[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
taking apart a most complex lock piece by weighty piece.
In a third, thieves were eating at long tables. The odors were tempting, even
to men full of booze. The
Guild did well by its members.
In a fourth, the floor was padded in part and instruc-
tion was going on in slipping, dodging, ducking, tumbling, tripping, and
otherwise foiling pursuit. A voice like a sergeant-major's rasped, "Nah, nah,
nah! You couldn't give your crippled grandmother the slip. I said duck, not
genuflect to holy Arth. Now this 'time"
By 'that time the Mouser and Fafhrd were halfway up the end stairs, Fafhrd
vaulting somewhat laboriously as he grasped curving banister and swaddled
sword.
The second floor duplicated .the first, but was as luxuri-
ous as the other had been bare. Down the long corridor lamps and filagreed
incense pots pendent from the ceil-
ing alternated, diffusing a mild light and spicy smell. The walls were richly
draped, the floor .thick-carpeted. Yet this corridor was empty too and,
moreover, completely silent. After a glance at each other, they started off
boldly.
The first door, wide open, showed an untenanted room full 'of racks of
Page 17
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
garments, rich and plain, spotless and filthy, also wig stands, shelves of
beards and such. A dis-
guising room, clearly.
The Mouser darted in and out to snatch up a large green flask from the nearest
table. He unstoppered and sniffed it. A rotten-sweet gardenia-reek contended
with the nose-sting of spirits of wine. The Mouser sloshed his and Fafhrd's
fronts with this dubious perfume.
"Antidote to muck," he explained with 'the pomp of a physician, stoppering the
flask. "Don't want to be par-
boiled by Krovas. No, no, no."
Two figures appeared at the far end of the corridor and came toward 'them. The
Mouser hid the flask under his cloak, holding it between elbow and side, and
he and
Fafhrd continued boldly onward.
The next three doorways they passed were shut by heavy doors. As they neared
the fifth, the two approach-
ing figures, coming on arm-in-arm, became distinct. Their clothing was that of
noblemen, but their faces those of thieves. They were frowning with
indignation and sus-
picion, too, at the Mouser and Fafhrd.
Just then, from somewhere between the 'two man-pairs, a voice began to speak
words in a strange tongue, using the rapid monotone priests employ in a
routine service, or some sorcerers in their incantations.
The two richly clad thieves slowed at the seventh door-
way and looked in. Their progress ceased altogether.
Their necks strained, their eyes widened. They paled.
Then of a sudden they hastened onward, almost running, and by-passed Fafhrd
and the Mouser as if they were furniture. The incantatory voice drummed on
without missing a beat.
The fifth doorway was shut, but the sixth was open. The
Mouser peeked in with one eye, his nose brushing the jamb. Then he stepped
forward and gazed inside with entranced expression, pushing the black rag onto
his forehead for better vision. Fafhrd joined him.
It was a large room, empty so far as could be told of hub-
man and animal life, but filled with most interesting
' things. From knee-high up, the entire far wall was a map of the city of
Lankhmar. Every building and street seemed depicted, down to the meanest
hovel and narrow-
est court. There were signs of recent erasure and redraw-
ing at many spots, and here and there little colored hiero-
glyphs of mysterious import.
The floor was marble, the ceiling blue as lapis lazuli.
The side walls were thickly hung, the one with all man-
ner of thieves' tools, from a huge, thick, pry-bar that looked as if it could
unseat the universe, to a rod so
slim it might be an elf-queen's wand and seemingly de-
signed to telescope out and fish from a distance for pre-
cious gauds on milady's spindle-legged, ivory-topped vanity table. The
other wall had padlocked to it all sorts of quaint, gold-gleaming and
jewel-flashing objects, evi-
dently mementos chosen for their oddity from the spoils of memorable
burglaries, from a female mask of thin gold, breathlessly beautiful in its
features and contours but thickly set with rubies simulating the spots of the
pox in its fever stage, to a knife whose blade was wedged-
shaped diamonds set side by side and this diamond cat-
ting-edge looking razor-sharp.
In the center of the room was a bare round table of ebony and ivory squares.
About it were set seven straight-
Page 18
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
backed but well-padded chairs, the one facing the map and 'away from the
Mouser and Fafhrd being higher backed and wider armed than the others chiefs
chair, likely that of Krovas.
The Mouser tiptoed forward, irresistibly drawn, but
Fafhrd's left hand clamped down on his shoulder.
Scowling his disapproval, the Northerner brushed down the black rag over the
Mouser's eyes again and with his crutch-hand 'thumbed ahead, then set off in
that direction in most carefully calculated, silent hops. With a shrug of
disappointment the Mouser followed.
As soon as they had turned away from the doorway, a neatly black-bearded,
crop-haired head came like a ser-
pent's around the side of the highest-backed chair and gazed after them from
deep-sunken yet glinting eyes. Next a snake-supple, long hand followed the
head out, crossed thin lips with ophidian forefinger for silence, and 'then
finger-beckoned the two pairs of dark-tunicked men who were standing to either
side of the doorway, their backs to the corridor wall, each of the four
gripping a curvy knife in one hand and a dark leather, lead-weighted bludgeon
in the 'other.
When Fafhrd was halfway to the seventh doorway, from which the monotonous yet [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl ocenkijessi.opx.pl
taking apart a most complex lock piece by weighty piece.
