McCaffrey, Anne - Pern 16 by McCaffrey Anne

Author:McCaffrey, Anne
Language: eng
Format: epub

"I'd say there'd have to be at least ten for the job here," Pinch said casually, as if that made no difference. "Had any other 'curious'

visitors lately?"

Tagetarl buried his face in his hands, rubbing it and then scrubbing his scalp with his knuckles. "Quite likely and all of them seemed perfectly reasonable folk."

"They may well be," Pinch remarked amiably, "except those who get a notion that you're a wicked tool of the Abominator because you can turn out whole books in days instead of months."

Tagetarl groaned.

Pinch reached over and patted Tagetarl on the shoulder. "But we've warning and I know who-and what-to be looking for."

"The three sketches you showed me?"

"I'm hoping all three will come to this party." Pinch's expression turned enigmatic.

"Party?" Tagetarl was livid.

"Evening exercise, if you prefer. Since they expect to surprise you, we'll just prepare a few of our own." He rose and Bista glided from her perch on the windowsill to his shoulder. "I'll go give them a hand." When Tagetarl started to rise, throwing off the last of this infamous shock, Pinch motioned to the kettle. "We'll need a lot more klah. And don't notice me walking about today, will you? The others'll hide in the loft. Just don't send anyone up there, will you? Fine. We brought food and water with us. No one will know we're here."

He started to leave, and then stopped, putting up a hand to steady his gold fire-lizard on his shoulder.

"There's one more thing, Tag," he went on. "You might just get an unexpected gift, like a skin of good wine. Don't even sample it out of courtesy. Or any provisions offered in kind for books received."

"What?" Tagetarl bristled at that. They did take fresh fruit or meat in return for printing. Would an Abominator stoop to poison?

Then he remembered that Master Robinton had been drugged at the Ruatha Gather and abducted right in front of hundreds of people.

"How many are involved?"

Pinch gave an indolent shrug. "Don't know, but Abominators seem to work in groups. Since they intend to damage the Hall, they'll bring enough brawn to smash stuff around. There are still persons," and he heaved a sigh for those so misguided, "who'll do any job that drops marks in their pockets."

Tagetarl shuddered; he had a vivid picture of the Hall, paper burning, toner powder splotching the whitewashed walls, hammers

smashing his presses, even if Pinch seemed certain that fire could be prevented.

"You are not reassuring me, Pinch!" he said in a caustic tone.

"While we want them to get in," Pinch said, "to show that they had evil intentions, we want to keep them from getting out." His grin was malicious. "That'll be easier to do, you know."

"No, I don't know, but this is just the sort of adventure you enjoy!"

"You used to, too, in your younger days, Tag," the Harper said with an unrepentant grin. "Until you got your Mastery and started a new Hall." He rose before Tagetarl could marshal a stern rebuttal. "By the way, if you should hear someone whistling," and he provided a trill, "that's me.

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