"McCarty, Dennis - Thlassa Mey 01 - Flight to Thlassa Mey UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCarty Dennis)

strike there toward that goal, but I choose to do neither
of those things at this moment."

She stood for some time. But, though her eyes flashed
across the marketplace, she was not trading on this day.
She was waiting. The comers other mouth curled, making
the fine lines in her face jump and dance. Her foot, its
five athletic toes encased in a light sandal, began to tap
in the dust. She was becoming impatient.

After a bit, her face brightened as she saw a man cross-
ing the square. As he hurried up to her, she grasped him
by his chitonЧhis knee length tunic. Her voice was urgent.
"Well? Have you found the place? And is he there?"

The man was a slave and he wore an iron collarЧa
real collar rather than the replica she wore. He nodded,
still out of breath- "It was a hard search. Lady, but I was
able to find an inn where a man works who fits your
description. He dresses as a commoner, although he keeps
himself trim and well groomed. He's tall and of middling

DENNIS MCCARTY 5

age. And though he's only a workman, he speaks with
noble patterns."

She studied the slave, trying to find in his face some-
thing to fill out his brief description of her quarry. Then
die turned to the other attendants. "Then we must go and
see. We hurry now, we have but little time."

But something caught her eye and she hesitated. There
was a familiar face among the ocean of faces jamming the
square; it was the face ofGymon, the King's palace stew-
ard. "But wait." She rested her fingers lightly on the
shoulder of one of her attendants, then turned and pre-
tended to examine the goods at the nearest stall.

AJthough she appeared engrossed by the items before
her, she observed everything that happened in the square.
She watched the face of the stallkeeper. She watched
several soldiers who stood about the square, all wearing
the purple-and-gold tunics which marked them as warriors
of King Lothar. The tunics fit badly; she knew that was
because they concealed shirts of heavy chain mail. And
she knew the soldiers patrolled this square regularly,
keeping order by their presence. They did not interest
her.