"William Forstchen - Magic The Gathering - Arena" - читать интересную книгу автора (Forstchen William R)

peasants and finer folk want to watch, they can pay. ThatтАЩs tradition too.тАЭ

And besides, the mob pays to see the fights in the arena but they wonтАЩt pay if they can see all they want
on the streets for free, Varnel wanted to reply.
тАЬDo we understand each other?тАЭ Zarel finally asked.

тАЬWe understand each other,тАЭ Varnel replied softly.

тАЬNow, on to the other concern. This fighter of no House, this hanin, do you have a description?тАЭ

тАЬNone of my people were there.тАЭ

тАЬCome now, what about your fighterтАЩs gaming master?тАЭ

Varnel shifted uncomfortably.

Zarel laughed and took another drink.

тАЬEither your man was an idiot fighting for no reason other than to gain a spell or he had a gaming master
there to fleece the crowd. IтАЩd hate to think that all your fighters are idiots.тАЭ

тАЬThe gaming master was thrown into the fissure by the mob when he ran out of money to pay them back
when my man lost.тАЭ

тАЬA logical response. And speaking of that, I now have a crack in the middle of one of my main streets
thatтАЩs a good twenty fathoms deep. Do you know how much that will cost to fix? Also, half a block of
slums burned to the ground and nearly fifty people dead.тАЭ

тАЬWell, they are only peasants.тАЭ

тАЬMy peasants; thatтАЩs fifty fewer peasants to pay taxes. ThatтАЩs fifty fewer peasants who, through their
mere existence, contribute to the pool of mana. My, my, Varnel, the bill just keeps adding up. IтАЩm not
talking bribes here; IтАЩm talking damages. I donтАЩt know how many cartloads of dirt itтАЩs going to take to
fill that hole your man created. The funeral costs, rebuilding the block of slums, itтАЩll be quite a bill.тАЭ

тАЬAs if youтАЩre going to pay it yourself,тАЭ Varnel shot back.

тАЬDamn it, no. YouтАЩre going to pay it,тАЭ Zarel roared, тАЬand thatтАЩs not a bribe. ThatтАЩs coming out of the
bond you and the other Houses set against damages to my city during festival.тАЭ

тАЬWhat about the House of Kestha? HeтАЩs the one who started the fight,тАЭ Varnel snapped.

тАЬOh, Tulan and his House will pay too,тАЭ Zarel said smoothly.

I bet they will, Varnel thought angrily as he snatched the decanter of wine and poured himself another
drink, figuring that at least Zarel was footing the bill for the refreshments and he might as well get the most
out of it.

тАЬYou should take it out of the hide of this no House warrior.тАЭ