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

circumstances, however, in which it would pay smugglers to off-load beneath the

surf-hammered corniche rather than in the shelter of the cove. For them, the

tunnel might be useful storage; but the smugglers had not built it, and in all

likelihood they had as little knowledge of its intended purpose as Samlor did,

or Hort.

Samlor set down the cask at what he estimated was the halfway point along the

tunnel. The cask had been an awkward burden in the narrow confines, and its

weight of a talent or more was as much as a porter would be expected to carry

for even a moderate distance. Because it used muscles in a way that the punt had

not, however, the hundred yards Samlor had carried the cask were almost

relaxing.

The only thing certain about the escape he hoped to make in a few hours was that

he would have very little time. Now the Cir-donian set the cask on end and drew

his fighting knife. The blade was double-edged and a foot long. It was stout

enough at the cross-hilt to take the shock of a sword and was sharpened to edges

that would hold as they cut bronze, rather than something that its owner could

shave with. Samlor had razors for shaving. The knife was a

different sort of tool.

He set the point at the centre of one of the end-staves, using his left hand to

keep the weapon upright. The butt cap was bronze, flat on top, and a perfect

surface for Samlor to hammer with the heel of his right hand. The blade hummed.

The beechwood cracked and sagged away from the point. Working the knife loose,

Samlor then punched across the grain of the other four end staves as well. The