(eng) Alan Burt Akers - Dray Prescot 30 by Talons of Scorpio

Author:Talons of Scorpio [Scorpio, Talons of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter twelve

Of the Pied Piper of Port Marsilus

The next morning I awoke and rolled over and groaned. One of the fancy tooled leather boots lay in a corner of the barracks and the other halfway along the side wall where I’d hurled them the night before. I went along to Pando’s apartments and routed out a somber kit of grays and blues, and then trundled into the mess hall where the morning porridge was not laced with red honey, and the bread was stale, the palines wilting and the tea weak. Disgruntled, I ambled along to see Naghan Raerdu.

Here was I wasting my time on bad commons, doing nothing, only finding out unwelcome facts, when my comrades were out no doubt having exciting adventures chasing rogues through the forests.

As I walked along the corridor toward Naghan’s cellar entrance a slave girl undulated up to me. She wore a gray slave breechclout and her feet were bare; but she had a flower in her hair, which was combed, and a string of beads around her neck. She pouted up most artfully, and — I swear it! —

fluttered her eyelashes.

“Horter Jak—”

“Well?”

“My master requests you see him at once.”

“He does, does he,” I said, most weakly. “And who may your master be?”

“Why, the Alemaster, of course, master.”

“Lead on, for that is where I am going.”

She led me past the cellar door and through a curtained archway into a narrow room where on shelves along one wall row after row of crystal bottles caught the morning sunlight through a high window. Apple green and palely pink, that morning light of the twin suns, Zim and Genodras. They were called that quite often in North Pandahem, for the culture of the island is split between north and south. Down in South Pandahem Zim and Genodras were often called Far and Havil. One pair of the most common Pandahem names for the Suns is Panronium and Panigium; one heard them sometimes from the older folk.

Naghan Raerdu was carefully siphoning a deep orange liquid from one crystal flask into a retort. He looked up, nodded a cheerful good morning, and finished off his task.

Then he said: “Thank you, Saffi. Now run along and find me a nice loaf of bread and a piece of Loguetter. I am famished.”

The slave girl, Saffi, nodded and ran off instantly. She was an impish thing, with smoothly rounded shoulders, and a swing to her hips. I fancied Naghan would manumit her in Pandahem terms the moment this assignment was through.

He looked out of the door, closed it almost shut and stood so that he could see through the slit if anyone should come by. Over his shoulder, he said: “I have certain news that Strom Murgon Marsilus will reach the city today.”

I felt disappointment.

Then I said: “I was hoping Kov Pando would be here first.”

“My source was imprecise. She seemed to think the young kov was on his way. She said that the king was much displeased with him.”

“Now that is a disappointment.

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