"Esther M. Friesner - Chicks 02 - Did You Say Chicks" - читать интересную книгу автора (Friesner Esther M)

half-year, a poster advertising the red-haired Eulalia's charms had been displayedтАж but it wasn't here
any more.

"Painting a new poster?" she asked, as she came through the door.

"She's not here," said the landlady. "But we've got Gerynis and Mythlia andтАж"

"When did she leave?" Mirabel asked.

"Are you on official business?" asked the landlady. "Or just snooping?"

"Official as in King's Guard, no. Official as in Ladies Aid & Armor Society, yes."

The landlady sniffed. "So what does the Ladies Aid & Armor Society have to do with exotic dancers?
Going to learn to be graceful in armor? Or sleep your way to promotions?"

Mirabel remembered why she never came here. The landlady cooed over male soldiers, and had a
rough tongue for the women. "Ma'am," she said, trying to sound both pleasant and businesslike,
"information from another exotic dancer suggests that all of them may be at risk. If so, the LA & AS
wants to offer protectionтАФ"

"And make a tidy profit, no doubt." The landlady glared. "Well, you're too late for Eulalia, I can tell you
that. What's been done to her is nothing short of blasphemy, and now you come along with your story
about protection. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if you didn't have something to do with her troubles, just
trying to scare all the girls into buying into your protectionsтАФ" She advanced from behind the counter,
and Mirabel saw that she held an iron skillet almost as broad as her hips. Mirabel beat a hasty retreat. So
much for thatтАж but if she could find Eulalia, the redhead might have more sense.

Back at the Hall, Eulalia was slumped at the table with a bright-eyed Krystal. Eulalia's midsection had
gone the way of Dorcas's, although the replacement wasn't quite as big. Krystal had already signed her
up for classes.

Eulalia knew of two other dancers so afflicted. "And my cousin, who just came to the city last week, told
me about a plague among shepherd girls out in the Stormy Hills. Only with them it's not belliesтАФit's legs.
Those girls do have gorgeous legs, from all that running and climbing."

Mirabel looked at the map on the wall. "Umm." She remembered that the court ladies had made a
Progress into the Stormy Hills a few weeks before. Or so they'd said. She had thought at the time it was
an odd place to go for a Progress in late winterтАФor at any time, really. There was nothing up in the
Stormy Hills but bad weather and sheepтАж and of course the herding families that tended them.

They had insisted on being escorted by male soldiers, too. At the time, Mirabel had thought that was just
another of their ladyish attitudes, of which they had many. Most likely, they were still in a snit about the
exercise classes, and thought that the women soldiers would make them walk too fast. They had refused
to go on hill walks as part of their fitness program.

"Something is definitely going on here," Mirabel said. "We'd better have a word with our favorite plastic
wizard." He was still on retainer for the Society. And much as she sympathized with the dancers, if even
half of them suddenly needed fitness classes, it would help make up the deficit from the court ladies'
defection. They might come up with enough for the Iron Jill retreat sacrifice after all.