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The Eyes
of the
Overwork!
Book* by Jack Vance
The Best of Jack Vance Thл Eyes of the Overworld
Published by POCKET BOOKS
by
Jack Vance
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, A KANGAROO BOOK
PUBLISHED BY POCKET BOOKS NEW YORK
THE EYES OF THE OVERWORLD
Ace Books edition published 1956 POCKET BOOK edition published February, 1977
The chapters titled The Overworld, The Mountains of Mag-natz, The Sorcerer Pharesm, The Pilgrims, The Cave in the Forest, and The Manse of lucounu have appeared as individual stories in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Copyright, й, 1965, 1966, by Mercury Press, Inc.
The Eyes
of the
Overworld
This POCKET BOOK edition Includes every word contained In the original, higher-priced edition. It is printed from brand-new plates made from completely xeset, clear, easy-to-read type, DOCKET BOOK editions are published by
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ISBN: 0-671-80904-0.
This POCKET BOOK edition is published by arrangement with Ace Books, Inc. Copyright, й, 1966, by Ace Books. All rights reserved. This book, or portions thereof, may not be reproduced by any means without permission of the publisher; Ace Books, Inc., 1120 Avenue of the Americas,
New York, N.Y. 10036. Cover illustration by Hildebrandt.
Printed in the US.A.
I
The Overwork!
ON THE HEIGHTS above the river Xzan, at the site of certain ancient ruins, lucounu the Laughing Magician had built a manse to his private taste: an eccentric structure of steep gables, balconies, sky-walks, cupolas, together with three spiral green glass towers through which the red sunlight shone in twisted glints and peculiar colors.
Behind the manse and across the valley, low hills rolled away like dunes to the limit of vision. The sun projected shifting crescents of black shadow; otherwise the hills were unmarked, empty, solitary. The Xzan, rising in the Old Forest to the east of Almery, passed below, then three leagues to the west made junction with the Scaum. Here was Azenomei, a town old beyond memory, notable now only for its fair, which attracted folk from all the region. At Azenomei Fair Cugel had established a booth for the sale of talismans.
Cugel was a man of many capabilities, with a disposition at once flexible and pertinacious. He was long of leg, deft of hand, light of finger, soft of tongue. His hair was the blackest of black fur, growing low down his fore-bead, coving sharply back above his eyebrows. His darting eye, long inquisitive nose and droll mouth gave his somewhat lean and bony face an expression of vivacity, candor, and affability. He had known many vicissitudes, gaining therefrom a suppleness, a fine discretion, a mastery of both bravado and stealth. Coming into the possession of an ancient lead coffinЧafter discarding the contentsЧhe had formed a number of leaden lozenges.
The Eyes of the Overwork!
These, stamped with appropriate seals and runes, he offered for sale at the Azenomei Fair.
Unfortunately for Cugel, not twenty paces from his booth a certain Fianosther had established a larger booth with articles of greater variety and more obvious efficacy, so that whenever Cugel halted a passerby to enlarge upon the merits of his merchandise, the passerby would like as not display an article purchased from Fianosther and go his way.
On the third day of the fair Cugel had disposed of only four periapts, at prices barely above the cost of the lead itself, while Fianosther was hard put to serve all his customers. Hoarse from bawling futile inducements, Cugel closed down his booth and approached Fianosther's place of trade in order to inspect the mode of construction and the fastenings at the door.
Fianosther, observing, beckoned him to approach. "Enter, my friend, enter. How goes your trade?"
"In all candor, not too well," said Cugel. "I am both perplexed and disappointed, for my talismans are not obviously useless."
"I can resolve your perplexity," said Fianosther. "Your booth occupies the site of the old gibbet, and has absorbed unlucky essences. But I thought to notice you examining the manner in which the timbers of my booth are joined. You will obtain a better view from within, but first I must shorten the chain of the 'captive erb which roams the premises during the night."
"No need," said Cugel. "My interest was cursory.'* "As to the disappointment you suffer," Fianosther went on, "it need not persist. Observe these shelves. You will note that my stock is seriously depleted."
Cugel acknowledged as much. "How does this concern me?"
Fianosther pointed across the way to a man wearing garments of black. This man was small, yellow of skin, bald as a stone. His eyes resembled knots in a plank; his mouth was wide and curved in a grin of chronic mirth. "There stands lucounu the Laughing Magician," said Fianosther. "In a short time he will come into my booth and attempt to buy a particular red libram, the casebook of Dibarcas Maior, who studied under Great Phandaal. My price is higher than he will pay, but he is a patient
8
The Eyes of the Overworld