"01 - A Difficulty With Dwarves" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gardner Craig Shaw)

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failing that, a large quantity of gold to be handed over to us to repay us for this inconvenience.' The apprentice stroked his pointed chin. 'I think one hundred pieces might suffice.'

'One hundred pieces!' I exclaimed in disbelief.

'Oh, you are quite right.' Grott smiled broadly at his two companions. 'That was far too low an estimate. I am so sorry if I offended you. We'll have you bring us two hundred gold pieces instead.'

This time I remained silent, glaring at my captors.

There, there,' Grott continued, 'much more reasonable of you. And you will see we are reasonable as well. We do not expect a cure for our masters, or failing that, the gold, until moonrise tomorrow!'

'Moonrise!' I sputtered. Grott shook his head. 'Still talking back? Maybe we should leave you with something to remember us by. What do you think, Vermin?'

And Vermin finally said something: 'Urracht!' he choked.

A hand, attached to an arm clothed in deepest black, lifted the large knife-wielder and tossed him a dozen yards down the road.

'I think this is possibly more fun than strangling wild pigs,' a mild voice remarked. I twisted my head around. The Dealer of Death stood behind me.

I moved quickly, swinging my stout oak staff about so that its end caught Slag full in the stomach. He sat down abruptly with a groan. I retreated a step, wary of a further attack from Grott, before I realized he was already held in the Dealer's viselike grip.

'Should I strangle this one, too?' the Dealer asked eagerly.

'No, no,' I replied quickly. 'I think we need to talk with them.'

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'Oh,' the Dealer answered in disappointment. With some reluctance, and without completely releasing his grip, he lowered Grott to a point where the apprentice's feet touched the ground.

'Much more reasonable,' Grott whispered hoarsely once he had caught his breath. He nodded in my direction. 'So I trust you will honor our request?'

'Request?' I could not believe my fellow apprentice's audacity. Slag was still groaning on the pavement, and Vermin, while he had picked himself up from his recent toss by the Dealer, had lost his knife and seemed to be wandering about in a bit of a daze.

'Perhaps,' I added, 'you don't quite understand the situation. You are facing more than one simple apprentice here. My companion is known only as the Dealer of Death, a member of a secret league of assassins. I can assure you that he knows a greater variety of ways to kill people than there are apprentices in Vushta.'

The Dealer nodded eagerly. 'I have been getting a bit rusty on the finer points, though. Can I try something really elaborate on one of them, say a little number called "The Princess and the Spikes of Death"? That one always was a crowd pleased'

'No,' I insisted, 'I think it's better if we talk to them. They are, after all, in the same trade as myself, only slightly jaded, I am sure, by a lifetime spent in Vushta.'

'Oh,' the Dealer replied, trying hard not to show his disappointment. 'Well, maybe I was being a bit too elaborate with the "Spikes" idea. It's just so seldom one gets a chance to do anything really major in polite society. How about something a bit simpler, say "The Shepherd Girl and the Hundred Screaming Points of Doom"? It doesn't have quite the showmanship of the

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other piece, but it is still quietly effective in its way.'

'Please forgive the enthusiasm of my colleague,' I told the other apprentices, looking specifically at Grott, who was slowly turning blue from the Dealer's somewhat looser hold on his neck. 'If we can work together, none of this should be necessary. There is no need for threats, or for violence. I have fought demons and magical creatures from the Western Woods to Vushta, and then again down to the Netherhells and back, all for the sake of my master. I realize that you, too, fellow apprentices, are worried about the fates of your masters. But if we all work together, we shall persevere, and defeat whatever has overtaken the wizards, while we are ready for any other dastardly plan the Netherhells sends our way!' I threw my hands aloft, beckoning the others forward. 'Join with me, fellow apprentices! Together, we can rescue Vushta! Together, we can save the world!'

'Does that mean I have to let this troublemaker go?' the Dealer asked with a frown. 'I realize that even the "Screaming Points of Doom" might be a bit much for the middle of the day. But I was still hoping to perform at least "The Milkmaid and the Moment of Grinding Terror." That's one of the most sedate deaths I know that retains any bit of style at all!'