Jim Baen's Universe Vol 3 No 1 by Eric Flint

Author:Eric Flint [Flint, Eric]
Format: epub
Published: 2009-10-01T03:00:00+00:00

Grak shrugged. "Was the spleen useful?"

Bella chuckled. "It makes a great sausage. But potion wise, no." She led him onto the grounds. "But scales, claws, bone and teeth, tremendously useful. You sent plenty, thanks."

He smiled. "It wasn't much of a fuss."

"I heard it was rather quick actually."

They sauntered through the gardens. Someone had tastefully added several dragon scales near a bed of drooping lilacs. Grak, with his Orcsight, could also see a fresh grave dug. "Trouble?"

Bella batted her eyelashes. "Nothing a girl can't handle." She led him to an old moathouse with the roof caved in. Next to it a huge cauldron boiled. Blue sparks fired out randomly, lighting up the evening. "Ah, smells like it's ready."

Grak sniffed. Other than the sparks it smelled right. "I thought dragon meat was tough."

His date laughed. She handed him a gigantic bowl. "Try."

Working on the notion that the truth serum hadn't done him harm, Grak dutifully sipped. The curry had body and bite. He bit into a piece of Smog; the meat melted in his mouth. "Wow, that's exceptional."

She smiled and gestured for him to sit. A dwarf-sized apparition brought a basket of hot brown bread. "Please, I baked it myself."

Grak dropped half a loaf on top of his curry. "You learn to cook like this doing the gingerbread thing?"

Bella shook her head. "I used to run a rooming house for dwarves. It's kinda how I got the curse."

Grak ate half the bowl. "I didn't know dwarves were big cursers."

She shrugged. "Really it was my stepmother. My mother was a peasant. She died early of a magical virus."

Grak grunted and shoved down more curry. Bella refilled his bowl. "Thanks."

"Anyway, Mom came from an inn. My dad, the king, met her there and it was love at first sight. Sort of a fairytale thing."

Grak nodded. "Went into the family business then?"

Bella snorted. "Well the family business was taxation and I'm fairly Libertarian, so I moved one kingdom over and opened my own business."

"Big one?"

She shook her head. "Maybe five lodgers. At one point I had the place packed with seven miners. They paid in gold so it was really lucrative."

Grak stopped eating. "Hey, have I heard about this?"

"Maybe." She sighed. "My version is she got her nose out of tweak without the taxes and frankly, she never liked me."

"Couldn't she run you out business or something?"

Bella laughed. "In a manner of speaking she did. They invaded and she spiked my morning tea with poison. They found me face down with a half-eaten apple in my hand."

Grak snapped his fingers. "I knew I heard this one. Woke up with a kiss, right?"

Bella's face darkened and her eyes spoke of cold murder. "They took liberties."

The entire estate quieted. Grak felt his sword begin to hum. He'd heard that phrase before. He was after all only half orc. "Oh." He set the food aside.

"I woke up just as he was adjusting his pantaloons."

"Oh." Grak remembered his own mother's story. His chest swelled with a dull ache. "I'da killed 'im.

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