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

But the presence of the palace steward did interest her;

she watched him most of all. Out of the comer of one
eye, she saw him glance at her, then turn away. He stopped
at a gaming table and pretended to watch what happened
there but his eyes returned to her more than once.

Was the King having her followed? That would have
been no surprise. Lothar the Pale trusted no one, least of
all a person as important to his plans as Aelia, Princess
Berengeria's guardian. Still, he could employ more cun-
ning agents than this clumsy stalker. Most likely, the stew-
ard followed her for his own reasonsЧcuriosity, hope of
blackmail, hope of advancement.

None of those reasons mattered- What mattered was
that he was in the marketplace; she could not do her
business beneath his eyes. She knew her attendants could
be trusted, as could the slave, who owed no loyalty to
Buerdaunt's rulers. But this interloper had to be dealt
with.

6 FLIGHT TO THLASSA MEY

Her eyes moved without pausing, absorbing all that
happened about her, missing nothing. The game the stew-
ard was watching was rigged; she could tell that by the
motions of the operator as he cast the spinning ball. A
pair of the soldiers in the square were drunk. And a few
paces away, a pickpocket was liberating the purse of a
merchant. The thief's movements were lithe and fluid as
he slid the money pouch from its belt and hurried away
from his victim, moving quickly without running or
attracting attention. He would pass near the place where
she was standing.

But the merchant discovered his loss. His voice filled
the air. "Robbery, robbery! Harrow and alas."

The pickpocket paid no attention to the shouting; he
walked at a steady pace. Then Aelia flicked her foot for-
ward as he brushed by. He pitched onto the cobblestones
as their shins met, the purse flew from his fist, and coins
scattered across the paving.

The square erupted into chaos. Children scrambled for
the money; soldiers drew swords and shoved themselves
into the crowd. The thief leaped to his feet, but a pair of
citizens caught at him, turning him about. His fist crashed
into the mouth of one and he wriggled free. Again he