bound her hair, shaking her head

until the brown strands rose like an untidy aura around her face.

‘Good intentions will not deceive him, either.’ Myrtis had become kind-voiced

again. ‘Your need for vengeance will not make you a courtesan. There are others

here who can bell our cat.’

‘No,’ Cythen protested. ‘He’ll come here again and make his mistake again, and

he might kill another of your courtesans. Isn’t it to your advantage to let me

risk my life rather than sacrificing one of those who belong to you?’

‘Of course it would be to my advantage, child, if I owned anyone. But just

because I keep account books on love a.nd pleasure, do not think I am completely

without conscience. If Voyce is all he is suspected of being, I would be as

guilty of your death, or anyone’s death, as he would be.’

Cythen shook her head and took a step closer to Myrtis, resting her fists on the

table. ‘Don’t lecture me about death or guilt. For five years since those

bandits swept down and attacked us, I travelled with Bekin, protecting her,

bringing her men, and killing them if I had to. It would have been better if she

had died that first night. I’m not sorry she’s dead, only sorry that she was

murdered by a man she trusted, as she trusted all men. I don’t blame you, or me,

but I can’t get her out of my memory until I’ve avenged her. Do you understand