"Juliet E. McKenna - Einarinn 1 - The Thief's Gamble" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKenna Juliet E)

course, ten years of living by my wits should have taught me how to spot
them. You would have thought so anyway; so would I.
The night this particular opportunity came to wreak havoc in my life, I
was sitting comfortably full of good dinner in front of a roaring fire, and
listening to the wind tearing at the snug inn. I was wearing my usual
nondescript travelling clothes and, with any luck, the other patrons in the
tap-room would have been hard put to decide my age, sex or business. Being
unremarkable is a talent I cultivate: middling height, middling build, nothing
special - unless I choose differently. Feet up on a stool and hat over my eyes,
I may have looked half-asleep, but mentally I was pacing the room and
kicking the furniture. Where was Halice? We had been due to meet here
four days ago and this unplanned stay was eating into my funds. It was
unlike her to be late for a meet. On the few occasions it had happened
before, she had always got a message through. What should I do?
I counted my money again; not that anyone else in the room noticed as I
slipped my fingers into the pouch under my shirt and sorted the coin. I carry
noble coin on me night and day; I've had to abandon my belongings a few
times and being caught out with no money leads to bad experiences. I had
thirty Caladhrian Stars, ten Tormalin Crowns and, reassuringly bulky, three
Empire Crowns. They were more than enough to give me a stake for the
Autumn Fair at Col and I had a heavy pouch of common coin upstairs which
would cover my travelling expenses as long as I left in the morning. If I
waited any longer, I'd have to pay carriers' coach fare and that would
seriously eat into my reserves.
The problem was that I did not want to work the Autumn Fair on my
own. Lucrative as it is, it can be a dangerous place and while I can take care
of myself nowadays, Halice is still a lot handier than me with her sword and
her knives. Working as a pair has other advantages too; when someone feels
their luck with the runes is going bad, it's much harder to see why when
there are two people adjusting the odds. As an added bonus, people never
expect two women to be working the gambling together, even in a big city. I
could hook up with other people but Halice is better than most as well as
more honest than some.
Of course, the most likely explanation was that Halice was stuck in some
lord's lock-up awaiting the local version of justice. I cursed out loud,
forgetting myself for a moment, but luckily no one seemed to have noticed.
There were only three other people in the tap-room, and they were deep in
conversation with the innkeeper. They were merchants by their dress; this
was a well-travelled business route and the chances were they were heading
for Col. The filthy weather seemed to be keeping the locals by their own
firesides, which was fine by me.
If Halice was in trouble, there was no way I could help her. Identifying
myself as her friend would simply land me in shackles too. I frowned. It was
hard to believe that Halice would get herself into trouble she could not get
clear of. That was one of the main reasons we worked Ensaimin for the
most part. Competition for trade guarantees a reassuring lack of
inconveniences such as circulating reward notices or co-operative Watch
commanders, which make prosy places like Caladhria so inhospitable. Here
trouble is seldom so bad it cannot be left behind once you cross a local
boundary, and we take care never to outstay our welcome.