In a third, thieves were eating at long tables. The odors were tempting, even
to men full of booze. The
Guild did well by its members.
In a fourth, the floor was padded in part and instruc-
tion was going on in slipping, dodging, ducking, tumbling, tripping, and
otherwise foiling pursuit. A voice like a sergeant-major's rasped, "Nah, nah,
nah! You couldn't give your crippled grandmother the slip. I said duck, not
genuflect to holy Arth. Now this 'time"
By 'that time the Mouser and Fafhrd were halfway up the end stairs, Fafhrd
vaulting somewhat laboriously as he grasped curving banister and swaddled
sword.
The second floor duplicated .the first, but was as luxuri-
ous as the other had been bare. Down the long corridor lamps and filagreed
incense pots pendent from the ceil-
ing alternated, diffusing a mild light and spicy smell. The walls were richly
draped, the floor .thick-carpeted. Yet this corridor was empty too and,
moreover, completely silent. After a glance at each other, they started off
boldly.
The first door, wide open, showed an untenanted room full 'of racks of
Page 17
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
garments, rich and plain, spotless and filthy, also wig stands, shelves of
beards and such. A dis-
guising room, clearly.
The Mouser darted in and out to snatch up a large green flask from the nearest
table. He unstoppered and sniffed it. A rotten-sweet gardenia-reek contended
with the nose-sting of spirits of wine. The Mouser sloshed his and Fafhrd's
fronts with this dubious perfume.
"Antidote to muck," he explained with 'the pomp of a physician, stoppering the
flask. "Don't want to be par-
boiled by Krovas. No, no, no."
Two figures appeared at the far end of the corridor and came toward 'them. The
Mouser hid the flask under his cloak, holding it between elbow and side, and
he and
Fafhrd continued boldly onward.
The next three doorways they passed were shut by heavy doors. As they neared
the fifth, the two approach-
ing figures, coming on arm-in-arm, became distinct. Their clothing was that of
noblemen, but their faces those of thieves. They were frowning with
indignation and sus-
picion, too, at the Mouser and Fafhrd.
Just then, from somewhere between the 'two man-pairs, a voice began to speak
words in a strange tongue, using the rapid monotone priests employ in a
routine service, or some sorcerers in their incantations.
The two richly clad thieves slowed at the seventh door-
way and looked in. Their progress ceased altogether.
Their necks strained, their eyes widened. They paled.
Then of a sudden they hastened onward, almost running, and by-passed Fafhrd
and the Mouser as if they were furniture. The incantatory voice drummed on
without missing a beat.
The fifth doorway was shut, but the sixth was open. The
Mouser peeked in with one eye, his nose brushing the jamb. Then he stepped
forward and gazed inside with entranced expression, pushing the black rag onto
his forehead for better vision. Fafhrd joined him.
It was a large room, empty so far as could be told of hub-
man and animal life, but filled with most interesting
' things. From knee-high up, the entire far wall was a map of the city of
Lankhmar. Every building and street seemed depicted, down to the meanest
hovel and narrow-
est court. There were signs of recent erasure and redraw-
ing at many spots, and here and there little colored hiero-
glyphs of mysterious import.
The floor was marble, the ceiling blue as lapis lazuli.
The side walls were thickly hung, the one with all man-
ner of thieves' tools, from a huge, thick, pry-bar that looked as if it could
unseat the universe, to a rod so
slim it might be an elf-queen's wand and seemingly de-
signed to telescope out and fish from a distance for pre-
cious gauds on milady's spindle-legged, ivory-topped vanity table. The
other wall had padlocked to it all sorts of quaint, gold-gleaming and
jewel-flashing objects, evi-
dently mementos chosen for their oddity from the spoils of memorable
burglaries, from a female mask of thin gold, breathlessly beautiful in its
features and contours but thickly set with rubies simulating the spots of the
pox in its fever stage, to a knife whose blade was wedged-
shaped diamonds set side by side and this diamond cat-
ting-edge looking razor-sharp.
In the center of the room was a bare round table of ebony and ivory squares.
About it were set seven straight-
Page 18
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
backed but well-padded chairs, the one facing the map and 'away from the
Mouser and Fafhrd being higher backed and wider armed than the others chiefs
chair, likely that of Krovas.
The Mouser tiptoed forward, irresistibly drawn, but
Fafhrd's left hand clamped down on his shoulder.
Scowling his disapproval, the Northerner brushed down the black rag over the
Mouser's eyes again and with his crutch-hand 'thumbed ahead, then set off in
that direction in most carefully calculated, silent hops. With a shrug of
disappointment the Mouser followed.
As soon as they had turned away from the doorway, a neatly black-bearded,
crop-haired head came like a ser-
pent's around the side of the highest-backed chair and gazed after them from
deep-sunken yet glinting eyes. Next a snake-supple, long hand followed the
head out, crossed thin lips with ophidian forefinger for silence, and 'then
finger-beckoned the two pairs of dark-tunicked men who were standing to either
side of the doorway, their backs to the corridor wall, each of the four
gripping a curvy knife in one hand and a dark leather, lead-weighted bludgeon
in the 'other.
When Fafhrd was halfway to the seventh doorway, from which the monotonous yet [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]