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

outpourings of the Hazard-class wizards who were their masters – a potpourri

with all the mixed fascination of Prince Kitty-Cat’s garbage bin. Here also was

the alien tang of Beysib ritual, and the fuggy flavours produced by all the

little hedge-wizards and crones, and the wavering scents of those who served in

the temples of the gods.

But what he was seeking was not in the temples, though it came from a place that

was close by – a house whose very foundations were sorcery. Someone was working

a spell there even now, elegant magics that sent spirals of power smoking into

the dim air. Lalo had known that flavour before, though he had not then

recognized it – the unique atmosphere that surrounded Enas

Yorl. Focusing, he found that he could interpret what he was sensing

as colour, a line of light that snaked outward, another crossing it and another,

a net to capture any spirit that might be wandering there. And Lalo could feel

the presence of those Others, beings less conscious than the ghosts he fled, but

more active and aware.

A Symbol flickered into being in the centre of the knot, pulsing lividly,

colour, shape, and flavour all combined to lure its intended prey. Lalo

shuddered as something swept by him. The glowing lines distorted and the Symbol

in their midst dissolved and then reformed, imprisoning a roil of writhing

energy and forcing it into a form that human eyes could, however unwillingly,

see. But the Gateway that had opened for the creature was still there, and Lalo,

frantic for contact, thrust himself through.