"02 Myth Conceptions (e)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Asprin Robert)

"Right, Aahz," I acknowledged and hurried about
my task.

The trouble with using an inn for a base of opera-
tions, however abandoned or weather-beaten it might
be, was that occasionally people would stop here
seeking food and lodging. Magik was still outlawed
in these lands, and the last thing we wanted was
witnesses.




Chapter Two:

"First impressions, being the longest
lasting, are of utmost importance."

ЧJ. CARTER

AAHZ and I had acquired the inn under rather dubi-
ous circumstances. Specifically, we claimed it as our
rightful spoils of war after the two of us (with the as-
sistance of a couple of allies, now absent) had routed
Isstvan, a maniac magician, and sent him packing
into far dimensions along with all his surviving ac-
complices. The inn had been Isstvan's base of oper-
ations. But now it was ours. Who Isstvan had gotten
it from and how, I didn't want to know. Despite
Aahz's constant assurances, I lived in dread of en-
countering the inn's rightful owner.

I couldn't help remembering all this as I waited
outside the inn for our visitor. As I said, Aahz has
very good hearing. When he tells me he hears some-
thing "close by," he frequently forgets to mention
that "close by" may be over a mile away.

I have also noted, over the course of our friend-
ship, that his hearing is curiously erratic. He can hear

MYTH CONCEPTIONS 9

a lizard-bird scratching itself half a mile away, but
occasionally seems unable to hear the politest of re-
quests no matter how loudly I shout them at him.

There was still no sign of our rumored visitor. I
considered moving back inside the inn out of the late
morning sun, but decided against it. I had carefully