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

know ale if I poured some in your ear! Want another mug of junk beer?”

“Junk beer’s right,” another man said, as Ahdio moved that way. “Is it true

you’ve got that beer-drinkin’ demon-cat you keep back there trained to take his

leaks in the kegs?”

“No,” Ahdio said with an easy grin, “just in the qualis.” When the laughter

subsided, he made his face serious and added, “But I’ll tell you this. I accused

my brewer of that, just this afternoon. I also put him on notice that I’m

lookin’ around for another supplier. I am. All right, how many?”

“Two for me; I just got here. Is it true that’s your girl over there, Ahdio, all

bundled up?”

“My cousin Phlegmy brews good brew, Ahdy!”

“Girl! I’m too old for girls, two-beers. You think I put this gray in my beard

with chalk? Now who’s been blabbing that I have a secret lady who dropped in

tonight to watch me work?” /( worked, he thought. Good old Ouleh-all you have to

do is ask her to keep a secret and it’s the same as hiring thirty boys to shout

the news!

Laughter and shouts followed him to the bar, and he made sure that he gave Ouleh

a scowl. She bit her lip in the manner of a chastised child. While sitting on

Tervy’s knee with her hand inside the shirt of Frax, former palace guardsman.

Someone reached out and yanked at the hem of Throde’s tunic, in back. Throde

reeled and his tray tipped. A mug dropped off into someone’s lap. That someone

cursed and came up fast, drawing back a fist. One moment he was looking at

Throde’s whimpery face saying “Oh, oh, I’m sorry” while his peripheral hearing