Convergence by Sharon Green

Author:Sharon Green
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fantasy, Epic, General, Tuneyloon, Fiction
ISBN: 9780380784141
Publisher: Eos
Published: 1996-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Clarion sat and listened to the music filling the sleazy tavern, distantly surprised that it wasn’t all that bad. Neither was the drink they called brew, a distillation far superior to the one of the same name once given to him by three of Mother’s carriage drivers and grooms. The three had laughed when the very young Clarion had thrown up from the vile taste of the liquid, but Mother’s sudden appearance—and immediate dismissal of the three—had ended their laughter.

It was now becoming possible to hear laughter among the patrons of that tavern, and Clarion nearly marveled at the experience of not being the cause of the amusement. He was instead a part of one group contributing to the laughter, which was an even more unique experience. For the last several minutes he had been using that to distance himself from the shock of what he’d been told—and the increasingly greater disturbance he felt over what lay ahead.

And that, of course, was the heart of the matter, not knowing what lay ahead. His companions had all spoken of “visiting the ladies,” but Clarion was certain they had more than just visiting in mind. He’d nearly asked what that was, but some vague instinct warned him that admitting ignorance in that area would be far different from the supposed ignorance Drowd had admitted to. That Drowd fellow was a liar, Clarion knew it in his heart, but separating out the lies from the occasional truth the man spoke was difficult.

“… sure you two don’t mind?” Clarion heard the words from quite near, and came out of his thoughts to see that it was Ro who spoke, mainly to Coll but also to himself. “I’d be more than willin’ to wait a while if you or Mardimil would rather go now.”

“No, I’m perfectly willing to hold the table while you three visit the ladies first,” Coll answered him, then looked toward Clarion. “You don’t mind keeping me company, do you, Mardimil? We can have our turn with the ladies later.”

“Of course we can,” Clarion said, hopefully not too quickly. “I’d be pleased to stay and keep you company, Coll.”

“Then it’s settled,” Coll said with a smile and a shrug. “You three have a good time, but make sure you don’t wear them all out. We do want something left for us.”

Holter, Drowd, and Ro laughed as they stood, each man solemnly promising not to “wear the ladies out.” They then made their way toward a staircase to the left of the bar and the right of the cooking area, and quickly climbed out of sight. Clarion returned his attention to his brew, but stirred in faint annoyance in his chair rather than simply drinking. What were they going to be doing up those stairs?

“Mardimil, I think we need to talk,” Coll said slowly with a good deal of hesitation. “I waited until we could have privacy, because the topic is a delicate one.”

“You should have told me sooner that you wanted

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