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

concerned, the newly elected First Hazard ought to step forward and take

responsibility for his guild’s malevolent mischief. When frogs fell from the

sky, Straton prognosticated, such would be the case.

They’d done some good there: they’d conscripted Wrigglies and deputized

fishermen and bullied the garrison duty officer into sending some of his men out

with the long boats and Beysib dinghies and slave-powered tenders which searched

shoals and coastline for survivors. But with the confusion of healers and

thrill-seeking civilians and boat owners and Beysibs on the docks, they’d had to

call in all the Stepsons and troops from road patrols and country posts in case

the Beysibs took their loss too much to heart and turned upon the townsfolk. .

On every corner, now, a mounted pair stood watch; beyond, the roads were

desolate, unguarded. Crit worried that if diversion was some culprit’s purpose,

it had worked all too well: an army headed south would be upon them with no

warning. If he’d not known that yesterday there’d been no sign of southward

troop movement, he confided to Straton, he’d be sure some such evil was afoot.

To make things worse, when they found an open bar it was the Alekeep, and its

owner was wringing his hands in a corner with five other upscale fathers. Their

sons and daughters had been out all night; word to Tempus at the Stepsons’

barracks had brought no answer; the skeleton crew at the garrison had more

urgent things to do than attend to demands for search parties when manpower was