said the innkeeper. "What do you have to trade?"
Ifness brought forth one of his glass jewels. "This."
The innkeeper drew back and showed the palm of his hand in disdain. "What do you take me for? This is no more than coarse glass, a bauble for children."
Indeed then," said Ifness. "What is its color?"
"It is the color of old grass, verging toward river water."
"Look. " Ifness closed the gem in his hand, then opened it. "What color now? ".
"A clear crimson! "
"And now? " Ifness exposed the gem to the warmth of the fire and it glinted green as an emerald. "Now— take it into the dark and tell me what you see."
The innkeeper went off to a closet, and presently returned. "It shines blue and sends off rays of several colors."
'The object is a starstone," said Ifness. "Such are occasionally taken from the center of meteorites. It is in fact too valuable to exchange for mere food and lodging, but we have nothing else."
"It will suffice, or so I suppose," stated the landlord in a pompous voice. "How long does your barge remain at Shillinsk?"
"Several days, until we conclude our business. We deal in exotic goods, and at this moment we require the neck bones of dead Roguskhoi, which have a medicinal efficacy."
" 'Roguskhoi? What are they?"
"You call them differently. I refer to the red, half-human warriors which have pillaged the Plain of Blue Flowers."
"Ah! We call them the Tied Devils.' They are of value after all?"
"I make no such assertions; I merely traffic in bones. Who would be the local dealer in such merchandise?"
The innkeeper uttered a coarse bark of laughter, which he quickly stifled, and turned a look toward the two Sorukh, who had been attending the conversation.
"In these parts," said the innkeeper, "bones are so common as to be worthless, and a man's life is at little greater price. Observe this leg, which my mother maimed to protect me from the slave-takers. They were then the Esche from the Murd Mountains across the Shill. Now the Esche are gone and Hulkas have come, and all is as before, or worse. Never turn your back to a Hulka, or you'll find a chain around your neck. Four from Shillinsk have been taken during this last year. Hulka or Red Devil—which is worse? Take your choice."
The mustached Sorukh suddenly joined the talk. "The Red Devils are extinct, except for their bones, which as you know belong to us."
"Precisely the case," declared the second Sorukh, the ring swinging against his lip as he spoke. "We know the therapeutic effect of Red Devil bones, and we intend to realize a fair profit."
"All very well," said Ifness, "but why do you assert their extinction?"
"The matter is common knowledge across the Plain."
"And who accomplished this act?"
The Sorukh tugged at his beard. "The Hulkas perhaps, or a band from over the Kuzi Kaza. It seems that magic was worked on both sides."
The Hulkas lack magic," remarked the innkeeper. "They are ordinary slavers. The tribes beyond the Kuzi Kaza are ferocious, but I have never heard magic ascribed to them."
The ring-nosed Sorukh made a sudden harsh gesture. "This is not germane. " He turned to Ifness. "Do you intend to buy our bones, or shall we take them elsewhere?"
"I naturally want to inspect them," said Ifness. "Let us go look, then we can talk more to the point."
The Sorukhs sat back in shock. "Here is absurdity taken to the point of offense. Do you think we carry merchandise on our backs like Tchark women? We are proud folk and resent an affront! "
"I intended no offense," said Ifness. "I merely expressed a desire to see the merchandise. Where is it stored?"
"Let us make a short matter' of the situation," said the Sorukh with the mustache. "The bones remain at the battlefield, or so I suppose. We will sell our interest for a modest trade, and then you can do what you wish with the bones."
Ifness thought a moment. This procedure is scarcely to my advantage. What if the bones are of poor quality? Or impossible to transport? Either bring
Ifness brought forth one of his glass jewels. "This."
The innkeeper drew back and showed the palm of his hand in disdain. "What do you take me for? This is no more than coarse glass, a bauble for children."
Indeed then," said Ifness. "What is its color?"
"It is the color of old grass, verging toward river water."
"Look. " Ifness closed the gem in his hand, then opened it. "What color now? ".
"A clear crimson! "
"And now? " Ifness exposed the gem to the warmth of the fire and it glinted green as an emerald. "Now— take it into the dark and tell me what you see."
The innkeeper went off to a closet, and presently returned. "It shines blue and sends off rays of several colors."
'The object is a starstone," said Ifness. "Such are occasionally taken from the center of meteorites. It is in fact too valuable to exchange for mere food and lodging, but we have nothing else."
"It will suffice, or so I suppose," stated the landlord in a pompous voice. "How long does your barge remain at Shillinsk?"
"Several days, until we conclude our business. We deal in exotic goods, and at this moment we require the neck bones of dead Roguskhoi, which have a medicinal efficacy."
" 'Roguskhoi? What are they?"
"You call them differently. I refer to the red, half-human warriors which have pillaged the Plain of Blue Flowers."
"Ah! We call them the Tied Devils.' They are of value after all?"
"I make no such assertions; I merely traffic in bones. Who would be the local dealer in such merchandise?"
The innkeeper uttered a coarse bark of laughter, which he quickly stifled, and turned a look toward the two Sorukh, who had been attending the conversation.
"In these parts," said the innkeeper, "bones are so common as to be worthless, and a man's life is at little greater price. Observe this leg, which my mother maimed to protect me from the slave-takers. They were then the Esche from the Murd Mountains across the Shill. Now the Esche are gone and Hulkas have come, and all is as before, or worse. Never turn your back to a Hulka, or you'll find a chain around your neck. Four from Shillinsk have been taken during this last year. Hulka or Red Devil—which is worse? Take your choice."
The mustached Sorukh suddenly joined the talk. "The Red Devils are extinct, except for their bones, which as you know belong to us."
"Precisely the case," declared the second Sorukh, the ring swinging against his lip as he spoke. "We know the therapeutic effect of Red Devil bones, and we intend to realize a fair profit."
"All very well," said Ifness, "but why do you assert their extinction?"
"The matter is common knowledge across the Plain."
"And who accomplished this act?"
The Sorukh tugged at his beard. "The Hulkas perhaps, or a band from over the Kuzi Kaza. It seems that magic was worked on both sides."
The Hulkas lack magic," remarked the innkeeper. "They are ordinary slavers. The tribes beyond the Kuzi Kaza are ferocious, but I have never heard magic ascribed to them."
The ring-nosed Sorukh made a sudden harsh gesture. "This is not germane. " He turned to Ifness. "Do you intend to buy our bones, or shall we take them elsewhere?"
"I naturally want to inspect them," said Ifness. "Let us go look, then we can talk more to the point."
The Sorukhs sat back in shock. "Here is absurdity taken to the point of offense. Do you think we carry merchandise on our backs like Tchark women? We are proud folk and resent an affront! "
"I intended no offense," said Ifness. "I merely expressed a desire to see the merchandise. Where is it stored?"
"Let us make a short matter' of the situation," said the Sorukh with the mustache. "The bones remain at the battlefield, or so I suppose. We will sell our interest for a modest trade, and then you can do what you wish with the bones."
Ifness thought a moment. This procedure is scarcely to my advantage. What if the bones are of poor quality? Or impossible to transport? Either bring
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