The Warring States by Aidan Harte
Author:Aidan Harte [HARTE, AIDAN]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Fantasy / Historical
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2015-04-07T00:00:00+00:00
Lord Geta muttered a blasphemy and drew his sword.
âGive it up,â said the man to his left. âThereâs no way out of this.â
âHeâs a grown man. Iâll take that bet,â said the one sitting opposite. âI always wanted an Ebionite sword. Whereâd you get it?â
âI took it from an Oltremarine soldier. He didnât mind, since Iâd just killed him. And heâwell, I assume he liberated it from an infidel in similar circumstances.â
âGeta! For the Madonnaâs love, quit,â said the shriveled crone next to him, âbefore you end up betting your spurs.â Madame Filangeiri, the proprietor of Concordâs most exclusive brothel, wore a faded low-cut gown that had last been in fashion before the Reformation. The Dolore Ostello offered clients a range of nubile children and games of chance for those who still had money left over. Sheâd done well lately: Norcinoâs fanciulli had hunted gamblers from their traditional street-corner haunts into gloomy attics and cellars like this one. Norcinoâs objection to dice-throwing had nothing to do with the more traditional view that the habit ruined families; rather, that it was vain to contest with God, who had decided long ago how all throws must fall. Normally Madame Filangeiri was content to let her clients beggar themselves, but Geta was an old customer, and as close as she had to a friend.
âMadame, I donât know much, but I know when to leave the table,â said Geta. âI am still hot.â His self-esteem had been increasing with every draft.
She sighed, and said dismissively, âDonât say I didnât warn you. The wagerâs three hundred silver and one heathen sword. Whoâs in?â
âSaint Maria!â they heard from the streets above. âQueen of Concord!â
âI wish theyâd shut up.â
The basementâs wood ceiling bulged with age and was shrouded in an inert smoke cloud; the only natural light came from a narrow little window that showed a sliver of the street through dirty brown glass. Hundreds of naked feet went by: a procession of murky, chanting ghosts the gamblers pretended not to hear.
âWho rolls the Die will tell a Lie,
Who rolls the Dice is full of Vice!â
Geta threw down his cardsâthe Horseman, the Tower and Virginâand laughed greedily.
âPorca bestia!â The legionary who lost the bet exclaimed, âTo lose to thisâthisâwhat are you anyway? You even made centurion yet?â
âTruth be told, Iâm not sure what my rank is now. Theyâre always tearing off my epaulets or adding more bars, so I donât pay attention anymore. I just do what I do and people follow.â Geta proffered his bar-laden shoulder. âWhat do they mean?â
The other man swallowed. âUm . . . Lieutenant . . .â
âReally? You should probably salute me then, Soldier. Thatâs the protocol, isnât it?â As Geta reached for his winnings, there was a thunderous knocking from above and Madame Filangeiri paled beneath her thickly caked lead paint.
Geta chuckled. âDidnât pay up this month, dear lady?â
âBribe people who melt gold into bonfires? Iâd sooner be fed to the Beast.â She kicked her sleeping doorman awake. âGet up and see whoâs thereâand tell âem there ainât no one here.
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