Thieves World 7 – The Dead of Winter by Asprin, Robert

She worked by the light of his fire. At one end of the chain two small, blunt

prongs were clasped together with a piece of wrapped string as long as the chain

itself. This she inserted in the watchman’s right nostril. With the probe she

guided the chain up his nose and into the nasal passage that led deep into his

throat. Chenaya knew when the prongs were positioned. Carefully, she separated

the lengths of chain and string and began slowly to pull. The probe insured that

the chain remained in place, but it twisted as she tugged on the string. Moments

later, the wrapping came free, and the prongs snapped open. She gave a light tug

on the chain. It was firmly anchored.

It was the method used to handle recalcitrant slaves and criminals in Ranke.

Awake, the process was quite painful. Daxus was lucky she’d hit him so hard. He

wasn’t, however, going to like it at all.

She didn’t like the smell of the camels. It was time to go. All she had to do

was sneak him back to Land’s End. She wrapped the free end of the chain around

her hand and started to heave him over her shoulder.

The gate pushed open. It was Day me.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered angrily, heart pounding. With her hands

full of Daxus she hadn’t been able to reach her sword.

“Watching your back,” he answered calmly. “Pull on the rest of your clothes.

I’ll carry him.”

She blushed hotly. No doubt he’d seen a lot more than her back. And she’d been

in such a rush to get away with Daxus she’d forgotten to pull on more than the

cloak. She released the chain and hurriedly dressed. But it irritated her that