"Watt-Evans,.Lawrence.-.Ethshar.3.-.The.Unwilling.Warlord" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragon Stories)

The alcove was absolutely simple, composed of three
gray stone walls and the curtain, the plank floor with

8 ' THE UNWILLING WARLORD

betting lines chalked on it, and a beamed wooden ceiling,
black with years of smoke, that undoubtedly served as a
floor for an upstairs room. There were no doors, no win-
dows, and no way he could slip out. No hiding places
were possible, since three wooden chairs were the only
furniture. Smoky oil lamps perched on high shelves at
either end provided what light there was, as well as the
fishy aroma that combined with stale ale in the tavern's

distinctive stench.

No help was to be had in here, that was plain, nor
could he hope to rally the tavern's other patrons to his
aid; he was not popular there. Gamblers who usually win
are rarely well likedЧespecially when they play for
stakes so low that they can't afford to be lavish with

their winnings.

Sterren realized he would have to rely on his witsЧ
and those wits were good enough that he knew he would
rather not have to rely on them.

They were, however, all he had, and he had no time to
waste. He flung back one end of the curtain and pointed
at the door to the street, shouting, "There he goes! There
he goes! You can still catch him if you hurry!"

Only two of the foursome paid any heed at all, and
even those two treated it only as a minor distraction,
giving the door only quick glances. The two immense
soldiers did not appear to have heard him. Instead, upon
seeing him, they turned and marched heavily toward
him, moving with a slow relentless tread that reminded
Sterren of the tide coming in at the docks.

The other two, the sailor and the foreign noble-
woman, followed the soldiers; the sailor flicked his fore-
finger, and the trail of sparks vanished.

Sterren did not bother ducking back behind the cur-
tain; he stood and waited.

It had been a feeble ruse, but the best he could man-