bok 1608306275 by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Obediently he stepped backwards, his face a frozen mask of rage. As soon as he was clear of herdagger stroke, his hand went to his sword. She flipped the dagger, catching it by the point.

"Will you wager your life that I cannot put this in your eye?" His hand fell back to his side.

Desperately Karela fought her own desire to kill him. He deserved it clearly, to her thinking, but howcould she keep it secret that she had slain a man come to hire her- Such things never remained buriedlong. All who heard the tale would think she had done it for the coins on the table, and there would be nomore offers of gold.

"You codless spawn of a diseased camel!" she spat in frustration. "But recently I saw a figure thatreminds me of you. An ugly thing to curdle any woman's blood, as you are. All horns and fangs, withtwice as much manhood as any man, and like to think with that manhood, as you do, were it alive. If youhave any manhood."

He had gone very still as she spoke, anger draining from his face, and there was barely containedexcitement in his voice as he spoke. "This figure? How many horns did it have? How many eyes? Was itshaped otherwise like a man?"

Karela stared at him in amazement. Was this some attempt to draw her off guard, it was most surely astrange one. "What interest can you have in it?"

"More than you can possibly know. Speak, woman."

"It was like a man," she said slowly, "except that it had too many fingers and toes, and claws on all ofthem. There were four horns, and three eyes. And a reek of evil as strong as yours."

His smile returned, but not for her this time. To her surprise it was a smile of triumph. "Forget Inaros," hesaid. "Bring me that figure, and I will give you five hundred pieces of gold."

"Think you I'd still take your gold," she said incredulously, "after this?"

"I think you'd take five hundred pieces of it if it came from Erlik himself. Think, woman. Five hundred."

Karela hesitated. It was a tempting amount. And to think she could earn it at the Cimmerian's expensemade it more so. But to deal with this one. "Done," she was surprised to hear herself say. "How shall wemeet again, when I have the thing?"

He tugged off his brilliant red surcoat, revealing gilded armor beneath. "Have a man wearing this over histunic stand before the main gate of the royal palace when the sun is at its zenith, and on that day at dusk Iwill come to this hut with the gold."

"Done," Karela said again. "I will leave you, now, and I advise you to wait the time it takes to count onethousand-an you can count-before following, else you will discover whether that pretty armor will availyou against crossbow bolts." With that she backed from the hut, and scrambled into her saddle.

As she rode into the forest she found that she almost felt like singing.

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