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

‘Care to bet on it?’

They carried on a bit more, for the crowd’s benefit, Janni and the bouncer

engaged in a staring match the while. ‘Call your cur off, then, and we’ll forget

about this – this once.’ Niko turned, neck aprickle, and headed back towards his

seat, hoping that it wouldn’t go any further. Not one of the four – bouncer, bar

owner. Stepsons – was entirely playing to the crowd.

When he’d reached his door-facing table, Lastel/One-Thumb called his bruiser off

and Janni backed towards Niko, white-faced and trembling with eagerness: ‘Let me

geld one of them. Stealth. It’ll do our reputations no end of good.’

‘Save it for the witch-bitch.’

Janni brightened, straddling his seat, both arms on the table, digging fiercely

with his dirk into the wood: ‘You’ve got a rendezvous?’

‘Tonight, high moon. Don’t drink too much.’

It wasn’t the drink that skewed them, but the krrf they snorted, little piles

poured into clenched fists where thumb muscles made a well. Still, the drug

would keep them alert: it was a long time until high moon, and they had to

patrol for marauders while seeming to be marauding themselves. It was almost

more than Niko could bear. He’d infiltrated a score of camps, lines and palaces

on reconnaissance sorties with his deceased partner, but those were cleaner,

quicker actions than this protracted infiltration of Sanctuary, bunghole of the

known world. If this evening made an end to it and he could wash and shave and

stable his horses better, he’d make a sacrifice to Enlil which the god would not